The Role of Probiotics in Boosting the Immune System 

Did you know your body needs bacteria for optimum functioning? Yes, probiotics - also known as good bacteria - are essential for health. Even though these live bacteria are naturally present in your body, you might need to take additional probiotics from other sources.

There are various ways to increase your probiotic intake. This includes adding fermented foods like kefir and yoghurt to your diet. Before you can learn more ways to boost your probiotic intake, it is important first to understand the importance of probiotics.

In this article, read all about probiotics' role in the human body. You will be surprised how these live microorganisms can influence bodily functions like digestion and even improve your immune health.

Role of the Immune System

Our immune system plays the key role of protecting our bodies from any unexpected intruders such as toxins, bacteria, fungi, and viruses. When the immune system is performing effectively, you will feel well.

An unbalanced immune system is the reason you do not feel healthy sometimes. It can lead to a slew of diseases, uncontrolled tissue damage, and inflammation. Therefore, understanding and taking care of your immune health is very important.

The immune system comprises cells, organs, and proteins in your body that work to protect you from all kinds of diseases. About 70% of these cells, organs, and proteins are found in the gastrointestinal tract, establishing a strong relationship between gut and immune health.

What’s more, white blood cells in your body work together with the microflora in your gut to lower the pH level of the intestine and make it unsuitable for harmful bacteria. Therefore, this is one way to boost your gut health and improve your immune functions.

How Can Probiotics Enhance Your Immune System?

Healthy bacteria like probiotics can aid your system in many ways. First of all, probiotics help with digestion. The live bacteria can help break down fibre and also enable your body to absorb more nutrients from the food you eat.

Probiotics can help metabolise nutrients like lactose, which are often difficult to digest. They can also help in the production of vitamins and short-chain fatty acids. All of these boost the digestion of food, which in turn has a positive impact on your energy, weight management, and overall health. Most importantly, probiotics can restore the balance in your gut, where most of your immune system is. These good bacteria support your immune system by destroying any disease-causing cells.

When you fall ill, it is a sign that harmful bacteria have not only entered your body but also multiplied in number significantly. This causes an unwelcome imbalance in your body.

By keeping your army of good bacteria like probiotics ready, you can ward off these unwanted intruders effortlessly and recover from illnesses promptly. In fact, having a healthy gut flora will reduce your chances of falling ill in the first place. In addition to restoring the balance of good and bad bacteria and supporting your immune system, having sufficient probiotics in the system can help control any inflammation.

Best Probiotics for Your Immune System

Now that you know how important probiotics are for your immune system, let’s discuss what probiotics you should take. As probiotics are present in many of your daily foods, you might already be taking in some without realising it. If you want to boost your health further, you can try taking in more of these common strains of live bacteria:

Acidophilus: This good bacteria helps maintain an acidic environment in your body to hinder the growth of harmful bacteria. Some of the most common sources of these probiotics are tempeh, miso, and vegan yoghurt.

Bifidobacterium: This probiotic assists in the digestion of fibre, produces essential chemicals, reduces inflammations and prevents any infections in the body. Bifidobacterium is particularly known to support immune health in older people. You can get it from vegan yoghurt, kefir, pickles, miso, tempeh, kimchi, cured meats, sourdough bread, vinegar, some wines, and sauerkraut.

Lactobacillus: Lactobacillus is an anti-inflammatory probiotic which assists in multiple bodily processes such as the stimulation of cell growth, fermentation and decomposition of indigestible food substances, regulation of the immune system, and destruction of pathogenic bacteria. Again, this probiotic can be obtained from dairy and fermented food. Some food choices that contain lactobacillus are vegan yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and sourdough bread.

If you think you are not able to get enough probiotics and prebiotics through your food, you can try taking potent organic probiotics with prebiotics supplements to improve your gut health.

Are Probiotic Supplements Helpful?

As you can see, probiotics can be found naturally in many foods. In addition to that, probiotics can be purchased in the form of supplements. You can add these supplements to types of food that do not naturally contain any probiotics. For instance, you can add some probiotic supplement to a glass of orange juice.

You can also get your daily probiotics requirement by taking natural probiotics supplements. Supplements are surely an excellent alternative for anyone who is not getting enough probiotics. They are easy to take, readily available, and effective.

However, it is recommended to obtain your probiotics requirements directly from food whenever possible. Eating a probiotic-rich and balanced diet can do wonders for your body. Food is the quickest when it comes to making an impact on your gut microbiome. Moreover, the fermentation of indigestible food makes other nutrients more bioavailable.

How Fast Do Probiotics Start Showing Effect?

Another common query is: how long does it take for probiotics to start improving the immune system? Even though it is guaranteed that you will benefit from taking probiotics, there is no sure way to know when you will start seeing results. The results will vary based on the strain of probiotics you are taking, your sources of probiotics, and the quantity and quality of the probiotics involved.

Final Takeaway

Probiotics play a vital role in the proper functioning of the human body. It is essential for gut health, and as gut health improves, so will your overall immune functions. While there is no doubt about its importance for the human body, you need to put some thought into how you would like to meet your daily probiotics requirements.

Well, the best way to increase your probiotics intake is through eating a balanced diet containing probiotic-rich food. If you still need more probiotics, you can opt for off-the-shelf natural probiotic supplements. Natural supplements and healthcare products reap much better results than synthetic ones and too without any side effects.