Quercetin for Immune Health

The concept of supporting your immune system to reduce the incidence of cold and flu has taken centre stage. But your immune system is not just a defense mechanism to reduce the severity of your body's response to a virus. Your immune system also plays a role in the inflammatory response to injury and allergies. Your immune system is a natural defense system to protect the body from anything that it deems harmful. Unfortunately, in some cases, the immune system malfunctions and considers healthy cells to be harmful. This behaviour is referred to as autoimmune and leads to several diseases. 

How the body's immune system responds to internal and external forces have scientists worldwide making new discoveries. It has also enabled some of nature's simplest remedies to find their way back into mainstream therapy to support a healthier immune response.

An excellent example of this is Vitamin C & D, both of which have scientific studies abound to support their use for reducing the severity of colds, flu and viruses. What has emerged from the use of Vitamin C is the little-known flavonoid most often found in vitamin C supplements and many foods you eat every day, called quercetin. 

Quercetin is found in many fruits and vegetables, especially citrus, apples, berries, grapes, dark cherries, blueberries, cranberries, red onions, kale, green tea and even red wine! Quercetin is considered a plant pigment (which is why it found in deep coloured fruits and vegetables)

Quercetin has multiple influences on your immune system, aside from cold and flu prevention. The immune research on quercetin focuses on its immune-enhancing and anti-viral aspects. Because quercetin boosts white blood cell activity and helps to mobilize them towards the area of infection. A unique benefit of quercetin is its ability to enhance the anti-viral effects of ionic zinc. When zinc is in an ionic state, it is better equipped to block viruses from replicating.

Quercetin provides anti-inflammatory benefits, which further protect the body from diseases that arise from inflammation, such as respiratory diseases, cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, skin infections, and heart disease. Quercetin may also block histamine, the inflammatory response caused by allergies. It is considered a natural antihistamine, effective for lowering the effects of seasonal allergies and skin reactions.

The Form of Quercetin you Take Matters.

If you are committed to eating quercetin-rich foods each day, you may be able to consume 100-300mg of quercetin daily. If you are looking for quercetin's medicinal benefits, you should be consuming between 500-1000 mg a day, which would require supplementation.

Quercetin is most often combined with other nutrients such as vitamin C because it is not easily absorbed and used in the body on its own. When paired with Vitamin C, it not only increases the absorption of quercetin, but Vitamin C helps the body to regenerate quercetin within the body.

It is important to repeat "regular quercetin supplements are not absorbed very well on their own, "and the degree of absorbability of standard quercetin varies from one person to another.

To reproduce the anti-viral effects of the quercetin used in studies, it requires the use of specific forms of quercetin. If you are looking to increase your intake of quercetin there are only a couple of forms of quercetin available on the market that have the necessary characteristics for immune enhancement and absorption

• EMIQ (enzymatically modified isoquercitrin) attaches glucose chains to the quercetin molecule.
• Quercetin LipoMicel Matrix™ provides quercetin in a micro-emulsified form.

Of the two, the one that stands out for producing the best results for anyone suffering from conditions related to constricted blood vessels or looking for additional immune and antioxidant support is Quercetin LipoMicel Matrix™.

Quercetin is a naturally soluble compound in fats, oils and lipids, but has limited solubility in water. This makes it challenging to absorb efficiently through the intestines. Encasing quercetin in lipid molecules (micelles) with lipophilic centres where it can be dissolved makes it more soluble and absorbable into the body. Natural Factors Quercetin LipoMicel Matrix is the only supplement that contains this advanced form of quercetin, which disperses quercetin into tiny micro-droplets that makes it ten times more absorbable than standard forms.

Natural Factors Quercetin EMIQ or Enzymatically Modified Isoquercitrin is a highly bioavailable soluble quercetin compound created using a natural enzyme process for superior bioavailability. Natural Factors Bioactive Quercetin EMIQ® reaches peak level in the bloodstream in just 15 minutes for almost instantaneous antioxidant support. It is more recommended for daily use, seasonal allergies.

Quercetin is very safe, and no side effects have been reported (or are expected even when using these higher dosages). However, quercetin may increase the absorption of some drugs, including chemotherapy agents and high blood pressure medications. If you are taking any drugs in these classes, the dosage may have to be lowered to avoid side effects or toxicity.

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