From early March through to as late as October, many people suffer from seasonal allergies.
Typically caused by an overreaction of the immune system to a substance, such as pollen, this is more commonly referred to as “hay fever”.
The body releases chemicals such as histamine, to try to get rid of the allergen. This causes symptoms such as runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, and itchiness.
While there is no cure for allergies, there are ways to lessen the symptoms.
One of the more natural ways is to take supplements, such as Vitamin C and Quercetin. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that can help reduce inflammation. Quercetin is another type of antioxidant, a flavonoid, that’s commonly found in fruits and vegetables which also has anti-inflammatory properties.
Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits (oranges & lemons) but it can also be found in peppers, broccoli and even brussels sprouts. Quercetin can be found in onions, apples, grapes, olive oil, blueberries and red wine.
Unfortunately your body can’t make its own vitamin C and while vitamin C and other antioxidants can be found in food, it’s not enough for your body. In some cases, it can be beneficial to take a supplement to keep yourself at optimum health.
Here are 10 ways that Vitamin C and Quercetin can help you through any sneezy season:
1. Vitamin C can decrease inflammation
Histamines cause allergy symptoms; itchy eyes, congestion, runny nose, sneezing and even asthma. Vitamin C can decrease inflammation and swelling, subsequently relieving hay fever symptoms. While inflammation is a natural defence mechanism of the body, it can be dangerous if the body gets too inflamed. As Vitamin C can help regulate the immune system it also aides in reducing inflammation.
2. Aids in reducing other allergy symptoms
It’s not just pollen that can cause allergens. Specs of dust, even things like mould or pet hair can cause an allergic reaction. Fortunately, vitamin C has the same impact on all allergies. Vitamin C is great for keeping your immune system healthy, it can get rid of free-radicals which are responsible for inflammation from other histamines as well.
3. Good for your immune system
Vitamin C provides vital support to your immune system during cold and flu season, but can also increase energy levels and it helps absorb iron.
4. Reduces the amount of histamines
Over-the-counter medications block histamine receptors which can result in unwanted side effects. Vitamin C reduces and slows down the amount of histamine you produce, rather than blocking them completely.
5.Benefits cardiovascular health
Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant and can help manage high blood pressure by widening the blood vessels. This may also aid in decongestion often associated with hay fever symptoms.
Benefits of Quercetin
1. Quercetin is an anti-oxidant
Anti-oxidants help aid in neutralising free radicals in the body. Free radicals can reduce the impact of cell growth. Anti-oxidants prevent the formation of free radicals and promote their decomposition. A supplement containing Quercetin could help build higher levels of anti-oxidants in the blood.
2. Anti Inflammatory Properties
Quercetin can block specific enzymes that are associated with inflammation. The histamine-induced inflammations trigger hay fever. Quercetin can reduce the symptoms by stabilising the cells that release the histamines.
3. Relieves respiratory effects from allergies
In extreme cases, hay fever may trigger asthma. Some sufferers don’t enjoy taking steroids for asthma. Fortunately, with its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, Quercetin can help reduce these side effects. Natural anti-inflammatories work by reducing swelling and mucus production in the airways.
4. Can improve exercise performance
Quercetin may help reduce inflammation of the muscles after exercise, which allows athletes to recover quicker. Excessive training can leave muscles sore, inflamed and under oxidative stress. As Quercetin acts as an anti-inflammatory, it helps ease the stress that muscles go through.
5. Controls blood sugar levels
Quercetin has been reported to interact with many molecular targets in the small intestine, pancreas, skeletal muscle and liver to control whole-body glucose homeostasis. This means that Quercetin can aid in the signalling involved in glucose metabolism and improve insulin resistance. It does this by stimulating cellular glucose uptake and decreasing hyperglycaemia.
The fix thought
It can be useful to take a supplement to help deal with allergies as your body can only absorb a certain amount of nutrients from food.
Additionally, some supplements are more effective than others and absorption rates vary significantly. Consider taking a liposomal supplement. Liposomes act as a protective barrier to help transport the nutrients to where they are needed.
