Probiotics for Immune Support and Detoxification

How You Are Born Determines the Type of “Bugs”
That Make Up Your Microbiome.

• Were you, or your kids, born by Cesarean section?

• Did you get sick a lot as a kid and take antibiotics frequently?

• Did you grow up in an area where pesticides and heavy metals were prevalent?

If you said yes to any of the above questions, your microbiome may be in dire straits. As you will read about below, your microbiome helps to coordinate your entire immune response. When we have poor gut health, we tend to have poor health. You can restore your microbiome by making some lifestyle modifications and incorporating things like probiotics and prebiotics into your daily regimen. 

Your Microbiome and Your Health

Let us start out by dispelling one of the biggest myths about the friendly microbe residents living on/in us. You may recall being told that we have 10-100x more bacterial cells living on/in us than we do our own cells. The most recent estimates actually bring that number to a 1:1 ratio. We are made up of approximately 30 trillion specialized cells and have roughly 39 trillion bugs living in us that help make everything work properly. (1)

We have developed a symbiotic relationship with our gut bugs. This means that we provide food and shelter for them and they return the favor by giving us access to nutrients they produce and defending us from pathogens. The microbes in your gut are also required to fulfill normal physiological processes. (2) These microbes produce signaling molecules that help your immune system respond appropriately to food, pathogens, and toxins.

A significant amount of your friendly bacteria is found in your small intestines. (2) While there are over 1000 different strains of bacteria that call your gut home, we are constantly finding out more information. (3) Recently it has been discovered that Bacillus strains make up a significantly larger portion of the gut microbiome than previously thought. Bacillus strains appear to play a critical role in breaking down nutrients and detoxifying things like xenobiotics and drugs. (3)

Metabolites Modulate Immunity

The thousands of different bacteria in your gut digest, produce, and secrete a variety of health-boosting compounds. One way the microbiome enhances your immune function is through the creation of molecules that tell your cells how to respond. (4)

The bugs in your gut often create a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA). While we cannot digest most of the fiber found in the plants we consume, your microbiome loves it. Your gut bacteria use the fiber as fuel and then create SCFAs which can enhance your immune system by interacting with your DNA. (4) This leads to things like an increase in T cell production, reduction of inflammation, and improvements in detoxification, to name a few.

Gut Bugs: Diversity Is Key

The diversity of your gut microbiome is the key to its health-promoting effects. With more than 70% of your immune system housed within (or surrounding) the GI tract, the bacteria that make up your microbiome are critical to immune function. (5)

One way microbial diversity in your gut helps is through outcompeting pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses. No one bacteria strain could possibly defend against every pathogen we come up against. This is because each bacterial strain lives in a unique niche throughout your GI tract. Some live deep in the mucus, while others live closer to the surface of your microvilli. (5) Having diversity makes it more difficult for pathogens to take hold like weeds.

Bad Gut = Bad Health

When you lose your microbial diversity, for one reason or another, that’s when things can start to go haywire. Changes in your gut microbiome diversity often lead to negative health consequences. This is because it changes the signals that your own cells are getting.

Now think back to the questions at the beginning of this article. They all share a common thread.

If you answered yes to any of them, there is a good chance it can explain your health problems.

• C-section: Evidence shows that children born by C-section have an altered gut microbiome. This is due to the fact that their first contact with the outside world is with the skin on their mother’s belly and the hospital environment. Vaginally delivered babies are exposed to a considerably different array of microbes, which proceed to colonize the GI tract. Some research has concluded that babies delivered by C-section have an increased risk for allergies and other immune conditions later in life. (6)

• Antibiotics: These can have a dramatic impact on your microbiome at any stage in life. When you are constantly exposed to antibiotics as a kid, though, it may significantly alter the development of your microbiome and immune system. In fact, antibiotic use during infancy has been shown to contribute to the development of type II diabetes, asthma, allergies, and obesity. (7)

• Toxin exposure: This negatively influences your microbiome. One of the best examples of this is from a pesticide called glyphosate, also known as Round-Up. Not only does glyphosate kill off good bacteria in your gut, but also, the symptoms of exposure mimic celiac disease. (8) This may be why so many people think they have celiac disease but the tests keep coming back negative. To read more about celiac vs gluten sensitivity check out this blog. To read more about the negative effects of glyphosate, read more here.

Other things that have a negative impact on your microbiome include:

• Sleep

• Stress

• Diet

• Excessive Exercise

• Medications

• Alcohol

Call in Reinforcements: the Real Role of Probiotics

Probiotics can play a tremendous role in ameliorating your health complications. Contrary to popular belief, probiotics do not recolonize your gut. Instead they are transient. (9) This means they only stay a short while in your gut and help your gut bugs flourish. Regardless, probiotics boost immunity.

But that is not a bad thing. Probiotics use four mechanisms to help us win the battle going on in your guts. This includes: (10)

• Microbial-Immune System Communication

• SCFA Production

• Tryptophan Metabolism

• Activation of Specific Cell Receptors

If this sounds a lot like how your native gut bacteria protect us, that’s because it is!

Probiotics for Immune Disorders

Probiotics alter the diversity of your gut bacteria in a beneficial way. Several studies have shown that probiotics have the ability to improve symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and even multiple sclerosis. (10) They’ve even been shown to help neurological conditions like Parkinson’s because of the Gut-Brain Axis. (11)

• Study on multiple sclerosis: One study looked at adding a multi-strain probiotic into the treatment regimen of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) patients (aka patients that have tried every therapy and gotten no relief). In a mere two months, they found a reduction in inflammation and improvements in immune function. Researchers also found that the probiotics lead to a decreased expression of genes associated with MS patients. (12) In other words, probiotics have the power to improve your gene expression!

• Study on rheumatoid arthritis: A spore-based probiotic called Bacillus coagulans was also used in a clinical trial to evaluate its benefits on patients with rheumatoid arthritis. As you would expect, this spore probiotic reduced inflammation and pain in the patients taking it. The study also mentioned that it allowed patients to more comfortably engage in daily activities like walking. (13)

Probiotics for Pesticides

Taking probiotics, as a supplement or as a natural part of your food, can give you extra support when dealing with toxins. For most of us heavy metals, pesticides, and other xenobiotics have become an unavoidable part of daily life. From the food we eat to the air we breath, these toxins are everywhere.

Thankfully, specific strains of probiotics have been shown to protect us from these dangerous compounds. By improving the gut barrier and preventing the absorption of heavy metals, Lactobacillus strains provided significant protection. (14)

Fuel Your Army: the Real Role of Prebiotics

Probiotics provide a tremendous benefit to your gut microbiome. But, we can’t overlook giving your native gut bugs the fuel and nourishment they deserve. Whereas things like sugar or simple carbohydrates can be used by both good and bad bacteria in your gut, prebiotic fibers can only be used by your good gut bacteria.

“All prebiotics are fiber, but not all fiber is prebiotic”

Giving your good bacteria the food they need to thrive pays huge dividends for your health. Some of the most common prebiotic fibers include galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). (15)

Prebiotic 1: Galacto-Oligosaccharides

GOS in particular are preferentially consumed by Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. When these bacteria ferment GOS, they create fermentation end-products that alter the microbiome environment. This often results in altering the gut pH and signaling your immune system. (16) As a result you end up with a better home for your gut bacteria and your health improves.

Prebiotic 2: Fructo-Oligosaccharieds

FOS is found in approximately 36,000 different plants. Like GOS, FOS is also fermented to produce end products that impact the gut microbiome. (16) As little as 5/g day of FOS was shown to reduce discomfort in patients with digestive disorders. (17)

Gut Health Take-Aways

Your microbiome shapes your immune system. Everything from how you were born, the foods you eat, and the environments you are exposed to shape your microbiome. When you have an impaired microbiome, it often results in serious health conditions. 

A bad gut is linked with several different types of autoimmune conditions. Exposure to things like heavy metals and pesticides destroy your microbiome.

Luckily, supporting your healthy gut bugs with probiotics and prebiotics can reduce or even eliminate those problems. 

• Probiotics can help detoxify the heavy metal and toxins from your gut and allow your natural flora to grow. 

• Prebiotics preferentially support your good bacteria and don’t give any of those pathogens a chance to take hold.

Support Your Gut Health

MegaSporeBiotic

To help recondition the gut, MegaSporeBiotic probiotic is your go-to product. It is the first product on the market to be 100% spore-based and multi-strain. The Bacillus strains included have been heavily researched. Data supports the use of these probiotics for immune function and gut barrier healing. These unique strains can tolerate the rough environment of your digestive tracts. That’s why we think this is the best probiotic for immunity.

MegaPre

Think of MegaPrebiotic fiber as the jet fuel to MegaSporeBiotic. The specialty combination of prebiotic fiber benefits your bacteria diversity. MegaPre has been uniquely formulated to selectively feed keystone beneficial bacteria such as Akkermansia muciniphila, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Bifidobacteria. These prebiotic fibers have also been shown in clinical trials to improve outcomes for patients suffering from chronic diseases.

---

Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.

Check out her easy 5-Day DIY Detox Guide here!