1. Do Vitamins support Body Immune System Healing?

Can vitamin supplements positively influence the body's natural healing processes?   

This is after all the fundamental question Science has been attempting to answer with research. Good info on general immunity from Harvard Medical here. Scientists still view this topic as controversial. This topic is addressed with references throughout this website is many articles such as Friendly Vitamins. The zinc deficiency research is very compelling. And the answer appears to be yes for some nutrients in the correct form and dosage ranges. The ideal immune boost is one that increases the ability of the immune cells to react but does not necessarily change the number of cells or their ratios to one another. The body is best to determine that function for itself. New research is constantly updating nutritional science while supplements largely have remained unchanged, clinging to old and now obsolete vitamin theories. Only a handful of companies are staying current with new formulations. Here is the simple condensed version: 

Vitamins (and some other nutrients) have both the ability to stimulate immune cell activity to suppress and prevent disease conditions, as well as the opposite actions to accelerate and feed disease processes after the disease is already active. These may be from direct actions, such as inflammatory and antioxidant processes, on immune cell functions or through indirect actions in other areas that influence immunity triggers. 

It all depends upon supplement dosages added with body levels, nutrient forms, sometimes whether natural or synthetic, and synergism with the levels of other nutrients already present. Genetics of course can play a significant part, usually between 20-35%. Nutrition is able to somewhat modify these percentages. Again, this modification can work in both ways. You are about to discover why these scenarios can even be true for the same nutrient...read more

Here are some examples:

• Clinics in undeveloped Countries give out the mineral zinc to children once a month that dramatically reduces their risk of deadly infections. Too much supplemental zinc, over 60 mg daily, is potentially damaging to the immune system, the very action that lower amounts of zinc enhance. Plus zinc has different implications for prostate health at both adequate versus excess or deficient levels. The ALREDS eye study revealed this action for zinc. 
• Vitamins A & D modify tissue-specific immune responses as well as reduce inflammation and control autoimmune conditions. The active hormone form of vitamin D actually is produced by immune cells and with the help of vitamin A metabolites acts on these same immune cells to control their activity, T-cells, B-cells, cytokines, lymphocytes, and macrophages. (NK cells are major part of innate immune response*)
• Excess vitamin A is associated with increased bone fractures.
• Adequate Vitamin B1 levels reduce the risk of BeriBeri.
• Excess vitamin B1 promotes cancer growth.
• Higher intakes of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate are associated with reduced risk of death from stroke and heart conditions, possibly related to lowering homocysteine levels.**
• Vitamin C in the general population slightly reduces symptoms and duration of colds but not necessarily the number of colds, except in extreme athletes who show a 50% reduction in frequency of colds. ref
• Deficiencies of vitamin B12 or Folate can cause nerve damage ref
• Excess vitamin B6 can cause nerve damage.
• See this article on nutrients that impact immunity and cancer. *NK cells, natural killer cells, mentioned in this article too.

**Vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid studies to measure effects of lowering homocysteine levels on CVD outcomes have not always shown positive results. Scientists assumed there should be positive effects from animal studies and observations. This next reference explains some of the reasons why B vitamins and vitamin E positive actions did not always pan out for positive heart disease lowering results. ref   Notice statins and aspirin use in both groups, that giving vitamin E can interfere wtih vitamin K absorption. This could interupt the blood coagulation vitamin K factors to increase bleeding type strokes.

•  Another example: Folic acid in stopping DNA damage in healthy cells to prevent cancer initiation versus Folic acid increasing the cancer cell growth rate once the tumor is established. Both of these actions are just natural functions of folates. Different amounts, forms, and synergism between nutrients all play roles. ref  And remember, there is an anti-folate cancer treatment drug to limit the action of folate that helps cells grow and divide, including cancer cells. 

First and foremost, a complete understanding for vitamin physiology is needed to avoid these possible adverse effects. i.e. What is called Vitamin E today represents only one out of four tocopherols found together in nature. In isolating out just the one form, at certain amounts a natural synergism is upset and this can cancel out benefits and potentially create adverse effects as well. ref   article 

CAUTIONARY NOTE: It is nearly impossible to discuss vitamins and supplements without overlapping into disease states. While the FDA and other Government agencies view this as prescribing or practicing medicine, it is really just discussing vitamin functions in their given body capacity. Many vitamins were first discovered in attempts to overcome a particular disease, such as vitamin C over scurvy, vitamin D and rickets, vitamin B1 and beriberi ref, plus calcium and bone fractures. Any such discussions or research reported on this website should only be viewed as educational. Talk with your Medical Doctor regarding any disease states and nutritional supplement usage. Although, yes, there exists a serious gap in nutritional education for Doctors. Doctors have to research this topic themsleves.