Immunity and the Microbiome
In this article, I want to dive into some of the nuances of our microbiome, the impact on our health, and particularly our immunity. Because gut health and immune health are deeply intertwined and it’s rare that we see one in the absence of the other. In fact, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, certain cancers, and even viral susceptibility has been associated with an imbalanced microbiome or dysbiosis.
You’re likely familiar with the microbiome concept by now. For a general overview, we have an entire ecosystem that outnumbers us by 100 to 1 in the lining of our gut. These microbes have evolved with us and other living things over millennia and even though these organisms are not exactly a part of us, they are essential for our health!
Recently, research and the media have focused on the bacterial aspect of our microbiome or the bacteriome. This is a very important aspect, and many of the most beneficial keystone gut microbes are bacteria. However, we cannot ignore the mycobiome, the collection of yeast and fungi that reside in our gut, as well as the virome, the collection of viruses that we host.
Together, the mycobiome, virome, and bacteriome makeup our complete microbiome (unless of course, we have parasites too). In a healthy and balanced state, it will help us to breakdown food, produce gut-healing short-chain fatty-acids, produce nutrients and create more bioavailable forms, promote healthy fat burning, support cognitive function, improve mood, and more. It would make sense that a healthy microbiome is also required for both innate and cell-mediated immunity.
First, let’s take a look at innate immunity. If you’re not familiar with this term, it refers to our body’s more generic immune response. Innate immunity is the first line of defense for diseases to overcome. It includes things like the acidity of our stomach, the protective mucous membrane of our GI tract, and the thickness of our skin. To protect our mucous membranes, beneficial microbes such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria produce liquid secretions that have antifungal and antiviral activity, which is part of why these keystone bacteria are so vital for keeping overgrowths in check. They also produce short-chain fatty acids from complex carbohydrates, which nourish our gut lining and keep the membrane tight and impermeable.
We also have certain innate immune cells that are nonspecific, which are modulated by certain beneficial microbes. In fact, the crosstalk between our gut-associated lymphoid tissue or GALT and our microbiome makes up the bulk of our immune surveillance and activation. Depending on the environment, certain bacteria can initiate pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory cytokine responses. This was initially thought to be the immune system’s way of managing our microbiome, however recent research has increased its significance.
The impacts of our microbiome travel far beyond the gut, in fact, microbes in our gut communicate with our immune system to coordinate an immune response through our entire body! Without them, our immune cell populations would wither. However, just as a healthy microbiome can help to protect us from pathogens and disease, an unhealthy microbiome can result in inflammation, not only in our gut but all over our body. Studies have also shown that we need a healthy functioning microbiome for an effective vaccine response.
So as you can see, having a healthy, balanced, and diverse microbiome is a foundational aspect in immune health. Fortunately, this internal community is dynamic and constantly evolving. With dedicated effort and appropriate nutrition and lifestyle changes, we can have a massive impact on our resident flora. However, if we ignore issues, they will not go away.
Every day we make choices that impact our microbiome. Naturally, what we eat and drink have a major impact. But much more subtle lifestyle factors come into play as well such as how we move, sleep, and feel. Often, if we take the time to listen, our intuition can tell us exactly which steps to take first to bring us into balance.
As far as nutrition is concerned, there are a few key principles and superstar foods that will help support a healthy microbiome. However, everyone has a unique microbiome or ‘gut signature’ which will likely change the specific recommendations. The three keys to maintaining a healthy microbiome are broth-based soups and stews, polyphenols, and soluble fiber.
Broth-based soups and stews are great gut-healing options. Bone broths are rich in collagen protein, hyaluronic acid, glycine, and other nutrients which are critical for tightening up leaky tissues in the gut. Soups and stews from whole foods can be great, even without bone broth, because the cooking method itself helps to improve digestibility and the availability of nutrients. These foods are soothing to our digestive tract and help to reduce inflammation.
Polyphenols and antioxidants are absolutely critical to the health of our microbiome, and rather than singling out specific compounds such as ‘curcumin’ or ‘quercetin’, I want to encourage you to get as much diversity as you can here! Our Microbiome Revival highlights some of the most polyphenol and antioxidant-rich foods, but these are found in all produce! Seek out fresh, brightly colored fruits and vegetables and aim for 5-10 servings per day.
Another vital component of long term gut health and microbial colonization is soluble fiber. This is the fuel that feeds our microbiome and our good bugs use it to create anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids, which help to tighten up our gut lining and reduce inflammation throughout our body. The recommended daily intake for fiber is 25-30g per day for adults. Unfortunately, most adults only get half of that much. It is worth noting that fiber can also fuel our not-so-good bugs as well, so if you notice that you feel bloating, brain fog, fatigue or other symptoms when consuming a high fiber diet, you may need to back off temporarily while you do some microbial ‘reorganization’. Some of my favorite high fiber foods are broccoli, brussels sprouts, avocados, asparagus, sweet potatoes, oats, winter squash, pears, and blackberries.
In addition to gut-healing foods, there are also gut healing lifestyle practices that you can incorporate. For this article, we will focus on just a couple of simple yet powerful interventions that can have a significant, positive impact on your microbiome. Drinking fluids away from your meals, chewing thoroughly, and expressing gratitude for your food. These are simple strategies that nearly everyone has heard of before, but very few of us take the time to do. However, even just incorporating one of these habits can greatly improve your digestive health and reduce inflammation in this immune epicenter.
Of course, hydration is important for life, energy, and even digestion. But did you know that when you drink large amounts of fluids with your meals you are making it harder on your body to break down the food you consume? This is especially true of cold beverages which put out our digestive fire. Instead of drinking water with your meals, try to drink it throughout the day, with large amounts taken at least 30 minutes away from your meals.
Chewing is one of the most underrated experiences in modern culture. We love food to the point of obsession and live for flavors and textures, but the minute we get a delicious morsel in our mouth, we gulp it down in favor of the next bite. This is tough on our waistlines, not only because it causes us to eat more, but maybe even more importantly because it rushes our initial phases of digestion. Our food is hardly processed by the time it hits our stomach which leads to inflammation and indigestion throughout the GI tract. Try to counteract this tendency to inhale food by setting your silverwared down between bites, or counting to 20 seconds with each bite of food. You’ll not only find you have much fewer digestive issues, but you’ll also savor and enjoy your food more!
Expressing gratitude prior to a meal is another way to hack your digestion, believe it or not. You may have noticed that giving thanks has the tendency to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. But you may not have known that that warm fuzzy feeling is an indication of a shift in your nervous system toward the parasympathetic rest and digest mode. By calming down your body and mentally preparing it for food in this way, you will be better able to digest and absorb the food you consume. Not to mention that regular expression of gratitude has far reaching effects on mood and stress resilience.
Of course, these recommendations are very general, but because of this they are also very effective for most people. However, due to poor food quality and lifestyle, many people have underlying dysbiotic conditions in the gut. If severe dysbiosis or fungal overgrowths have set in, these changes may not be enough to help rebalance your microbiome. Once this occurs, it requires deeper work on your part to bring the harmonious balance back to your microbiome.
Unfortunately, many people’s microbiomes are riddled with pathogens ranging from bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, to systemic fungal overgrowths, to parasites. One particularly tricky aspect of our microbiome is that these pathogens tend to cohabitate, as in the smaller bacteria and viruses tend to nest within the biofilms of fungi and parasites. This is why balancing your microbiome requires a layered approach, you can’t address one pathogen without addressing them all.
Of course, we always recommend you test, don’t guess when it comes to your health, and this is certainly no different with gut health. With our clients, we offer a variety of different options for testing gut health so that we can create an approach that matches the gut signature and personal needs of each client. If you do have dysbiosis or a pathogenic imbalance in your gut, here are just a few ways that it could impact your immunity.
One of the most detrimental side effects of dysbiosis is the loss of the healing keystone bacteria. This is an unfortunate and common side effect of antibiotic use and even exposure to antibiotics through food. Beneficial strains can also be crowded out by fungi, parasites, viruses, and other bacteria so that they no longer have a niche to cultivate. A loss of keystone beneficial bacteria has been shown to increase susceptibility to certain viral infections, but replenishing these microbes can reduce infection rates in people with critical illness. Healthy and flourishing keystone bacteria are also required in order for vaccines to be effective. Research is only beginning to understand the complex symbiotic relationship between the microbiome and the human body.
In addition to depleting or beneficial flora, pathogenic overgrowths target our precious intestinal lining, causing inflammation and permeability. This is where gut infections can become chronic infections, as these microbes are able to get past our intestinal barrier and into our bloodstream. These chronic infections lead to chronic inflammation that damages all of our organs. Plus, when our immune system is already engaging with a chronic infection, fewer resources are available to search out and destroy any additional bugs going around.
Unfortunately dysbiosis and pathogenic overgrowths are a silent epidemic in America in particular, but in developed nations across the world. These have become the norm with our daily exposure to pesticides, insecticides, antibiotics (from water and food). Plus the culture of yo yo dieting and processed food not to mention the perceived stress of modern lifestyle!!! No wonder our guts are a wreck! But it doesn’t make the bloating, food intolerances, sluggish metabolism, brain fog, or other symptoms any more bearable!
One point I would like to caution you against is the overuse of certain botanicals because they are ‘natural’. Plant compounds can be quite potent antimicrobials, even more effective than pharmaceuticals in some cases. When overused, they will completely wipe out beneficial flora and pathogens alike. Not only does this rid you of your symbiotic bacteria, but it also leaves a gaping hole in your microbiome making you highly susceptible to the next opportune pathogen that you happen across.
In addition, the die-off from these overgrowths is toxic to your body. It is far better to take a gentle weeding approach, and nourish supporting organ systems such as the adrenals, immune system, and detoxification organs throughout the process. Botanicals are also not universally effective against bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses meaning you must use what is right for your gut signature, which brings us back to ‘test, don’t guess’.
If you are ready to take charge of your health and supercharge your immunity, the gut and microbiome is a great place to start! Kelly and I offer comprehensive microbiome testing that will help you address the imbalances that you have while teaching you to lead a lifestyle that will cultivate a healthy microbiome and in doing so, take your health to the next level!
If you’re not quite ready for one on one consultations and testing, but you want to go a bit deeper, check out our Microbiome Revival program for a four-week guide that will teach you how to nourish your microbiome and live a gut-healthy lifestyle. If you’re not sure which of these would be a better fit, please contact us for a free meet and greet to discuss what would match your needs and lifestyle.
Sources
Microbiome Review of Current Research
Microbiome and Cell-Mediated Immunity
Antiviral Impacts of Microbes
Polyphenols and the Microbiome
Microbiome and Disease Prevention and Treatment
Probiotics for the Critically Ill
Microbiome and Vaccine Efficacy
Dysbiosis and Heart Disease
Dysbiosis and Immunity
Dysbiosis and Autoimmunity
Cancer and the Microbiome
