Nothing’s worse than traveling when you’re feeling under the weather, having your holiday plans put on hold thanks to the flu, or simply having to bear freezing weather when you have a head cold. Though the winter months are full of opportunities to enjoy time with friends and family, the combination of being inside more and being exposed to cold, dry air puts stress on our immune system. Along with taking preventative health measures, such as washing your hands regularly, cleaning shared surfaces often, and nourishing and hydrating your body, you can take other proactive measures to support your immunity and increase your resilience to infection. Enter Defend by Tally Health: a science-backed supplement that does wonders to boost our body’s natural defenses.
Defend’s Fantastic Ingredients
What makes Defend by Tally Health so powerful? Five research-backed ingredients formulated together for multi-targeted immune support and resilience.
- Quercetin: A flavonoid found in fruits and vegetables, which has been shown to provide broad immune system support and effectively lower markers of inflammation
- Vitamin C: A water-soluble vitamin that protects us on many levels, including supporting healthy cell function and stimulating our body’s white blood cells to fight infection
- Beta-glucan: A polysaccharide and soluble fiber found in the cell walls of plants, bacteria, fungi, and yeast with many health benefits, such as the power to strengthen both our innate and adaptive immunity and decrease the length and severity of respiratory infections
- Zinc: A nutrient found throughout the body and in various food sources that helps our immune system and impacts the function of our metabolism
- Vitamin D3: A fat-soluble vitamin that plays a role in regulating various aspects of our immune system; plus, it helps the immune system mount a response to respiratory viruses
Read on to learn more about how these five science-back ingredients boost our immune system and play a role in fighting off infections.
Support Your Immunity: The Science Backing Defend’s Powerful Ingredients
Each ingredient in Tally Health’s Defend is chosen for its proven ability to support immune function and promote overall longevity. While certain ingredients focus on supporting key facets of our immune system, many of them have overlapping benefits to ensure full-spectrum and all-level immune support.
Quercetin
As noted in a comprehensive review, “Several studies highlight the potential use of quercetin as an antiviral, due to its ability to inhibit the initial stages of virus infection, to be able to interact with proteases important for viral replication, and to reduce inflammation caused by infection” (Di Petrillo et al., 2021). Given that both acute infections and chronic diseases alike can cause inflammation, choosing a supplement that includes quercetin ensures you’re consistently helping to lower your body’s inflammation levels.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerhouse vitamin. It is required for the creation of collagen, is involved in the production of various hormones and neurotransmitters, improves the absorption of nonheme iron, serves as a powerful antioxidant, and stimulates white blood cells (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). Since our body’s frontline defenders against illness are our white blood cells, having a supplement that includes vitamin C ensures you’re keeping these fighters strong and ready for whatever comes their way.
Beta-glucan
When faced with and then fighting off infections, our body employs several lines of defense. The beauty of beta-glucan is that it helps strengthen both our innate and adaptive immunity; therefore, our body can fight off new germs and then identify repeat invaders with ease. When it comes to defending against colds and other respiratory infections, a systematic review and meta-analysis of human clinical trials concluded that yeast beta-glucan can decrease the incidence and duration of upper respiratory tract infections (Zhong et al., 2021).
Zinc
Like beta-glucan, zinc can also do wonders against the common cold, as evidence indicates that oral zinc can help shorten how long a common cold lasts (Mayo Clinic). Most notably, a 2024 Cochrane Review—which is considered to be the highest, most rigorous tier of evidence—concluded that zinc supplementation may decrease the length of the common cold by 1.84 days (Nault et al., 2024). To properly fight off and clear infections, we also need to ensure our lymphatic system (the body’s “sewer system”) is working in tip-top condition; zinc can help improve the function of this all important system so it effectively removes harmful substances like bacteria, viruses, and various debris from our body.
Vitamin D3
Winter in the northern hemisphere means shorter days and less sunlight. Because of this, vitamin D synthesis becomes more difficult. Though we can still get this vitamin from food sources throughout the winter, most of us tend to be deficient; so, supplementing daily is a reliable way to keep our body’s levels up. Actually, a systematic review of 25 randomized control trials concluded that vitamin D3 supplementation protects against acute respiratory tract infections (Martineau et al., 2017). Moreover, if you do happen to get sick, having sufficient vitamin D3 levels can improve your recovery and outcome from illness as well. One study showed that vitamin D3 decreased the number of antibiotic prescriptions in general adults (Pham et al., 2022).
The Best Defense Is Defend
For cellular-level support all winter long, Tally Health recommends taking Defend for at least six months to build up the benefits and then continue from there. To begin your Defend journey, start with one capsule daily and then work up to two; make sure to take your dose with food, preferably a meal that contains healthy fats, so the fat-soluble vitamin D3 can be properly absorbed and utilized by your body. By focusing on a nourishing diet and supplementing with a trusted supplement like Tally Health’s Defend, you can set yourself up for success by building up your body’s immune defense—one that will last well past the winter season.
Use code AGEIST for 20% off Defend here.