Table of Contents
1. Introduction2. Best vitamins and minerals to take in summer to maintain good health
- Vitamins to maintain strong immunity
- Vitamin B to sustain good energy levels
- Why do we need more vitamin C in summer?
- Vitamin D the “sunshine vitamin” makes bones healthy
- Solving skin-related concerns in summer with supplements
- Fighting fatigue in summer
- Anti-oxidant support to fight oxidative stress
- Focusing on mental health in summer by maintaining adequate nutritional status
3. Multivitamins for overall health in summer
4. Why do our food preferences change in summer and how does it affect our health?
5. Our body is deficient in vitamins and minerals in summer. Why?
6. Conclusion
"As the summer months approach, it's essential to prioritize your health and wellness. Discover the best vitamins to take this summer to support your immune system, skin, and overall health."
Heat affects us in many ways. Every season is tied to some specific health issues, changing dietary patterns, lifestyle changes, etc. Dehydration, low energy levels, sleep disturbances, oily skin, and indigestion are the common health issues people face during summer. Our body works hard in summer to maintain a healthy balance between heat loss and heat gain. Due to excessive sweating and metabolic changes in summer, our body needs more vitamins and minerals, to maintain energy and carry out routine activities.
This article will explore how heat stress in summer affects our body, and food choices, exposing us to nutritional deficiencies that may cause weak immunity and poor health in summer, and how we can bridge these dietary gaps with a combination of holistic approaches and high-quality supplements for summer.
Best vitamins to take in summer to maintain good health
- Vitamins for maintaining strong immunity in summer
A healthy immune system helps us recover faster, maintain good health, and feel energetic. Vitamins A, C, D, and E are important for maintaining proper immune function. In summer, people consume more sugary drinks and are stressed also. This may prevent them from focusing on a balanced diet and choosing unhealthy food causing a deficiency of immune-boosting vitamins.
- Gain energy from vitamin B to enjoy outdoor activities in summer
When we are physically active in summer, we need more energy. An adequate supply of vitamins B and C is important for feeling energetic, participating in physical activity without experiencing muscle pain and soreness, and feeling refreshed. Since our body cannot store vitamin B, it should be taken daily.
- Why do we need more vitamin C in summer?
Vitamin C increases heat tolerance because it delays sweat gland fatigue and reduces heat exhaustion. Taking vitamin C supplements helps our body respond well to heat stress. Daily Vitamin C supplementation helps in heat acclimatization.
- Vitamin D the “sunshine vitamin” makes bones healthy
In summer, many people are highly concerned about their skin. They prefer to stay indoors and avoid problems of sunburns, skin tanning, etc. So due to less exposure to sunlight, vitamin D supplements can be taken to maintain healthy vitamin D levels and keep bones healthy.
- Solving skin-related concerns in summer
For those worried about skin concerns in summer, vitamins can help. Vitamin C promotes collagen production, vitamin E also helps in maintaining healthy skin and vitamin A protects the skin from sun-induced damage.
- Fighting fatigue in summer
Muscles and brain are the most energy-demanding organs in the body. More physical activities in summer and delayed circadian rhythm due to late evening social gatherings in summer cause physical and mental fatigue. B vitamins play an important role in combating fatigue. Riboflavin is beneficial in prolonged physical activity causing muscle fatigue.
Focusing on mental health in summer by maintaining adequate nutritional status
Do you know in hot weather, the likelihood of hospitalization due to depression increases by 40%?
Studies have highly pointed out the fact that heat waves affect our mental well-being and increase the risk of anxiety and mood disorders. Dehydration in summer causes tiredness, discomfort, irritability, and poor concentration. Delayed circadian rhythm and poor sleep quality also affect mental health in summer. B vitamins play an important role in maintaining brain health. Recent studies have also mentioned the role of vitamin D in boosting mental health. A cool sleeping environment and pre-sleep cooler showers, along with taking multivitamins is a good options in summer to support mental health.
Multivitamins for overall health in summer
What type of health goals you should aim for in summer? Think about drinking plenty of water, and taking enough vitamins and minerals. According to the World Health Organisation, hot weather exacerbates health issues like asthma, mental health, etc Choosing multivitamins is a good option. The ingredients of the supplement and their dosages play an important role in determining their effectiveness. Lower dosages are not effective in compensating for the vitamins lost due to sweating and increased metabolic activity in hot weather. A multivitamin also contains magnesium and potassium which play an important role in temperature regulation.
Why do our food preferences change in summer and how does it affect our health?
Our food preferences, and eating time change significantly in summer. People usually delay food intake due to the long summer days. Studies have found that people consume more carbohydrates. They prefer lighter and colder foods during the daytime and prefer taking high glycemic caloric snacks in the evening. Sugary beverages, friend snacks, burgers, energy drinks, chips, cookies, and candy bars, spicy foods are the common choices people love to make in summer. These delicious choices are unhealthy and incapable of providing essential vitamins and minerals to the body.
Our body is deficient in vitamins and minerals in summer. Why?
Many studies have pointed out how our body becomes deficient in certain vitamins in summer. Does a hot working environment make you feel less energetic? Here is the reason why.
- A study found that you may lose niacin in small amounts due to sweating. The intake of thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin is proportional to energy intake. If energy intake (calories) is increased to meet the increasing demand for exercising and working in a hot environment, the intake of these vitamins also should be increased.
- B vitamins are water-soluble and due to excessive sweating, these vitamins are lost. Vitamin B supplements can be used to enhance exercise capacity in summer. These supplements when given to high school males before running in hot weather were associated with less fatigue. Vitamin C levels are also compromised due to hot weather. Even if you take adequate vitamin C, you may be deficient. Our body demands more vitamin C which is also beneficial for managing prickly heat.
- Vitamin A, C, and E supplements are beneficial in hot weather because of their anti-oxidant potential.
Conclusion
Our body needs enough vitamins and minerals to function optimally and maintain good health. Seasonal variations affect health in many ways. The summer season may pose a lot of health challenges due to heat. Taking vitamins and following healthy lifestyle tips like drinking water frequently, eating seasonal fruits and vegetables, etc can help maintain good health and well-being. Taking high-quality vitamins is recommended because these are evidence-based and contain the vitamins in the right dosage your body needs.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019700/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK236216/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10696165/