A lack of THIS vitamin will leave you 'open to attack from invading viruses'

DID you know how dangerous a lack of vitamin C is in your diet - and how common it is around this time of year?

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A lack of vitamin C can seriously effect your body

A lack of vitamin C is more dangerous than just feeling a little under the weather, it's been revealed. With a return of the cold weather - and plenty more ahead this winter - Brits need to be more aware of their health.

Suzie Sawyer, a Clinical Nutritionist from Nature’s Way, has revealed all about the health scares around during the winter months. 

It's not just the booze causing problems with the liver that should be waking you up with worry. It turns out alcohol can also have a detrimental effect on the level of vitamins in your body, thus causing more issues. Gulp!

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Suzie said: "Christmas can often stretch for over a month when we take into account all the preparation, pre-Christmas parties and extended days for the actual celebrations.  However, during this time we will frequently be very busy, which causes us to feel stressed and puts the body under more duress.

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Keeping your festive health in mind is really important

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You can get vitamin C from many fruits including grapes and oranges

"The body uses up more nutrients, particularly vitamin C, the B vitamins and magnesium, partly because the adrenal glands that control the stress response are on overload. 

"Additionally, alcohol depletes vitamin C causing more stress – it can be a vicious cycle."

We all know the old wives tale about eating oranges to stave off a cold - but feeling the first symptoms of a cold means it's probably too late. 

Suzie explained: "Vitamin C is needed for so many different functions in the body; healthy skin and in particular collagen production, which keeps the skin young looking, energy release, a robust immune system, the stress response and healthy bones and teeth – quite an impressive list. 

"This is one of the reasons why we are more prone to the dreaded coughs and colds at this time of year; vitamin C is depleted, therefore the body becomes more open to attack from invading viruses."

She added: "Taking a quality multi-vitamin that contains vitamin C, such as Alive! Immune Support, with other immune supporting nutrients, can really help support the body (RRP £14.99 for 60 delicious berry flavoured soft jells)"

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The body uses up essential vitamins when stressed

It would seem the jollies in the run-up to Christmas can really cause havoc with one's body, and being run down is more than just needing to catch up on sleep. 

Suzie said: "The first thing we notice when we are nutrient depleted is that we feel generally run-down and are more prone to infections. The body is often able to compensate in the short term for nutrient deficiencies; however, longer term the health implications can be much more serious.  

"The biggest problem,  however, is that we often don’t know until the deficiencies become very serious; for example a lack of vitamin D will affect bone health over a period to time. 

This may not become evident until someone breaks a bone too easily and then a scan will show that the bones are not strong.  Good nutrition is often about prevention of disease; however, it is sometimes difficult to know what you may have prevented, therefore one should be mindful of trying to give the body what it needs on a daily basis."

She added: "This is where a good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement becomes really useful; it’s like having an insurance policy – a daily top-up of nutrients the body needs that it doesn’t always get when life is busy and stressful. "