Cold and flu season is upon us again, and this year is a doozy. In addition to the flu vaccine, supporting your gut health with good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle can help protect you against viruses that can knock you down for days or even weeks.
How the Gut Fights Colds and Flu
Nearly 80% of the cells in the immune system reside in the gut, where trillions of tiny organisms called microbes also live. Microbes work with immune cells to help fight infection within the gut and throughout the rest of the body.
The gut contains beneficial bacteria as well as some pathogenic bacteria, the kind that can make you sick. Beneficial bacteria produce several compounds that have a positive effect on the immune system in many ways, including small-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Small-chain fatty acids encourage the creation of immune cells and strengthen your gut lining so that pathogens stay out of the bloodstream.
Most SCFA stay in the gut, but a small amount of SCFA get into the bloodstream. A growing body of evidence suggests that SCFA support immunity and reduce inflammation in other organs affected by colds and the flu, including the lungs.
Gut Health and Vaccines
Your gut health may also help determine how you respond to the flu vaccine and other vaccines, including the one for COVID-19. Some animal and human studies suggest that certain SCFA and other by-products produced by gut microbes bolster the effectiveness of vaccines.
Not everyone reacts to vaccines or an infection in the same way, of course. Preexisting conditions, such as having an autoimmune disease, your age, genetics, and ongoing antibiotic use, affect the gut and the immune system.
How to Support Your Immune System
While researchers continue to discover more about the relationship between gut health, immunity, and vaccine response, do what you can every day to avoid colds and flu, including avoiding antibiotics when they’re not needed.
Antibiotics don’t cure infections from cold and flu viruses, but they may be necessary if other conditions arise from having an infection. Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them contributes to antibiotic-resistant microbes and disturbs the community of microbes living in your gut.
Try these lifestyle strategies to help avoid colds and flu this season.
Figure in fiber and phytonutrients.
The bacteria that protect the gut and the rest of the body thrive on fiber and phytonutrients, which are typically found in the same foods. Aim for at least 30 grams of fiber daily from plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Coffee and tea also provide phytonutrients.
Consider supplements.
Adequate intakes of several nutrients, including vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, and B12, as well as selenium and zinc, support immunity, but you don’t need large doses of single supplements. A multivitamin with no more than 100% of the daily value of the nutrients it supplies is usually enough to bridge small gaps in your diet.
Include adequate protein.
The protein in food provides the raw material to produce immune cells and other compounds that fight infection. Include foods such as dairy, meat, seafood, beans, eggs, and soy at every meal.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Extra fat tissue makes and releases hormones that contribute to low-grade chronic inflammation that weakens the immune system. Having obesity also decreases the production and function of certain immune cells, possibly increasing the risk of colds, flu, and other respiratory infections.
Credit: webmd
