A gut way to fight illness..

OUR gut microbiome has a huge impact on immunity and health.

- BY MATT NIXSON

It's where 70% of the body's immune cells are found, and a recent evidence review confirmed good gut health strengthens both “innate” immunity - our frontline defence - and “adaptive” immunity, which provides a rapid-response force when bacteria or viruses breach defences.

Nutritionist Suzie Sawyer says: “This dual action means optimising your gut health will not only help reduce the risk of catching colds and other infections, it will also bolster your ability to fight them off and minimise symptoms.

“Conversely, having a less than optimal range of bacterial strains, and/or an overgrowth of potentially pathogenic ones - gut dysbiosis - is linked to an increased risk of respiratory issues and urinary tract infections.”

A paper in Frontiers in Microbiology detailed the growing evidence which points to a critical pathway from the gut to better health and immunity called the gut-lung axis.

Suzie explains: “While it's true the vast majority of our immune cells are in the gut, they are also present in mucosal tissue throughout the body, including the nasal passages, mouth, lining of the lungs and our eyes - all recognised entry points for bugs.