Q10 is a key element in the cellular energy turnover and also serves as a protective antioxidant. The human body is able to make most of its own Q10 but as we grow older, our endogenous Q10 synthesis decreases, and this is also the case with certain diseases and as a result of using specific types of medicine. A large meta-analysis has shown that Q10 supplementation is able to reduce chronic fatigue in healthy individuals as well as in people with diseases. Apparently, taking larger doses for longer periods of time works best for energy levels. It is important to choose a Q10 supplement that has the right quality and comes with documentation to ensure that the Q10 molecules are absorbed properly in the blood and reach the energy-producing powerhouses of the cells.

Photodynamic therapy is a kind of light therapy that is used to treat skin cancer, psoriasis, and other skin diseases. According to a review article published in Nutrients, vitamin D supplementation can improve the outcome of the treatment. In fact, vitamin D appears to have several positive effects on skin health. Taken in large doses, the vitamin can even repair skin damage caused by sunburns.

Magnesium plays a vital role in the immune defense by regulating inflammation, which is a property that determines the body’s ability to tackle COVID-19 and other infections. People who lack magnesium have an increased risk of being infected with COVID-19 and also that the infection becomes life-threatening. This was shown in a large American population study that also revealed how widespread a problem magnesium deficiency is. The scientists therefore assume that an optimization of people’s magnesium status in the future can contribute to the protection against COVID-19 and similar respiratory infections. It is also important to get enough vitamin D because the two nutrients interact with each other.

Vitamin D is of vital importance to a well-functioning immune defense and it protects against virus infections. This has been confirmed by Denmark’s infection control agency, Statens Serum Institut, and researchers from Harvard University in Boston, USA. In a study, the Danish and American scientists found that having low levels of vitamin D in the blood is associated with a greater risk of severe disease outcome in patients with COVID-19.

In the summertime, we synthesize vitamin D in our skin when we expose ourselves to sunlight. Vitamin D is a nutrient that is of vital importance to mood and health in general. When it is dark outside, we produce melatonin, which is important for our sleep. In addition to that, melatonin has a number of other important functions. Over the past decades, science has focused on its potential in the prevention of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, sclerosis, and several other diseases. Apparently, vitamin D and melatonin work as hormones day and night and are of vital importance to the immune system. Also, they regulate inflammation, protect cells, and have many other functions. In a new review article that is published in Nutrients, the scientists refer to melatonin as the “next vitamin D”. Also, they mention that many people get too little sunlight during the day and too little darkness at night, which results in a deficiency of both vitamin D and melatonin.

Fish contains vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, and iodine, all of which are important for the fetus’ brain and development. However, fish also contains mercury and that discourages many pregnant women from eating fish. According to a new study that is published in NeuroToxicology, eating fish during pregnancy is actually not harmful at all, on the contrary, and the scientists behind the study argue that the precautionary guidelines need to be revised. Apparently, the selenium content in fish and seafood determines if mercury is dangerous or not.