As the world waits for a coronavirus vaccine, many Americans are taking whatever they can to “boost their immunity” against COVID-19. That’s why two actresses, when they had a chance to interview Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and key member of the Coronavirus Task Force, asked him about just that. Read on to see what he takes himself, and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had Coronavirus.
Fauci Takes These Two Vitamins Himself
In an interview that was fairly kid-focused, Jennifer Garner asked Fauci, “Now, should moms be doing something just to boost our kids’ immune system? You know, do you need more vitamin C? Do they need more spinach? Is there anything we should be doing? Elderberry?”
Said Fauci: “The answer is to the dismay of many: No. So if a child is deficient…there are two vitamins that you should consider. For example, if you are deficient in vitamin D, that does have an impact on your susceptibility to infection. So I would not mind recommending, and I do it myself taking vitamin D supplements. The other vitamin that people take is vitamin C because it’s a good antioxidant. So if people want to take a gram or two at the most vitamin C, that would be fine. So vitamin C and vitamin D. Okay. Any of the other concoctions and herbs I would not do.”
“Okay,” answered Garner. “Throwing out the elderberry.”
Note that Dr. Fauci did not say taking these vitamins makes you immune to coronavirus. Nothing currently available will.
The Best Boosters are Sleep and Exercise
Earlier in the week, Dr. Fauci said something similar to another actress, Tiffany Haddish. “You know, to be honest with you, Tiffany, the things that so-called ‘boost the immune system,’ when you do really good clinical studies, it doesn’t really help much unless you have some sort of a deficiency,” he told her via an Instagram chat. “Like if you’re vitamin D deficient, you just work hard all the time, you don’t get outside. Then taking vitamin D is good. If you want an antioxidant, vitamin C. But a lot of these herbs that claim to boost your immune system in so many respects, either do nothing, or, if you take too much of them, they harm you.”
“They give you diarrhea,” Haddish interrupted. “I’m just mad. Like at first I was like, Oh, I know what I’ll do. I’llI take more vitamin D, I add ginger, turmeric. Now I just got spicy…situation coming up.”
After laughing, Fauci said: “The best way to keep your immune system’s good is to just lead a healthy life, get good sleep, exercise. Those are the things that are so much better than a bunch of herbs that really have never really been shown to do that.”
As for yourself: sleep, exercise, don’t get yourself into any “spicy situations,” and to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don’t miss these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.