The microbiome and immunity
Obviously good gut health and having a well developed gut microbiome is important for digestion. But did you know that it is also being increasingly researched with regard to our immune system? Not only that, but it has also now been proven to actively impact upon other things as well. The gut microbiome also has a big impact on our body clock but also on our metabolism and overall mental health.
Our bodies contain trillions of bacteria, fungi and other microbes in your gut. This is known as the gut microbiome. There are also huge numbers found on our skin and mouth. Weighing in at a similar weight to the brain and outweighing the number of human cells, this community of microbes is an important part of our immune system and our ability to fight disease. The gut microbiome even helps develop our germ fighting cells to maintain the immune “status quo”.
What’s more, depending on the diversity and balance of our gut bugs, the gut microbiome can improve immunity. Or, through excessive inflammation, it can also cause an immune response resulting in inflammatory diseases.
How does the gut come to be ‘invaded’?
At first, it is believed that the baby’s gut microbiome is sterile – not colonised by microbes. The first contact between the immune system and bugs occurs during birth.
There is still a lot of unknown information on how the newborn baby’s gut reacts to colonisation. However, a strong view is that a mother’s milk is one of the most important causes. Colostrum is the very first thick, calorific heavy milk drunk by the newborn. In addition to giving the newborn a much needed boost of energy, it contains bacteria, antibodies and immune cells. A true probiotic. And it is this reason why the newborn baby carries much of the mother’s immunity in the first few months when breastfed. These factors shape the breast-fed baby’s microbiome.
These early interactions are considered to have long term implications for the immune system.
How modern lifestyles affect our microbiome
Growing use of antibiotics and changes in diet are now affecting our microbiome. Especially in the west, our diet becoming more processed and refined. This means we are eating fewer natural wholefoods and plants. This has resulted in people developing a microbiome lacking resilience and diversity required to build a normal immune response.
It is thought that this is causing some of the increases in autoimmune and inflammatory disorders in much of the west. It is here where our close relationship developed through evolution over 1000s of years with our microbiome being badly affected. In fact, any negative changes brought about through things such drugs or even changes in geography can make us more susceptible to disease, and negative immune reactions.
There is proof that poor microbiome environments can make us more likely to suffer from diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and coeliac diseases, as well as extra-intestinal disorders ranging from rheumatic arthritis, metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative disorder to malignancy.
Look after your gut, and your gut will look after you
Since embracing a holistic approach to improving my gut microbiome, I have noticed a huge transformation in my health. I cover my journey in this recent blog post.
Clearly therefore, Hippocrates – the Greek physician was onto something when he stated, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” more than 2,500 years ago