"The immune system is the interface where mankind meets microbe." Scott Anderson, The Psychobiotic Revolution
Happy Thanksgiving! I thought about skipping over the gut health thing for today because I fully intend on crushing some jellied cranberry sauce, amongst other things not exactly conducive for gut health. (You know, the kind that still has the ridges on it when it comes out of the can.)
But as I've said before, gut health never sleeps. It just takes a break on occasion so we can enjoy family and live a little! I'll just practice some ordered eating and get some veggies, protein, or good fats down the hatch before the canned sugar!
Now to the short, sweet, and ever-so-important discussion on the gut-immune system relationship....
Gut Health and The Immune System
You've heard it before a thousand times, "You are what you eat". In labs worldwide, scientists are uncovering molecular proof of this phenomenon. Without getting too deep in the weeds, people way smarter than me are seeing how certain foods are broken down into molecules, and gut bacteria further work on those molecules so the immune system can identify them.
It's almost like the gut bacteria are translators, bridging the gap between two parties that don't speak the same language. The two parties are dietary amino acids and immune-signaling cells.
The gut is indeed home to 70-80% of our immune system.
Microbially speaking, we know how to wreck, rebuild, and strengthen our guts. And as a quick reminder, the tweet below has a checklist that will get you into gut failure. Address each one with corrections and it'll bring you back from the wreckage:
And since we know how to maintain gut health, we know we can control our weight, improve blood sugar, and improve our mood. But we often don't make the connection that a healthy gut will boost our immune systems.
Friend or Foe
Good bacteria are vitally important to our health- the understatement of the century, I know. Bacteria number in the trillions and weigh pounds but are still inferior in size and number compared to the microbes that surround us.
It's constant hand-to-hand combat between the good and bad bacteria. Our immune system handles the warfare, but how do we ensure they kill the bad guys without killing the good guys too?
Teach
It starts very early in life when your gut microbiota teaches the immune system that certain host or commensal bacteria are off-limits. This is one of many handshake agreements between our gut bacteria and the immune system.
Innate Immune System
Some pathogens have been around so long that our DNA has genes built in that help to identify and kill these enemy invaders. Because bacteria are swingers by nature, they're always multiplying and changing their mutations. But they always seem to leave a little bit of a signature that allows the innate immune system to recognize enough of the signature to wipe them out.
Adaptive Immunity
Some bacteria are brand new or novel, as in never been seen before. This is exactly how diseases can come along and wipe out some of the population and spare others. The survivors exposed to the disease are no longer susceptible to the disease. The body remembers the pathogen from the first exposure and can defend against it. Your body adapts.
Antibodies
Antibodies are Y-shaped in nature and are attached to an immune cell on one end and the two upper ends of the "y" are used to attach to bacteria. They communicate with each other, stick to other cells and in the case of foreign cells called antigens, they trigger an immune response.
Some of the antibodies stick to a given antigen and can kill it. Other times, they "flag" the pathogenic antigen and other immune cells chase them down for consumption. It's the equivalent of the school day trick of attaching a sticky note to your buddy's back without him or her noticing.
Focus
It's a complex relationship between your gut microbiota and your immune system but boy is it important. It's all the more reason to focus on your gut health.
We all have different reasons for coming to dine at the gut health table. Maybe you didn't have cancer draft you. Maybe you don't have diabetes. Maybe your mood is always groovy. And maybe you don't need help losing or controlling your weight.
But the last time I checked; everyone has an immune system to protect against pathogens trying to harm us.
When it comes to our immune systems, we could all use a boost sometimes.
Next week- the mind-blowing gut-brain axis. I'll share yet another example of why getting started with gut health should always come before getting educated and getting good.
Thanks for reading,
Jeff
