Learning about the interconnectivity between the two and how it affects health

Since a critical factor in preserving our health is maintaining the delicate balance in our immune system, the influence of the gut microbiota on the immune system and the correlation between health and disease has emerged as an area of scientific and clinical importance. In addition to the impact on our health, there’s a hefty price tag for the medical care required to treat the various health issues spawned by dysbiosis.

The gastrointestinal tract’s gut microbiome regulates immune homeostasis and is of vital importance in shaping innate and adaptive immunity, as well as providing other crucial benefits. The gut microbiota can adjust not only the local intestinal immune system but can also profoundly influence systemic immune responses, which can lead to autoimmune disorders such as IBD and IBS and may contribute to Crohn’s disease as well. Other non-gut-related autoimmune disorders and health issues that may be affected by the gut microbiome include Rheumatoid Arthritis, Type 1 Diabetes, obesity, and allergies.

The gut microbiota is established early in life but is later influenced by diet, antibiotics, family genes, environment, and age. While all of these factors impact the gut microbiota, diet and antibiotics are two that we can more readily mitigate, at least to some extent.

The first effect on the gut microbiota after birth is the infant’s diet of breast or formula milk, and the microbiota formed during infancy may play a key role in immunity during the infant’s growth. Throughout our lives, diet continues to be a major factor in defining the shape, structure, and diversity of the gut microbiota.

In addition to diet, antibiotics are also a significant disruptor of the gut microbiota. While essential under certain health circumstances, antibiotics arbitrarily destroy beneficial microbes along with pathological microbes, rapidly reducing bacterial diversity that leads to dysbiosis and possible long-term effects on the microbiome structure.

The good news is that the microbiome balance can be restored through dietary changes and additions and by following healthy practices.

One study using germ-free (GF) mice demonstrated that switching from a low-fat, plant polysaccharide-rich diet to a high-fat, high-sugar diet can change the microbiome configuration in just one day and rapidly promote obesity in the mice within two weeks.

Three ways the gut and immune system interact:

• Disruption of intestinal homeostasis
  If the composition of the gut microbiota is disturbed, it causes an imbalance in the GI tract, creating space for opportunistic pathogens to colonize, grow, and settle and increasing the propensity for infection.
• Influencing organ immune cell activation
  The gut microbiota also affects systemic immune responses by influencing immune cell activation.
• Immune dysregulation
  Gut dysbiosis may promote immune dysregulation, which can increase the risk of developing autoimmune and other diseases.

The importance of the gut microbiota in health maintenance and disease prevention cannot be overstated. Studies to detect the missing functions in the gut microbiota during disease will help identify the most appropriate prebiotic, probiotic, or other treatment that can achieve the desired effect, while continued exploration of the interaction between gut microbes and the immune system will contribute to the design of new immune or microbe-based therapies.

Until that day arrives, we can strive to autonomously protect our health by adopting practices that foster a healthy gut and immune system as part of a general health-conscious lifestyle.