The Link Between Great Immunity and Skin Health

Many of us know the benefits of vitamin C and zinc for immune health, but did you know these ingredients also have benefits for our skin health too? Let’s take a deep dive into these multi-tasking nutrients and how they nourish our bodies from the inside out.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an all-time favourite for its antioxidant properties and support of multiple cellular processes - including, notably, protecting the body against damage. Vitamin C is crucial for our immune health because it helps our cells to fight off bugs that can enter our system from the outside world. Vitamin C has also been shown to reduce the duration of common seasonal ills and chills. Thus, taking it just after you start to feel unwell can be hugely beneficial for hastening your road to recovery.

The immune-supporting benefits of vitamin C often take the spotlight, however, vitamin C has loads of other incredible benefits for our bodies. As a powerful antioxidant, it supports healthy skin cell turnover, which can help bring some life back to the appearance of our skin. It’s also essential for collagen synthesis, meaning, vitamin C is required for our bodies to make collagen which it needs for healthy hair, skin and nails (to name just a few things we need collagen for!).

Vitamin C is an essential water soluble nutrient. The downside to vitamin C is that the body cannot produce or store it. Vitamin C also has a short half life and doesn’t stay in the body very long (4 hours-ish). We recommend having a small amount of vitamin C a few times throughout the day by eating vitamin C rich foods or supplementation. Foods like kiwifruit, oranges, and broccoli are good sources of vitamin C - containing roughly 50-100mg of vitamin C per serve. BePure Super Boost C contains 3,000mg of vitamin C per serve, and when mixed with water makes a delicious drink - an easy way to top up your daily intake, especially in high need times.

Zinc

Zinc is an essential mineral and is involved in over 300 enzyme reactions within our bodies. It's a pretty important member of the nutrient team responsible for keeping our body running happily and healthily. When it comes to our immune health, zinc plays a critical role in our ability to fight off seasonal germs and recover from them.

Zinc is also a secret weapon in the battle against acne and other itchy, hot, dry and red skin concerns. It supports our skin in a few different ways:

1. Soothes redness and swelling associated with acne, to support the calming of the skin.
2. Supports skin structure.  Like vitamin C, zinc also assists in the formation of collagen which is key for maintaining our skin's elasticity and structure.
3. Assists with cell turnover. A lot of skin conditions are associated with high cell turnover, which zinc can support the renewal of to help shed dead cells and prevent clogged pores.
4. Oil production regulation. Zinc helps to prevent excess oil production that contributes to pesky breakouts - regardless of whether they are hormonally induced or not.

But there's a catch with zinc…

Zinc is needed to help us break down our food. It supports digestion and when we do not have enough zinc, we can often have poor digestion and thus poorer absorption of zinc from the ingestion of high-zinc foods. This means getting our zinc levels back up through food alone can be challenging. Supplementation is a great way to top up your zinc stores. BePure Zinc Restore contains 15 mgs of elemental zinc from zinc picolinate - a highly bioavailable form of zinc that helps to top up what is missing. You can also find good levels of dietary zinc in animal products like oysters, fish, shellfish, lean meat and poultry.

It’s pretty amazing all of the ways nutrients look after our bodies - quite the multi-taskers really! Consider vitamin C and zinc the duo you didn’t know you needed for ultimate skin and immune support.

Wanting some other top tips for supporting both your immune and skin health simultaneously?

Here’s a couple more tried and tested tips:

1. Drink enough water - Our bodies are 60% water, so making sure you’re getting optimal amounts of water each day is essential for hydrated, healthy skin, and keeping our lymphatic systems flushing and moving waste out of our body.
2. Eat a whole food, nutrient dense diet - our bodies love to be nourished with whole foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals to keep us healthy and glowing.
3. Keep stress levels down (where possible!) - Stress plays a big role in our skin health, and can also be a factor for catching regular ills and chills, as well as longer recovery times. Try to bring in more balance to your week by practising stress management techniques like meditation, yoga, journaling, or deep breathing. Find something that works for you and add it to your routine.

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