The Star Malaysia - Star2

Boost your immune system

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DECEMBER is the time to unwind and get that well-deserved holiday after a whole year of working hard. While you’re excited about your year-end trip, you’re probably also worried about maintainin­g your health throughout the trip.

Many people get sick during or after their holidays. This is due to the close quarters of an airplane, long-distance flights or temperatur­e difference­s. Exposure to more people, bacteria, and viruses in an enclosed environmen­t is a key reason we’re likely to get sick and have a weaker immune system.

According to one study publishing in the Journal of Environmen­tal Health Research it’s more than 100% more likely for someone to catch a cold on a plane than in daily life. You are more susceptibl­e

(1) if your immune systems are weak during the weeks leading up to holiday travel.

Don’t let sickness and flu deter you from taking some time off. If you’re flying over the holidays, start protecting yourself now and strengthen your immunity by following the recommenda­tions below.

1) Stay hydrated

It is important to stay hydrated as people often don’t get enough fluid and risk becoming dehydrated, especially during hot weather when people perspire more, which leads to more vitamin C being excreted out as vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. Hence, vitamin C must be replenishe­d daily. With a convenient pack of vitamin C, one can easily replenish vitamin C in the drinking fluid during travelling.

2) High dose vitamin C

Opt for once-a-day dosage of 1,000mg vitamin C which is available in a convenient sachet form.

3) Vitamin C with bioflavono­ids

Bioflavono­ids are plant-derived compounds mainly found in citrus fruits. Bioflavono­ids work synergisti­cally with vitamin C to increase the utilisatio­n and absorption of vitamin C in the body.

4) Vitamin C for caffeine lovers

As caffeine is a mild diuretic, it increases the excretion of water via urine, as vitamin C is watersolub­le. Therefore, absorption and bioavailab­ility is reduced.

5) Vitamin C for stressful lifestyles

Stress is a major issue for many people even during holidays such as rushing for airport check-in, flight delays such conditions accelerate the production of free radicals. Increasing oxidative stress and reduces antioxidan­t levels, therefore vitamin C serves as antioxidan­t to maintain greater amount of vitamin C pool in the body.

6) Choose your vitamin C wisely

If you suffer from stomach gastric, choose vitamin C in ascorbate form, as it is gentle to your stomach.

Vitamin C in a sachet form provides convenienc­e and is an easy way to maintain your health, anytime, anywhere, even while you’re travelling the world.

Enjoy your holiday while boosting your immunity on the go.

This informatio­n is brought to you by BiO-LiFE Marketing Sdn Bhd.

■ For details or enquiries, contact 03-7499 7999.

Reference

Journal of Environmen­tal

(1) Health Research: Common cold transmissi­on in commercial aircraft: Industry and passenger implicatio­ns. http://citeseerx.ist. psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.202.1204&rep= rep1&type=pdf

 ??  ?? Water-soluble vitamin C must be replenishe­d daily.
Water-soluble vitamin C must be replenishe­d daily.

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