When planning their travels, you do not necessarily take into account for illnesses. Travel is often the highlight of the year, a chance to explore new places, try unfamiliar foods, meet new people and step away from the everyday routine.
But all that adventure can sometimes come with an unwelcome companion: an upset stomach, fatigue, or falling sick just when you’re supposed to be enjoying your holiday. From eating street food to changing your sleep schedule and spending long hours on the move, travel can put your body through a lot.
While no supplement can guarantee that you won’t fall ill, certain supplements may help support your immune system and overall wellbeing before and during a trip. Physician and content creator Dr Kunal Sood took to Instagram to share a list of 5 supplements that one can include into their routine to keep the sickness at bay. When combined with the basics such as staying hydrated, getting enough sleep and following good food and hygiene practices, adding the right supplements to your travel routine may help stack the odds in your favour.
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A post shared by Kunal Sood, MD (@doctorsoood)
Dr Kunal Sood wrote in the caption of his video, “These supplements have not been shown to work better when combined, and they should not replace safe food and water practices, insect precautions, or hand hygiene.”
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps regulate normal immune function, but large clinical trials have not shown that supplementation reliably prevents respiratory infections. Correcting deficiency is worthwhile, but it is not a last-minute travel infection preventive.
Zinc
Zinc is essential for immune cell function, but routine supplementation has not clearly been shown to prevent colds. Oral zinc lozenges started within about 24 hours of symptom onset may modestly shorten a cold, while intranasal zinc products should be avoided because of smell-loss risk.
Vitamin C
Regular vitamin C does not usually prevent colds, but it may shorten their duration slightly. Starting vitamin C only after symptoms begin has generally not been helpful, and high doses can cause gastrointestinal side effects.
Probiotics
Some probiotic strains may modestly reduce respiratory infections, but benefits are strain-specific. Current CDC guidance considers the evidence insufficient to recommend probiotics for preventing travelers’ diarrhea.
Elderberry
Elderberry has not reliably prevented colds, even in an air-travel study. It may modestly shorten illness or reduce symptom severity once a cold develops, but evidence remains limited.