Immune Support

Immune support is a nutrition job, not a switch you flip. Immune cells renew quickly, so they need a steady supply of specific nutrients. Only a short list of nutrients may be linked to immunity on a label in the UK: vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, iron and copper. Each of these contributes to the normal function of the immune system. That list is where this collection starts, and it sits inside our IMMUNITY + VITALITY pillar.

Vitamin D is the UK-specific gap

From October to early March, sunlight here is too weak for your skin to make vitamin D. National advice is that everyone should consider a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms, which labels also print as 400 IU. Most capsules on the shelf hold 25 micrograms (1000 IU), still well inside the adult upper limit. We stock vitamin D3 in capsules and drops because D3 is the same form your skin makes. Vegan D3 from lichen gives plant-based buyers that same molecule.

Forms decide how much actually gets absorbed

Two products with the same milligram figure are not the same product. In zinc citrate and bisglycinate forms, the mineral is bound to an organic acid or an amino acid, so it dissolves more easily than zinc oxide, the cheapest option on the market. Vitamin C works differently again:

• Ascorbic acid: plain, well studied, lowest cost per gram.
• Buffered ascorbates: less acidic, gentler on an empty stomach.
• Liposomal: the vitamin sits in a tiny fat layer, so more reaches the blood from a smaller dose.
• Time-release: spreads intake across the day instead of one peak.

Botanicals sit in a different category. Elderberry, echinacea and beta-glucans from mushrooms are popular, but no immune claim is authorised for them as food supplements here. Echinacea products that do mention colds are licensed as traditional herbal medicines, a separate approval route. We are happy to stock these ingredients, and we describe them for what they are: seasonal extras chosen on format, taste and price, not foundations.

How we choose what goes in this collection

We weigh three things: the form, the dose and whether a combination makes sense. A capsule with 5 mg of zinc oxide does not earn a place; 15 mg of zinc bisglycinate does. We keep vitamin D and K2 together where the label supports it, and we skip blends that list twenty botanicals at amounts too small to matter. We buy directly from the brands, so what arrives is authentic, and our compliance team checks every label before it goes live. For the full picture, read how we select brands and products.

Who this suits, and what to expect

These products earn their place when your intake is genuinely short: winter months, a narrow diet, shift work, or a vegan diet without fortified foods. If you already eat oily fish, shellfish and plenty of vegetables, one vitamin D supplement through winter may be all you need. Nutrients work by filling a gap, so expect quiet, steady support over weeks rather than a change you feel in two days. That is why we push consistency ahead of high milligram numbers.