Boost your immune system with these 4 gut health tips from nutritionist Jane McClenaghan. To build a strong and healthy immune system, prioritizing your gut health is essential. The gut lining’s physical barrier, combined with the defense mechanisms of white blood cells and a healthy balance of probiotic bacteria in our gut microbiome, all work together to protect us against infection and disease.
How Does Gut Health Affect Our Immune System? The three-way communication between the lining of our digestive tract, our gut microbiome and the immune cells produced in our gut is a powerful combination that modifies and supports our immunity, to help keep us healthy and free from infection 24/7. The lining of our digestive tract is made up of an epithelial layer and a mucosal barrier that protect us from invading microbes. This physical barrier is a first-line defence that keeps harmful viruses and microbes out, but still allows absorption of nutrients.
We have a thin layer of mucus covering our digestive tract from one end to the other. As well as acting as a physical barrier, it is packed with immune factors and antibodies to engulf and trap any invader before it gets a chance to cause us harm. This mucosal barrier relies on an abundant and diverse balance of bacteria within the gut microbiome.
Our amazing gut microbiome is made up of bacteria with different roles and influences on our immune system. From bacteria like Akkermansia spp. that produce the important mucus barrier l.
