How Do Probiotic Strains Support Your Immune System

Updated on December 7, 2022
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With numerous communicable diseases on the rise, such as the recent Ebola, Covid-19, and Monkeypox, people are increasingly becoming aware of the necessity of immunity. Taking care of the immune system is lifelong responsibility humanity has. It is not a seasonal obligation, although you may have to exert extra effort during certain seasons that are highly prone to some healthcare complications. As such, we, as humanity, must try out every healthy and scientifically authenticated process that facilitates an increase in immunity. One of these options you could try out is using probiotic strains. 

Understanding Probiotics

Generally, the human body has some bacteria that help perform numerous vital functions. Without such bacteria, functions such as digestion and breaking down food, vitamin generation, medicine after consumption, and keeping harmful bacteria at bay would be difficult. Therefore, such bacteria are essential for the functioning of the human body. 

These bacteria are referred to as probiotics or good bacteria. While most of them are ordinarily found in the gut or digestive tract, others are present around the body, including in organs such as the urinary tract, the skin, the lungs, or the vagina. The fact that they are located all across the body increases the likelihood of the functionality of probiotics for immunity.

Probiotics and Immunity

The general function undertaken by probiotics in the body is to maintain a healthy or optimum balance for various bodily functions. Thus, if you think about it, probiotic bacteria serve a beneficial aspect in the body. However, as with all good things, an aberration from the norm from an influx of bacteria in the body has a harmful effect as it knocks the body off balance. As such, the body begins its natural process wherein the probiotics work to eliminate the harmful bacteria from the body and restore the state of equilibrium that was there before.

As noted above, probiotics are located throughout the body but mainly in the digestive tract. Thus, it is logical that they may be very beneficial in preventing digestive diseases, especially when the conditions arise from consuming food imbibed with harmful protozoa and disease-causing bacteria. As such, the likelihood of picking up a gut infection is significantly reduced when you have very healthy gut probiotics in your digestive system.

Whether probiotics are directly beneficial for increasing immunity against various conditions has been the subject of rigorous research for a substantial amount of time. While the benefits of using probiotics to help boost immunity from digestive disorders are trite, the place of probiotics in conditions affecting other body parts, such as the respiratory system, has not been quite illuminating. For instance, researchers deliberating n probiotics in treating ailments such as the flu, common cold, or COVID-19 noted that while there were some beneficial attributes of using probiotics alongside conventional treatment, additional research is necessary to get a better grasp of things.

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Probiotic Supplements

Considering that there are some benefits of having probiotics in the body, you may be wondering whether there is a way of increasing the number of probiotics in the system. Lucky for you, different foods and supplements benefit those who want to increase the probiotics in their bodies. Here are some options you ought to try out.

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Acidophilus probiotics are one of the most common probiotics that can support your immune system and digestive tract. These probiotics are present in miso, yogurt, milk, and tempeh. Therefore, incorporating these meals into your regular diet will help increase the quantity of these probiotics in your body. Bifidobacterium is one of the other probiotics with vital attributes in reducing inflammation. Therefore, it can help treat inflammatory conditions, which may strain your immune system. You can find this probiotic in foods such as cured meats, kimchi, wines and vinegar, pickles, buttermilk, yogurt, and sourdough bread.

As such, if you want to increase the probiotics in your system, you could try out meals such as yogurt, sourdough bread, and buttermilk for breakfast. For lunch, foods with kombucha, tempeh, and cottage cheese, alongside any combinations of the foods indicated above that may strike your fancy, will be good for you. Miso soup, kimchi, and fermented sauerkraut can be ideal for dinner. In case you want to have a snack during the day.

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Wrapping It Up

Following our discussion above, we have established that probiotics exist naturally in the body and play a critical role in maintaining an optimum functioning system for the body to perform various functions naturally. Aside from the general tasks of probiotics in the body, they also help facilitate an increased immunity from multiple conditions such as gut infections. Therefore, if you want to increase the level of probiotics in the body, there are numerous options, such as supplements and foods, most of which are enumerated above. However, as with any other healthcare product, consult your doctor before trying synthetic probiotic supplements.

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The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.