Currently, global statistics show that over 1 billion people across all age groups worldwide have vitamin D deficiency, while 50% of the planet’s population has vitamin D insufficiency. Patients with respiratory disease are frequently deficient in vitamin D.
Back in the 19th century, when tuberculosis was particularly rife, sick patients flocked in droves to sunny sanatoriums to soak up the healing sunshine, which was known to have curative powers. Although vitamin D is widely known for supporting bone health and calcium metabolism, this vital vitamin’s benefits have a much wider reach. There are vitamin D receptors within every tissue of the human body. Studies show that vitamin D regulates many functions in the body, including hormone balance, metabolism, blood pressure, bone density, combatting cancer, and immune function.
There is currently a lot of buzz about the immune boosting benefits of vitamin D, and for good reason. Vitamin D is a hormone building block that helps strengthen the immune system. Recent scientific evidence has shown that it plays an essential role in the immune response against viral infections, helping the body to fight off colds, flu, and other illnesses.
Pelargonium sidoides extract reduces the severity of respiratory tract infections. Vitamin D also improves antiviral defence through similar signalling pathways. In light of this, a study was conducted by Roth et al. in 2021 in which Pelargonium sidoides extract was assessed on how it modifies vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression and function by human bronchial epithelial cells.
Bronchial epithelial cells were incubated with Pelargonium sidoides extract over 48 hours prior to calcitriol (the active form of vitamin D) stimulation and/or infection with rhinovirus. It was found that Pelargonium sidoides extract upregulated VDR expression and thereby increased the cell’s sensitivity to calcitriol. For untreated cells, the shift of the VDR into the nucleus was at 5.3 times lower calcitriol concentration.
It was thus demonstrated that Pelargonium sidoides extract improved the antiviral effect of vitamin D on rhinovirus infection by 2.1 folds, compared to vitamin D alone or to untreated cells. The study concluded that the extract increased the body’s defence against viral infection by upregulating the vitamin D receptor.
By adding PELAFORCE™ to your daily health routine, you thus not only benefit from Pelargonium sidoides’ powerful natural immunomodulation, but you also provide your body with optimal uptake of vitamin D for further immune support.
For more information about PELAFORCE™: https://www.afraceuticals.com/pelaforce
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