The Ultimate Benefits of Good Gut Health includes a Healthy Mood, Reduced Inflammation, and a Strong Immune System.
Having a cold, feeling depressed, or having joint pains are all inflammatory conditions that are also influenced by your gut microbiome.
These tiny gut inhabitants influence seemingly unrelated areas such as your throat, joints, or your brain.
Your Gut Health and Immune System Work Hand-in-Hand
Your immune system’s main job is to protect you from disease-causing microorganisms.
Since these are mainly inhaled or swallowed, the immune system needs to be most active in your respiratory and digestive tracts.
Some bacteria have a positive influence on your immune system
On the other hand, some bacteria have a positive influence on your immune system.
Fortunately, certain strains of probiotic bacteria improve the bacterial balance in your gut, with beneficial flow-on effects for your immune system.
And so have been shown to reduce the severity and duration of common cold symptoms.
If you struggle with frequent colds and flu, working with a natural healthcare practitioner to strengthen your gut microbiome can help.
A healthy gut microbiome interacts with the intestinal immune system in ways that increase your body’s immune defenses.
However, a microbiome out of balance, which does not contain high levels of beneficial bacteria, is less likely to help you resist infection, including colds and flu (click here to read more about what might upset your gut microbiome).’
How Gut Bacteria Causes Inflammation
Another possible consequence of poor gut bacterial balance is inflammation.
This is a key feature in autoimmune and allergic conditions.
In these conditions, the immune system sees harmless substances as threats and stimulates an immune response against them.
Fortunately, certain probiotic strains, namely LGG® and Lactobacillus paracasei (LP-33®), can stimulate your immune system to produce anti-inflammatory compounds, reducing inflammation and symptoms.
For example, research in hundreds of people has shown that LP-33® significantly improves hayfever symptoms.
Interestingly, LGG®, when taken during pregnancy and breastfeeding, can reduce the incidence of eczema (an inflammatory skin disease) in children, by supporting the healthy development of the gut microbiome and the immune system.
If your immune system is in overdrive, make an appointment with a natural healthcare practitioner at Your Wellness Centre to help bring it back into line.
How Gut Bacteria Affects Your Mood
More and more research is finding that inflammation is an unexpected cause of depression.
Inflammation throughout the body, and even inflammation of the brain, may contribute to depression.
If gut inflammation can influence mood, you may be wondering if specific probiotics can improve mood or reduce the symptoms of depression.
While this is a hot topic in scientific research, we do not currently know which specific probiotic strains can influence mood.
For example, maximizing your gut health by eating plenty of fiber-rich wholes (your gut bacteria’s preferred food), can increase the number of good bacteria.
This is the best way to influence your mood via your gut.
If your bacterial balance has become disrupted due to a stomach bug, antibiotics, or other causes, then strains that support beneficial bacteria, may help improve the composition of your gut microbiome.
Great Health Starts in the Gut
By interacting with your immune system, your gut bacteria influence your ability to resist infection, reduce inflammation, and maintain a healthy mood.
If you are wondering whether your gut may be making you sick, sad, or inflamed, make an appointment with a natural healthcare practitioner at Your Wellness Centre today.
Together, you can assess your bacterial balance, and make a plan to improve your specific symptoms.
You Can Read more about Microbiome Testing here:
