According to WHO, chronic inflammation is the leading cause of death worldwide. Although it is not something that can be felt as such, chronic inflammation sets the stage for a host of different diseases. In a new review article that is published in StatPearls, the authors look closer at why chronic inflammation is so dangerous and how a healthier lifestyle with vitamin D, selenium, magnesium, zinc, and fish oil can help fight the inflammation and prevent the many different diseases and early death that follow in its wake.

There is a link between low blood levels of vitamin D and low levels of testosterone in overweight, young men, according to a study that is published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Endocrinology. It is also well known that vitamin D deficiency is more widespread among overweight people and this can affect your resistance, blood sugar levels, and a number of other functions. In fact, overweight individuals should make sure to get enough vitamin D. For men, it’s vital to produce sufficient quantities of testosterone, a hormone that is important for muscle mass, bones, vitality, fertility, and libido.

Zinc is of vital importance to the immune defense, our mental balance, fertility, skin, hair, sense of taste, and numerous other functions. According to a new study that is published in Current Research in Physiology, zinc interacts closely with vitamin D and is important for our cells’ ability to absorb vitamin D. Conversely, vitamin D supports the uptake of zinc in the intestines and supports various zinc-dependent cell functions. According to the new study, lack of one or both nutrients can result in a host of different problems such as infections, poor wound healing, muscle diseases, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, osteoporosis, cancer, and many other diseases. This is a problem because zinc and vitamin D deficiencies are rather common – mainly because of unhealthy eating habits, lack of sunlight, ageing, overweight, and the use of certain types of medicine.

Since December of 2021, two large meta-analyses have revealed that having low levels of vitamin D in your blood increases the risk of COVID-19 infections, severe disease, admission to intensive care, and death. A third meta-analysis has shown that only 12 percent of COVID-19 patients who took supplements of vitamin D were admitted to intensive care, compared to 26 percent of the non-supplemented. Finally, a fourth meta-analysis shows that supplementation with vitamin D significantly lowers the risk of life-threatening COVID-19 infections. This is particularly relevant during the winter period and among people at risk of being vitamin D-deficient, including groups such as seniors, people with dark skin, overweight people, and the chronically ill. There is an alarming need for increased focus on vitamin D supplements to prevent and treat COVID-19 and other virus infections by optimizing blood levels of the nutrient. It is also important to get plenty of magnesium, a nutrient the body needs to activate vitamin D.

Apparently so. According to a new study published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia, older people who take a daily multivitamin supplement for several years are far less likely to develop dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other types of cognitive decline. The new study supports earlier research where it has been seen that the different vitamins and minerals increase cerebral blood flow and protect neurons. It pays off to choose high-quality supplements to make sure that the nutrients are properly absorbed in the body.

It is commonly known that zinc boosts the immune defense, although there has been some uncertainty about how. A team of scientists from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the United States therefore decided to look closer at the subject and they found that zinc is important for T cell activity and for the thymus that produces the T cells. The scientists say that this new insight may be useful for the development of new therapies for patients with compromised immune systems. Apparently, zinc deficiencies are rather widespread and this increases the risk of infections where T cells play a key role in supporting the immune function.