Fall is upon us – it’s time for cooler temperatures, changing foliage, pumpkin spice everything, and cold and flu season. Whilst at this time of year many of us turn our thoughts to optimizing our wellness routines to boost our immune systems, it’s even more top of mind with the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of the Delta variant looming. And as we (thank goodness) start to return to our normal routines of school, work and travel, chances are we will be exposed to many more airborne pathogens in the coming months than we have been for a long time.
As I am sure you are aware at least 70% of our immune system resides in our gut, and by improving our gut health we can create a stronger, more robust immune system (and give the vaccines an even better chance of protecting us). In this article, I’m breaking down the exact mechanisms behind why gut health and a healthy immune system are intrinsically interlinked and why the Fall is the perfect time to undertake a gut healing diet plan…
- A healthy gut helps keep ‘invaders’ out: our digestive system, specifically the intestinal lining, which consists of our microbiome (the population of good and bad bacteria that live in the mucus membrane of the GI tract) and the intestinal lining (the one cell thick ‘wall’ of our digestive system) is responsible for what we allow into our bodies from the outside world. This can include food particles, and illness-producing bacteria and pathogens. By ensuring we have a balanced microbiome and an intestinal lining with cellular integrity (aka, no leaky gut) we can literally stop these invaders before they have a chance to make us sick.
- Activation of immune cells: when your microbiome is balanced and healthy it stimulates the activation of immune cells, cells that specifically identify and target harmful invaders to your body. This includes the activation of potent antiviral proteins that can eliminate viral infections such as the viruses that cause COVID-19 and the flu.
- Regulation of inflammatory response: when food particles, pathogens, or bacteria enter the bloodstream an immune and inflammatory response is activated. When this inflammatory response is appropriate it can help keep us healthy, but when it is overactive, or the immune cells are unable to identify what is ‘invader’ and what is our own healthy tissues and cells we can develop chronic inflammation and autoimmune conditions. This can even be exacerbated by larger food particles entering the bloodstream that have not been broken down by the process of digestion (possibly from lack of secretion of digestive enzymes). The two key points are to optimize digestion and keep the microbiome healthy.
- Increased immune cells: a new study shows that a healthy and diverse microbiome can actually increase the number of immune cells in circulation, showing that there is a cyclical link between gut health and immunity. Additionally, it showed that specific strains of bacteria can actually increase or decrease a person’s number of immune cells, and therefore the strength of their immune system.
- Absorption of micronutrients: when your gut health is compromised it means that even if you are eating the healthiest of diets, you are not going to be able to reap the benefits as you will not be digesting and absorbing all of the amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Low nutrient levels are most commonly associated with poor gut health, and without these nutrients, we will not be able to fight infection or lower inflammation throughout the body.
Looking for more advice on how to heal leaky gut, balance your microbiome, and improve your gut health? You’ll love my new FREE masterclass ‘Gut Health: the Foundation of Wellbeing’. RSVP here.