Trust your gut: The role of your gut in supporting your immune system

For years we have heard how important it is to keep our immune system strong, especially during the winter months.

We wash our hands regularly, try to eat more fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C, and politely avoid people who look or sound like they may be contagious.

But what you might not realize is that 70 percent of your immunity cells are located in the lining of your gut, which is also home to trillions of tiny good and bad bacteria.

Gut health and your immune system

All those bacteria in your gut are known as your microbiome. The microbiome helps our bodies distinguish between good bacteria and substances that our bodies need, versus things that pose a threat.

This is a key way your body builds a defensive layer. Your immunity cells tackle the things that pose a threat, working together with the good bacteria to keep your body running smoothly.

“Maintaining a good balance of beneficial bacteria is critical to supporting your gut’s natural defenses and the well-being of the entire body,” said Kristin Morris, a senior research scientist for Nutrilite™ supplements.

Balance is key

When you’re making healthy lifestyle choices, your microbiome is more likely to stay in balance.

But things like everyday stress, environmental pollution, lack of sleep or a poor diet can disrupt the delicate balance of good bacteria in your gut and impact your immunity, digestion and overall well-being.

So how do you maintain that ideal balance of good and bad bacteria? You start by changing your lifestyle so you’re successfully managing your stress and taking better care of yourself. You can also help by adding to the good bacteria so they can crowd out the bad.

Probiotic foods

Consider adding probiotic-rich foods to your diet. Probiotics are the good bacteria of your digestive system and are found in fermented foods and beverages like kimchi, some varieties of dill pickles, kombucha or yogurt. Just make sure to read the labels carefully.

You can ingest these living microorganisms and they are passed into your intestines where they help promote a good balance in your microbiome.

Make probiotics a daily routine with a supplement

Another option is to take a daily probiotic supplement. Amway, which makes Nutrilite supplements, recently launched Nutrilite™ Balance Within™ Probiotic, a daily supplement that provides probiotics at clinically supported levels for immune and gut health.†

“Unlike certain things in life, like your genes, you actually have the power to contribute to the natural balance of bacteria making up your gut microbiome with a probiotic supplement,” Kristin said.

Each single-serve packet of the Nutrilite Balance Within delivers 6.3 billion colony-forming units, or CFUs, of good probiotic bacteria that is designed to keep your gut trending in the right direction.†

Plus, the five probiotic strains selected by Nutrilite scientists are naturally tolerant to the bile and acid of your digestive system, so they successfully arrive to your gut alive and able to find a home in your gut lining, one of your body’s first natural defense mechanisms contributing to healthy immune function.†

Learn more

Populating your digestive system with good bacteria each day makes it more difficult for the bad bacteria to find a home there. So make sure you’re getting your good bacteria and taking care of your gut and your immune system.

You can read more about probiotics on Amway Connections and learn about Nutrilite Balance Within Probiotic by visiting the websites for Amway US or Amway Canada.