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How to Boost Immunity by Supporting Your Gut Health

We all know that harmful bacteria can make you unwell.

But did you know that your good bacteria are essential for a strong immune system? 

With more than 100,000 Google searches for "gut health" in the past year, we wanted to see how gut health affects other body systems. This article explains how you can build a stronger immune system just by improving gut health.

Your Body's Hidden Ecosystem - The Gut Microbiome

Your gut is home to 38 trillion microorganisms, known as the gut microbiome.¹⁻³ This means that the number of cells in our microbiome outnumbers the cells that make us human.³ This large number is spread out across 500-1,000 different species—think of this like a healthy rainforest with 500-1,000 types of plants. A diverse number of species helps the whole ecosystem thrive.

Having a diverse abundance of good gut bacteria supports all the other systems in the body. This is why having a healthy balance of gut bacteria supports a strong immune system.⁵

How Does the Gut Microbiome Influence Immunity?

Your gut bacteria are constantly busy supporting your body. One of their main jobs is to help your immune cells. They protect you from harmful invaders like viruses and bacteria.

About 70% of your immune system is in your gut. It gets signals from the microbiome that help strengthen your immune defenses.⁶ 

The immune response is like an ocean tide. It grows strong to fight off germs. Once the germs are gone, it settles down.⁷ Your microbiome helps to strengthen this tidal response, which supports your immune system to do its job.

To support healthy immune function, it essential to nourish your microbiome by eating plants that are rich in fibre. This helps to feed good gut bacteria, which produce immune-enhancing substances, known as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).⁸

SCFAs, help fuel a strong immune response by switching on certain immune cells. This allows them to act like scouts who can alert the immune system when a threat is detected.⁸


Woman enjoying a green smoothie looking at her phone

Impact of an Unhealthy Microbiome on Immunity

Certain factors can disrupt the balance of bacteria in your gut, which can impaira healthy immune response. One of the biggest disruptors are antibiotics, which can reduce up to 30% of species within your gut microbiome.⁹ Without enough of these species, your immune system might not work as well as it needs to. This can weaken your immune defences and lead to longer recovery from illness.⁸

To support good gut health, it's important to live a healthy lifestyle, discussed in this article here. In addition to this, certain probiotics can also support your gut bacteria and boost your immune response.

How Do Probiotics Enhance Immune Health

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can enhance your gut microbiome. In the past, people believed that probiotics helped by adding good bacteria to our gut. This good bacteria balances out the bad bacteria. Nowadays, scientists know that probiotics don't just add more bacteria. Instead, they introduce specific types of good bacteria that help our gut in different ways by:

  • Helping the growth of existing good bacteria in our gut.
  • Improving the overall function of our digestive system.

In a way, probiotics are like ‘fertiliser’ that help to build a healthy ecosystem. This can help regenerate the abundance of beneficial bacteria and replenish SCFA levels for a strong immune response.⁸

Strengthen Your Immune System with Probiotics

Probiotic strains in Ultra Flora Balance Dairy Free can support your microbiome. The same is true for Ultra Flora Balance. They work best with a healthy diet. These strains can help build a strong immune response by:¹⁰⁻¹⁵

  • Enhancing good bacteria levels that encourage the development of strong immune cells
  • Interacting with immune cells to stimulate their ability to fight infection 

Supported by decades of research in both children and adults, Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM® and Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 offer impressive immune benefits. Together, these strains have been shown to:

  • Reduce the frequency and severity of upper respiratory tract infections within 30 days.¹⁴
  • Lower the incidence of fever, cough, and a runny nose by 47% to 54% mover 6 months.¹⁵
  • Reduce the number of sick days and illness-related school absence¹⁵ and;
  • Reduce the need for antibiotics by 46% over 6 months.¹⁵

By adding these probiotics to your daily routine, you can support a healthy gut and immune system. This works best with a healthy lifestyle.

Boost Your Immunity with a Healthy Gut For Daily Balance

Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is essential for supporting your immune system. By adopting a healthy lifestyle and incorporating probiotics, you can strengthen your immune system. For more personalised advice and detailed guidance, we recommend you work with a healthcare practitioner. By taking proactive steps towards better gut health, you can boost immune balance for overall health.

References: 

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  3. Sender R, Fuchs S, Milo R. Revised estimates for the number of human and bacterial cells in the body. PLoS Biol. 2016;14(8):e1002533.  doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002533
  4. Gilbert JA, Blaser MJ, Caporaso JG, Jansson JK, Lynch SV, Knight R. Current understanding of the human microbiome. Nat Med. 2018;24(4):392-400. doi:10.1038/nm.4517
  5. Rinninella E, Raoul P, Cintoni M, et al. What is the healthy gut microbiota composition? A changing ecosystem across age, environment, diet, and diseases. Microorganisms. 2019 Jan 10;7(1):14. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms7010014.
  6. Gill HS. Probiotics to enhance anti-infective defences in the gastrointestinal tract. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2003;17(5):755-773. doi: 10.1016/s1521-6918(03)00074-x.
  7. Zhu Y, Yao S, Chen L. Cell surface signaling molecules in the control of immune responses: a tide model. Immunity. 2011;34(4):466-478. doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2011.04.008
  8. Cryan JF, O'Riordan KJ, Cowan CSM, et al. The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis. Physiol Rev. 2019;99(4):1877-2013. doi:10.1152/physrev.00018.2018.
  9. Francino MP. Antibiotics and the human gut microbiome: dysbioses and accumulation of resistances. Front Microbiol. 2016;6:1543. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2015.01543
  10. Stecher B, Hardt WD. Mechanisms controlling pathogen colonization of the gut. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2011 Feb 28;14(1):82-91.

  11. Isolauri E, Sütas Y, Kankaanpää P, Arvilommi H, Salminen S. Probiotics: effects on immunity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001;73(2 Suppl):444S-450S  
  12. Maneerat S, Lehtinen MJ, Childs CE, et al. Consumption of Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 by healthy elderly adults enhances phagocytic activity of monocytes and granulocytes. J Nutr Sci. 2014 Jan 2;2:e44.
  13. Eloe-Fadrosh EA, Brady A, Crabtree J, et al. Functional dynamics of the gut microbiome in elderly people during probiotic consumption. MBio. 2015 Apr 14;6(2):e00231-15. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00231-15.
  14. DeMuri GP, Lehtoranta LM, Eickhoff JC, Lehtinen MJ, Wald ER. Ex vivo peripheral blood mononuclear cell response to R848 in children after supplementation with the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM/Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07. Benef Microbes. 2021;12(1):85-93. doi:10.3920/BM2020.0068
  15. Leyer GJ, Li S, Mubasher ME, Reifer C, Ouwehand ACl. Probiotic effects on cold and influenza- like symptom incidence and duration in children. Pediatrics 2009;124:e172-9.

NCFM® is a registered trademark of DuPont. LGG® is registered trademark of Chr. Hansen A/S.

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