As the Earth makes its orbit, ushering in shifts in weather, daylight, and everyday routines, the last thing we want at the start of a brand new season is to be held back from enjoying travel and holiday celebrations by a hit to our health. Changing temperatures and environmental factors (we're looking at you, pollen), and the demands these place on our bodies to adapt, can make us vulnerable to illnesses like the common cold and lead to the dreaded experience of seasonal allergies.

While getting immune-boosting nutrients like essential vitamins and minerals through your diet and wellness routine is always sound advice, supplementing with allergy, immunity, and inflammation-supporting powerhouses bromelain and quercetin can help to give your body an edge over the physiological demands of seasonal transitions. 

Derived from pineapples, bromelain is a proteolytic (helps to break down protein) enzyme that has been internationally recognized for its uses as an anti-inflammatory post surgery and infection since 1956. It has also been used as an adjunctive therapy to support respiratory infections, like bronchitis, sinusitis, and pneumonia, for its capacity to help clear congestion. 

An antioxidant bioflavonoid found in cherries, berries, apples, onions, sage, and even red wine, quercetin has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for the treatment of respiratory illnesses for at least a century. Current research suggests its potential to support a number of vital organs, including the kidneys and cardiovascular system. Some studies indicate this bioactive compound may even have anti-aging benefits and enhance athletic performance. 

While both bromelain and quercetin have demonstrated compelling wellness benefits on their own, each having been studied for their potential to support healing, showing great capacity for easing bruising, swelling, and pain, and displaying abilities to accelerate recovery times following surgery and injury, research indicates that when used together, their potency and impact can be amplified. 

Clinical observations have found that bromelain acts as an enhancer for the absorption of quercetin. As the two offer both similar and complementary advantages, concurrent use stands to deliver the greatest wellness outcomes. 

So, as the seasons change, what are the benefits of adding quercetin with bromelain into your regimen?

If you've ever battled seasonal allergies, you're likely no stranger to the sometimes frustrating challenge of finding the right combination of supplements, medications, and lifestyle tweaks that will provide much-needed relief. These allergies occur when the immune system overreacts to a change in our environment, like pollinating plants, and are most common in the fall and spring. Symptoms can include congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes, nose, and throat, a runny nose and eyes, fatigue, and coughing. 

In addition to eating a nutritious diet full of omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and essentials like vitamin C and zinc, bromelain and quercetin can help to bolster your body's response to allergy triggers. By fortifying immune defenses and helping to support respiratory health, bromelain can help to ease symptoms of seasonal allergies by shortening the duration of sinusitis, improving breathing, and reducing nasal inflammation. Quercetin, which has demonstrated natural antihistamine effects, may help to reduce symptoms like runny nose, watery eyes, hives, and swelling. 

Drops in temperature can weaken the immune response, leaving us more susceptible to infection and illness. As we spend more time indoors during colder months, heading back to school and trading outdoor activities for crowded events in venues with poor airflow, our already vulnerable immune systems are exposed to a greater number of potential viruses and infections. How do bromelain and quercetin help to strengthen immune defenses? 
Both are antioxidants, which help to fight free radicals and act as protection for immune cells. Bromelain and quercetin also help to support a balanced inflammatory response, which is key to maintaining a healthy immune system. Bromelain has been observed by medical researchers to exhibit antimicrobial, anti-tumor, wound-healing, and pathogen-fighting effects. Quercetin has shown anti-infective, defense-strengthening, wound-healing, antiviral, antibacterial, and even neuroprotective capabilities. Strengthened immunity can mean both lower chances of getting sick, and faster recovery times.

When there are changes in weather, humidity, and barometric pressure, we can experience inflammation-related pain and discomfort in our muscles, joints, and connective tissues. In the summer, heat exposure can contribute to inflammation, whereas in the fall and winter, harder-working immune systems can activate the inflammatory response. 

In addition to supporting inflammation by bolstering immunity, research has shown both bromelain and quercetin to be effective in reducing related pain and swelling in tissue and joints. Read more about how this dream team works together to balance the body's natural inflammatory response here. 

So as the page turns from one chapter of our calendar year into the next, amid wardrobe edits and planning for your favorite annual gatherings, be sure to prioritize your nutrition and stay on top of your wellness regimen to stay feeling your best, no matter the season. 

Ready to level up your bromelain and quercetin intake? Try blending this pineapple berry smoothie with a collagen boost, whip up this tasty sweet and sour chicken with onions and pineapple, or consider adding a convenient bromelain supplement with quercetin into your daily routine.