Why Immunity Probiotics are important for your health.
We have more bacterial cells than human cells in our body. A lot more.
Our body is full of bacteria cells - we are a holobiont indeed! We have around 100 trillion cells in our body, which is a lot more than our human cells (there are about 10 trillion!). Our friendly bacteria live inside us in a lot of different organs, from mouth to skin...but, guess what? The majority of these bacteria - up to 80% - live in our gut [1]. Some bacteria are good for our health (such as lactobacilli or bifidobacteria), others are harmful and usually responsible for various infections and diseases, (it's the case of the staphylococcus pathogen).
Our immune system resides in our gut, too.
Our microbiome, which is the complex ecosystem of our bacteria, is not alone in our gut, many of our immune cells reside in our gut as well.
Our immune cells have the objective to find and kill pathogens - harmful bacteria, viruses, or fungi. In a nutshell, the mechanism is as follows: when immune cells find a pathogen, they generate antibodies that, together with phagocytes, kill the pathogens. [2]
Did you know that our gut microbiome is the “personal trainer” of our immune system?
The connection between our microbiome and the immune system is evident.
On the one hand, our good bacteria can protect our bodies against pathogens. If we keep our microbiome healthy, it reduces the chance that pathogen will attacks us. That's why nurturing our gut ecosystem with good bacteria strains and a balanced diet is one of the better ways to increase our immune response!
On the other hand, the microbiome is a “trainer” for our immune system: it teaches our immune cells to distinguish foreign entities (especially pathogens) from our own tissue.
Immune cells should recognise pathogens not only in a precise fashion but also in a fast one. For example: some viruses, such as the influenza virus, enters our lungs and require rapid antibody responses from our immune system. The faster the recognition of the virus, the faster our immune system can work to remove the infection. [3]
Several studies have documented that our gut microbiome helps our specialised immune response that fights disease by producing antibodies. Our immune cells carry a variety of “keys” – each key matching with a different virus’ “keyhole.” Scientists believe that some of our gut microbes might actually be the ones providing the “keys” to our immune cells. In the case of influenza, the exchange between the gut microbes and our immune system results in a faster recognition of the influenza virus from immune cells inside the lungs. [4]
So, why probiotics are important for your immune health?
This one is simple...to prevent pathogens from taking ownership of your gut and your overall body. Probiotics are good bacteria that, if taken at the right amount, can restore your microbiome and fight these pathogens.
The right amount depends on different factors, such as the type and stability of strains, your health condition and diet, but in general you need to take at least 1 billion of each strain, and they need to arrive alive in your intestine.
If you take a strain for a dosage that is less than 1 billion, the bacteria are not able to colonise the intestine and therefore unable to help your immune system.
Immune Probiotics by Fermento has been formulated with 2 strains (20 billion bacteria guaranteed at the end of the products shelf life), targeted for improving your immune response, decreasing respiratory tract discomfort, significantly increasing the levels of antibodies, decreasing flu symptoms such as fever, cough, and a runny nose.
But remember...not all probiotics are created equal: we select probiotic strains with specific studies on immunity - such as the Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG, which has 200+ studies on immunity and gut health.
This way for Immune Probiotics.
Sources:
[1] Wu GD, Lewis JD. Analysis of the human gut microbiome and association with disease. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013;11(7):774-777. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2013.03.038.
[2] Lambring CB, Siraj S, Patel K, Sankpal UT, Mathew S, Basha R. Impact of the Microbiome on the Immune System. Crit Rev Immunol. 2019;39(5):313-328. doi:10.1615/CritRevImmunol.2019033233
[3]Interactions Between the Gut Microbiota and the Host Innate Immune Response Against Pathogens. Veterinary Immunology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, China
[4] Thomas S, Izard J, Walsh E, et al. The Host Microbiome Regulates and Maintains Human Health: A Primer and Perspective for Non-Microbiologists. Cancer Res. 2017;77(8):1783-1812. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-2929