Colds, fight it also with antioxidants

In addition to the well-known behavioral measures to be taken to limit contagion and remedies to alleviate symptoms, an extra help against colds comes from antioxidants.

Every winter the same thing happens: while taking all the necessary precautions, a large number of people run into one or more colds.

Of course, those whose immune system is weakened a little, for example due to excessive fatigue, stress or smoking, are more easily subject to seasonal ailments.

But even if you are healthy and strong, once a cold virus has managed to reach your nasal mucous membranes you will hardly escape it.

To make matters worse, bacteria can take advantage of the situation by spreading and causing secondary infections, such as otitis, sinusitis, and bacterial bronchitis.

The faults of free radicals

To reduce the risk of contagion there are some behavioral measures, such as washing hands often, trying not to attend crowded environments, keeping hydrated.

And, above all, keep our defenses high, which helps us even if the virus has already managed to penetrate, since we will be able to heal better and faster.

To assist us in this sense there are antioxidants, a real army of different substances responsible for fighting free radicals, thus protecting cells from oxidative damage that weakens them.

Free radicals are formed during numerous processes, both physiological and pathological, including viral infections such as colds.

These substances are capable of triggering harmful reactions that compromise the integrity of cells and defense systems.

The charge of the “scavengers”

Antioxidants behave like real “scavengers”, which literally means “scavengers”, since they are able to capture and remove free radicals.

In this way they strengthen the immune system as well as the cells of the mucous membranes, natural barriers against the penetration of germs.

And that is why they can play an important role in preventing colds or accelerating its healing.

Making a good amount of antioxidants available to our body therefore means not only slowing down cellular aging, but also increasing resistance to attacks by microorganisms.

What they are and where we find them

Among the most efficient antioxidants we find some vitamins, such as A, C and E and those of group B, but also some minerals such as manganese, copper, selenium and zinc.

In general, we should not have great supply difficulties because many foods contain fair quantities. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables should be sufficient to provide adequate amounts of antioxidants.

However, there are some processing and refining processes that drastically reduce the vitamin content of food, also alcohol, coffee, smoking alter the absorption of nutrients.

For this reason, supplementation may be indicated, especially in cases of increased need: multivitamin supplements are able to provide us with the ideal dose of all the necessary antioxidant substances.