Wound Healing Nutrients
It is inevitable that you will get hurt sometime in the future. While you may not be able to tell the severity of the injury, you might still be able to prevent further damage. This is partially done through the foods you eat, as some foods contain nutrients that have wound healing properties. So, what are these nutrients and what foods contain them? Continue reading to learn more about some nutrients to help heal wounds.
Nutrients to Help Heal Wounds
Vitamin C
Another nutrient that can promote wound healing is vitamin C. Vitamin C is a great nutrient due to its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are compounds that protect the body from all the damages caused by free radicals. To learn more about free radicals and the effects of antioxidants, check out this article here.
When it comes to wound healing, vitamin C plays an important role. One study showed that it plays a role in all phases of wound healing. However, its main role is in the production of collagen. Collagen is a protein that is a component of tissues that makes several body parts. The main thing it helps is the skin. It can improve the skin, and also help make new skin. That is why many people take collagen supplements in an effort to slow aging.
You can get vitamin C from a wide variety of foods. The main source that most people know of is citrus fruits. These include oranges, grapefruit, and lemons. However, they are do not contain the most vitamin C. Bell peppers contain more vitamin C than any citrus fruit. So, if you want to up your vitamin C intake, try some bell peppers instead.
Protein
Proteins are complex molecules that do many things for the body. Protein is also a building block of the tissues and organs. This makes it essential in order to make new skin, cells, and other parts that could have been damaged. One study published to the National Institutes of Health states that “Protein deficiency has been demonstrated to contribute to poor healing rates with reduced collagen formation and wound dehiscence.” As mentioned above, collagen is used to make new skin. This makes it even more vital that you get enough protein into your diet.
There are many foods that protein is found in. The most common foods that have protein in them are meats. Chicken is many peoples go-to for protein due to it being lean meat. However, beef is still a good source of protein. Other common sources of protein are eggs and even peanut butter.
Calcium
Another of the nutrients to help heal wounds is calcium. While calcium may not help with a cut or scrape on your leg, it is used to strengthen and maintain bone health. This can be useful if your injury includes a broken bone. One study showed that calcium supplementation is a potential strategy for treating fractures in the bones. If you do not want to supplement calcium, you can get it from many sources. Dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt are among the most popular sources of Calcium. However, there are still other foods with calcium such as almonds and kale.
Vitamin D
On its own, vitamin D does not have any direct benefits to healing injuries. However, when paired with calcium, it can have an effect. This is because the body needs vitamin D in order to absorb calcium. The previous study mentioned above also stated that “Calcium and vitamin D are essential for maintaining bone health.” Without vitamin D, your body will not be able to absorb as much calcium as it can. In fact, Harvard Medical Shcool states that “Without vitamin D, your body would only be able to absorb 10% to 15% of the calcium from your diet.”
You can get vitamin d from many sources such as eggs, salmon, and the body manufactures its own vitamin D when the skin comes in contact with the light from the sun. For more on the benefits of vitamin D, check out one of our previous articles here.
Conclusion
There are many nutrients to help heal wounds that you can take to help you recover from your injuries. While you can get these nutrients from the foods you eat, you can also get them from supplements. One thing that is important to note is that you cannot simply take these nutrients, and overnight, expect your wounds to be healed. These nutrients have the ability to help your body recover, but they cannot immediately heal you.
Here at Matsun Nutrition, we have stock formulas to choose from to help you create the perfect supplement for your brand. For more information about what we do, please visit our website, or give us a call today at (951)-813-2316.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25733634
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12070399
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29931664
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24796079
https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/vitamin-d-and-calcium-supplements-take-them-or-leave-them
