It should be done before we are sick because this is prevention. A vaccine is also administered before we get sick for prevention.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Supplements that strengthen immunity should be consumed before one is struck with disease, not the other way around, internal medicine specialist Iris Rengganis noted during a webinar on Thursday.

"It should be done before we are sick because this is prevention. A vaccine is also administered before we get sick for prevention," she elaborated.

Immunomodulatory supplements work by modulating or improving the body's immune system, she said.

To maintain resiliency against disease, it is better if such supplements are consumed as preventives and not as medicines, she added.

Immunomodulatory supplements help stimulate the immune system to build protection against viruses.

Strengthening the body's immunity cannot be done in a short amount of time. Hence, supplements should be consumed before a disease strikes, she said.

"Before the pandemic, we drank vitamins in order to not contract flu or when we would travel far, like for umrah," Rengganis noted.

"So, it is best to do it before we get sick rather than consume a dose after we get sick," she said.

When it comes to vitamin supplements, the body requires all vitamins such as A, B, C, D, and E. However, it is undeniable that Vitamin D has been prioritized recently because it can raise the body's immunity against the coronavirus, she said.

However, other vitamins cannot be ignored, she added. These vitamins can be obtained by taking nutritious food or additional supplements.

"Every vitamin is important. It has to be balanced. However, Vitamin D has become more popular because the receptors in our entire body, including the immune system, require Vitamin D," she explained.

The daily requirement for vitamins can be fulfilled by consuming nutritious food, sunbathing, and consuming Vitamin D supplements, she said.

"Sunbathing should not be done for too long because it could trigger skin cancer," Rengganis cautioned.

"What we need is UV B, which only appear at 10 a.m. for just 10 minutes. However, if it is hard to receive sunlight, there is nothing wrong with consuming Vitamin D," she added.

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Translator: Maria Cicilia, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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