Understanding why gut health is important for immunity
Our bodies are naturally equipped with defenses to fight off invading microbes that can cause illness. It is a complex system involving both innate and adaptive immunity.
Our bodies are naturally equipped with defenses to fight off invading microbes that can cause illness. It’s a complex system that involves both innate and adaptive immunity.
Innate Immunity - prevents intruders from entering.
This is the first line of defense and it is quick to respond and destroy foreign invaders. It includes physical and chemical barriers including skin, tears, mucus, cilia, stomach acid, urine flow, good bacteria, and white blood cells. [1]
Adaptive Immunity - is mediated by lymphocyte B & T cells.
If pathogens manage to get past the first line of defense and an infection develops, the second line of defense becomes active. This includes cells, tissues, and organs that work together to attack pathogens and protect the body. [2]
Kate MacDonald simplified it best in her article The Immune Response on the Let’s Talk Science website.
- Special cells called dendritic cells are the communication point between innate and adaptive immunity. When macrophages sound the alarm, dendritic cells are part of the crew that responds. They move to the site of infection and break off small pieces of the pathogen. They carry these pieces to your lymph nodes, where adaptive immunity begins.
- The adaptive immune response involves B and T cells which are specialized white blood cells called lymphocytes – B cells are found in the blood. Their main function is to produce antibodies to counteract antigens that enter the body. To do this, they work with T cells.
- In the lymph nodes, the dendritic cells look for T cells. Your body makes millions of different T cells. Each T cell type can recognize a different kind of pathogen. This means your body can fight almost any invader, even ones it has never seen before.
- In the lymph nodes, T cells are fully mature, but have never encountered the pathogen they are meant to fight. These cells are essentially dormant. The dendritic cells' job is to wake them up and bring them to the pathogens.
- Memory T cells remember pathogens you have seen before. They help your body mount a faster and more effective defense next time.
- Cytotoxic (“cell-killing”) T cells destroy any of your own cells that have been infected by a virus.
- Helper T cells help other cells, such as B cells, often by releasing proteins called cytokines. These proteins bind to other cells in your body and tell them how to increase the immune response. For example, a cytokine might activate a B cell, which would make antibodies to the invading pathogen. When you are dealing with a bacterial infection from a cut finger, a helper T cell is one of the most useful kinds of T cells.
- Regulatory T cells are the police of the adaptive immune system. They stop the attack launched by other immune cells once the pathogen has been cleared. This prevents the immune response from becoming overzealous.
- Usually, T cells can clear up a bacterial infection within a few days of being activated. At this point, your body can stop fighting, and you will start to feel better. [3]
The bacteria in our bodies teach our immune system how to differentiate between dangerous and harmless invaders and they help regulate our host immune responses. [4] There are approximately 39 TRILLION bacteria residing inside the gut microbiome alone. [5] With this understanding, we can see why great gut health is so important for a healthy immune system.
Here are some helpful tips to keep your gut and immune system happy:
- Include plenty of vegetables, grains and beans in your diet that nourish a positive gut environment. [6]
- Avoid processed, sugar-rich and pre-packaged foods. Studies have determined that processed foods reduce the number of gut microbiota and influence the immune system’s “preparedness” and the body’s defense against pathogenic bacteria. [7]
- Get good sleep - Sleep deprivation disrupts the functional rhythm of immune cells. [8] Aim for 7-9 hours/night.
- Avoid stress as much as you can. High stress situations that trigger the fight-or-flight response could be beneficial to the immune system, but chronic stress can affect it negatively and harm your health. [9]
- Take Renew Life® Ultimate Flora® Critical Care 50 Billion multi-strain probiotic formula to support gut and GI health. It’s available in both refrigerated and shelf-stable formats to suit user preferences. Probiotics interact with immune cells and shift the balance of helper T cells. They are also antagonistic toward potentially pathogenic organisms. [10]
- Include Renew Life’s® IntestiNEW®, an easy-to-mix powder formulation including L-Glutamine and N-Acetylglucosamine plus soothing botanical ingredients to help support a healthy intestinal lining.