A strong and healthy immune system helps you maintain a healthy body. It is a complex network of different cells, tissues, organs and molecules that work together to protect you from infection and disease. Your immune system is constantly working in the background to fight bacteria, viruses, fungi.

Gut, gut flora and immune system

Inside your gut are billions of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms. Together, these make up the gut flora. The gut flora plays a major role in supporting your immune system. This is because the good bacteria in the gut help strengthen the gut barrier, produce substances that inhibit the growth of pathogens, compete with harmful bacteria for food sources (they need these to live and grow) and regulate inflammatory responses.

In your gut are many immune cells that are part of your immune system. These immune cells guard the gut wall and detect and destroy pathogens that try to invade.

Selection of gut bacteria by immune system

There is a complex interaction between the gut flora and the immune system. This is because the immune system tolerates normal (the "good") gut bacteria, while fighting off hostile invaders. When there is an imbalance, it can lead to unpleasant consequences for your body such as inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

How do I get a healthy gut flora?

1. Eat high fiber. Fiber acts as prebiotics, which are nutrients that stimulate the growth and activity of healthy bacteria in the intestines. Fiber can be found in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds.
2. Eat fermented foods. There are fermented probiotic cultures in yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and kombucha. These can benefit by providing live bacteria that have a positive effect on gut flora.
3. Limit the use of antibiotics. Antibiotics not only kill harmful bacteria, but can also disrupt the good bacteria in the gut. Of course, consult with an expert about what is the right consideration in your situation.
4. Reduce stress. By doing relaxing activities such as meditation, yoga, breathing exercises and exercise you reduce stress. This has an overall positive effect on the body and immune system.
5. Using pre/probiotics. If you want to support your body in addition to a varied diet and healthy lifestyle, you can choose to supplement it with pre/probiotics.