How does gut health affect immunity? Insights

How does gut health affect immunity?

A healthy gut promotes regeneration and good quality cells which can fight diseases.

With poor gut health, then our immunity system cannot fight disease and heal itself.

The gut has a massive impact on our mental and physical health.

It also impacts the risk of diseases such as cancer, obesity, diabetes, and depression.

But we can take active steps to ensure that our gut microbiome remains balanced and healthy.

How does gut health affect immunity? Introduction

The digestive system moves food from the mouth to the stomach.

It converts food into nutrients and stored energy ready to be absorbed, and transports waste out of the body.

It is therefore essential to our survival. And scientists have discovered that the gut has an even more complex role than previously thought.

It is linked to many aspects of health that seemingly have nothing to do with digestion, from immunity to emotional stress to chronic disease.

Microbiome research is still in its infancy.

But several studies have already shown that certain environments, foods and behaviors can influence gut health.

Interesting facts about the belly and gut health

Our belly is responsible, through its dysfunctions, for many of the disorders we suffer from.

Yes, even those which, by nature (back pain, fatigue, aesthetic problems, insomnia, etc.), seem to us to be too far away for this.

Long and meticulous research has led to some surprising conclusions:

The belly is home to an unsuspected complex network of neurotransmitters (or neuromessengers or neuromodulators).

These molecules are identical to those of the brain.

Among these micro-products are serotonin, melatonin, acetylcholine, epinephrine, netrins, etc.

The belly also produces so-called interstitial cells that play an important role in the functioning of muscles and attachments.

Through the intestine, the belly produces between 67 and 87% of the body’s immune cells.

These supply the organs and protect us from serious diseases.

The belly is indeed structurally and neurochemically a second brain, directly connected to the first.

How does gut health affect immunity and why is it important?

Every microbiome is unique, but there are some ideas about what is healthy and what is not:

• In healthy people, the organisms living in the gut are varied
• In an unhealthy person, there is much less diversity

Scientists are not sure whether bacteria influence the risk of contracting a disease or whether existing diseases influence gut bacteria.

Most likely, both are true.

Some bacteria promote inflammation, while others fight it.

When the gut is functioning properly, these two types of bacteria work together, but when the balance is upset, the inflammatory bacteria take over.

And the health effects are as serious as they are varied:

• Decreased immune function
• Increased risk of diabetes, asthma, obesity, allergies, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers

Even anxiety and depression have been linked to gut health, as well as neurological disorders like schizophrenia and dementia.

Our belly is our second brain

A well-functioning belly protects us from the major risks of our consumer society.

By improving the cells that make up our immune system, the chances of having tumors is greatly lessened.

In rich countries where life expectancy is steadily increasing, one out of two will face a form of cancer in his or her lifetime.

The restoration of the belly and the harmonization of the two brains constitute are important for the patients treated by chemotherapy or radiations.

For those who suffer from hypertension and heart dysfunction, a healthy belly provides effective weapons.

These support drug treatments, limit damage, fight, recovery situations and prevent disease.

The second brain, the belly, in good health, and perfectly connected to the higher brain, can heal functional disorders.

It acts as an ally in many diseases, helps fight psychic disorders, delays aging and helps to live in full health.

What affects gut health?

Food obviously plays a role in the bacterial composition of your gut, but so do many other factors (such as certain food contaminants).

Studies have shown that vaginal birth and breastfeeding promote a diverse and healthy microbiome.

Increased exposure to germs and bacteria, within reasonable limits, can also strengthen our microbiomes.

Research is still in its infancy, but the microbiome and a person’s mental state seem to be able to influence each other to some extent.

And finally, medications, especially antibiotics, can affect our gut.

How can you take care of your gut?

Bloating, gas, diarrhea, stomach pain or nausea are all fairly direct signs of an intestinal imbalance.

These imbalances often resolve themselves after a few days, but if they become chronic, they may require medical diagnosis and treatment.

But you don’t need to know exactly what’s going on in your gut 24 hours a day.

A balanced diet, good hydration, regular exercise and quality sleep are the keys to good general and intestinal health.

The same habits that are bad for the heart, lungs and brain, can harm the microbiome.

Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and over medication are all to be avoided.

How does gut health affect immunity? Get it right

Find pleasure in sport

To do its job of keeping you healthy and healing you, your belly needs physical activity and endurance.

Sport fulfills this mission, but not just any sport.

Ask a professional to help you strengthen your heart, your nervous system, and achieve the necessary psychological relaxation.

Related: Endurance exercise to keep the gut healthy and help your digestive system

Choose your food well

Don’t eat anything and give up any form of dieting.

Select your food according to your taste, your problems and a few non-binding rules.

The health of your belly depends on it.

Related: How does eating healthy improve gut health?

Regular and slow food intake

To function perfectly, and to guarantee the health of your whole body, your belly must be fed according to certain simple rules.

These rules respect biological rhythms and eliminate any break with the higher brain.

These are some good and pleasant habits to develop.

Abdominal breathing

It is the main condition of the indispensable harmonization between the first brain and the second brain, the belly.

The health of your belly is based on relaxation and well-being breathing.

Once you have learned (or relearned) this breathing, you will notice great changes and you will not be able to do without it.

How does gut health affect immunity? Conclusion

A healthy gut promotes regeneration and good quality cells which can fight diseases and help the body’s ability to heal.

With poor gut health, the body has depleted natural resources to draw from, as it cannot help the body absorb nutrients derived from food.