The Need For Immunity Boosters

Before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us took our health, and freedom, for granted. Without a doubt, the pandemic has led to a significant change in the way we work and play, but beyond that it has also altered our lifestyles.

While the World Health Organisation recommends a minimum of four to five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, in reality 60% to 87% of men and women globally are not eating sufficient amounts, with an average of three out of five recommended servings.

With people staying home as much as possible in hopes of breaking the chain of infection, keeping up a regular intake of fruits and vegetables and ensuring there is sufficient exercise outdoors can be a challenge.

But if you’re exercising and eating fruits and vegetables regularly, do you still need dietary supplements to boost your immune system?

For most of us, the answer is yes.

We need immunity boosting dietary supplements that contain phytonutrients, which play a key role to fill in the nutritional gaps in our diet.

Amway’s vitamins and dietary supplements brand Nutrilite – which has focused on helping people care for their health needs since the 1900s – was one of the pioneers in using phytonutrients in its supplements.

It is a journey that Amway started through Nutrilite more than 80 years ago, with Nutrilite founder Dr Carl Rehnborg’s discovery of phytonutrients as beneficial to health and disease prevention.

In turn, the breakthrough led to the birth of the first plant-based multivitamin, multimineral sold in North America in 1948, better known as DOUBLE X today – a unique blend that consists of 12 vitamins, nine minerals, and features 17 plant concentrates for broader antioxidant protection and health benefits.

Amway Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei managing director Mike Duong

“We care about people and we are dedicated to bringing positive social impacts to the communities by leveraging on our holistic nutrition and wellness solutions, ” said Amway Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei managing director Mike Duong.

While it remains vital to maintain a good diet and exercise habit, supplements such as Nutrilite’s Bio C Plus All Day Formula and Soy Protein Drink can also help due to the nutrients and minerals the products contain.

For instance, Vitamin C can help improve your nutritional and antioxidant status(1). Also known as ascorbic acid, Vitamin C is a water soluble nutrient that is essential for the formation of collagen. It is also an antioxidant that helps protect cells against damage caused by free radicals.

As for protein, it is one of the three important macronutrients, besides vitamins and minerals. Protein is essential to create new replacement tissue; support bone and muscle growth, and mental development; and enhance general well-being while giving us healthy-looking skin.

Protein is also a critical part of the processes that fuel our energy and carry oxygen throughout our body in our blood. It also helps make antibodies that fight off infections and illnesses and keep cells healthy and create new ones.

Nutrilite grows, harvests and processes plants on its own certified organic farms.

To ensure that it uses only the best quality produce as ingredients for its products, Nutrilite grows, harvests and processes plants on its own certified organic farms – about 2,400 hectares of Nutrilite-owned certified organic farmland and approximately 100 partner farms – without using synthetic chemicals.

Nutrilite takes it a step further by building transparency into its operations with its nine-step traceability process, which has been a core tenet since the beginning that helps it guarantee its products are pure, safe and effective. At the same time, it gives us the ability to track the product every step of the way.

“For almost 90 years, we’ve been doing it this way by focusing on three key pillars – purity, safety and effectiveness. Simply because it’s the right thing to do, ” said Duong.

‘Amway is a health and wellness company with a committed vision of helping people live better and healthier lives, ’ said Duong.

Meanwhile, Amway Malaysia’s donation of food baskets last December to families in Sabah impacted by the pandemic included its Nutrilite Bio C Plus All Day Formula and Nutrilite Mixed Probiotic with Chicory Root Extract supplements which contain essential vitamins. These supplements can help address potential malnutrition effects among the families in need, which may have been exacerbated by the health crisis.

At the People's Housing Project in Intan Baiduri, Kepong of Kuala Lumpur, Amway Malaysia also donated to the residents 100 food baskets that included its Nutrilite Bio C Plus All Day Formula, Nutrilite Kids Chewable Natural C and Vergold Granola Mix Seeds and Cranberry for the nutritional needs of the community.

For more information, go to nutrilite.com.sg

(1) Pirabbasi, Elham et al. “Efficacy of Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) and/N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) Supplementation on Nutritional and Antioxidant Status of Male Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Patients.” Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology vol. 62,1 (2016): 54-61. doi:10.3177/jnsv.62.54

(2) Fleet, James C. “The role of vitamin D in the endocrinology controlling calcium homeostasis.” Molecular and cellular endocrinology vol. 453 (2017): 36-45. doi:10.1016/j.mce.2017.04.008

This article first appeared in The Star on 19 Feb 2021. It is republished here with permission from The Star.