Building Immunity by Optimising Gut Microbiome

With social distancing becoming commonplace across the world, we are wondering how we boost our natural immunity! No I am not talking of the immune boosters available in the market which literally do nothing to improve our immunity. Rather, they harm our gut microbiome. Latest research indicates, our immunity is linked to the health of our gut microbiome. 

Genefitletics was born out of growing evidence that chronic diseases are linked to disturbances in our gut microbiome. We are on a mission of building a disease free world. For people to hack their health & save themselves from all these chronic diseases, it is important to understand how our innate immunity is linked to bacteria living in our gut. So how does gut health impact our immunity? Systemic Inflammation ! Let us discuss this in detail.

Disease does not occur overnight. It requires time & significant environmental assault & changes that result in life altering damage. Long term exposure to chronic inflammation sets the path for this damage. The mechanism that is used to help our body protect against infection can lead to causing irreparable damage. We are going to discuss the immune system & how our gut plays a role in mediating inflammation. We shall also discuss the impact of inflammation on our blood & how it communicates with our brain.

Inflammation is considered to be harmful for our body, but the fact of the matter is we will not be able to live without it. Simply put, inflammation is a defense mechanism that help us fight infection or when our immune system is being attacked. In other words, it is our immune system’s response to trauma or attack. When foreign invader molecules are found in our body, our immune system sends an army of immune cells to fend them off. These immune cells are responsible for defending, combating & healing. The defending phase is nothing, but acute inflammation which stays for short term & goes away when pathogen is killed/taken care of.

It is important to note here that the key to healthy immune response is balance. Ideally our immune system should not be put to work too often or too little. Immune response that is just right should be balanced to defend against foreign molecules or pathogens. However, if some activity triggers too much of an immune response, it can be tricky & create problems. The immune cells begin to clump together & get stuck. It becomes pretty difficult for them to clear out the problem. Their innate ability of consuming invading pathogens, in such situations, becomes a problem for our body since they end up eating tissues. The trigger is still there, more & more immune cells are called for action, making their way into circulating blood & impacting other areas of our body. This is known as systemic inflammation.0

So the obvious question arises, where does our gut microbiome come into picture? 

Our gut houses 70% of our immune cells along the gut lining. GALT- Gut associated Lymphoid Tissue( our guts immune system) not only houses these 70% immune cells but also 80% of plasma cells responsible for antibody production. For any pathogen to enter our body quickly, the possible way is entering through our digestive system. From mouth to stomach, if pathogens do not get themselves degraded in the acidic digestive juices(stomach acid), it finds its way in the digestive tract. The gut lining of our digestive tract is made up of single layer epithelial cells. This layer helps our body absorb nutrients post the digestion of food. On the other hand, if a pathogen breaks this lining, it is just a short distance from the blood & since the immune system is right next to this, the immune response becomes easier. Our gut microbiome has developed a healthy relationship with our immune system. Various communication exchanged between these two systems indicates the influence of our gut in boosting immune responses to invasive microbes. With a healthy & balanced microbial system, the send & receive message algorithm is proper. It is important to note here our western lifestyle & food choice have negatively affected these messages. Our gut microbiome not only brings our immune system into action but can also impact systemic immune responses. When our gut microbiome is out of balance, it impacts how well immune cells move & their ability to defend

This imbalance in our gut bacteria or gut dysbiosis makes our gut less healthy. The layer between our epithelial cells & blood system is compromised, thereby leading to intestinal permeability also referred to as leaky gut. This leaky gut is nothing but small holes which make way for these microbes into our bloodstream. When microbes are inside our gut, they maintain a healthy relationship with our immune cells. However, when they navigate through these holes due to leaky gut, they look to stay in other tissues & does not result in positive response. This gut dysbiosis breaks the two way interaction between immune cells & our gut & makes way for microbes to move to areas they do not belong.

Our gut bacteria are also susceptible to viral infections & employ various way to keep their environment healthy. When our gut microbiome is in equilibrium, it is effective for them to communicate with each when they come across any pathogen & help them react quicker to their own immune defense. They retail memories of their responses in their genetic code which is then passed on to immunity to future generations. This results in healthy commensal or beneficial populations which are not going to be wiped off by viruses.

Some viruses even enter our lungs & require antibody responses from our immune system. The earlier we recognize the virus, the more quickly our immune system can respond & work towards removing the infection. Balanced gut microbiomes support adaptive immunity that aid in fighting against viruses by producing antibodies. Keeping a healthy gut microbiome can help & improve communication between our immune cells & bacteria. When you eat food that offer beneficial nutrients, vitamins, minerals, prebiotic & probiotics, out gut is able to maintain diverse bacteria that can produce byproducts that are helpful for your gut. 

Balanced gut microbiome makes our immune response more stable & efficient, thereby strengthening the defense mechanism of our immune cells against any pathogens. By signing up for our up the gut solution, you can learn how to balance your gut microbiome to bring more stability in your immune responses. Begin your disease free journey here.