As the Coronavirus (Covid-19) continues to be the topic on everybody’s mind, we think it is important to have a look at our immune system and how it interacts with our gut health and overall diet.

As we do not wish to add to an influx of misinformation in the face of an international crisis, we will be looking purely at the science of immunity. While we cannot guarantee that diet and gut health will stop you from getting sick, by understanding immunity, we can all do our best to improve our diets and give ourselves a better chance of fighting infection.

What is the link between our gut and immune system?

The immune system is made up of cells and molecules that defend our bodies against disease. This occurs by identifying and responding to foreign antigens that are perceived as threats – particularly infections. Our body then creates antibodies to fight the foreign antigens. Furthermore, some of these antibodies will circulate forever in our bloodstream so that our body’s response is quicker should that same antigen enter our body again.

Additionally, our immune system has evolved alongside our gut flora to protect our body against antigens. Conversely, it has also developed a tolerance for good microbes. As a result, the immune system and the gut microbiota ‘developed a mutualistic relationship, regulating one another and cooperating to support each other.[1]’ The importance of this symbiosis is emphasised by the fact that 70-80% of our body’s immune cells are located in the gut.

To conclude, the immune system helps with the growth of healthy microbes and maintains a stable gut environment. At the same time, your gut supports the development of immune cells and contributes towards the body’s immune responses. By your gut and immune system having a dialogue, your body can defend against antigens and promote tolerance towards healthy microbes.

How can our diet help?

Our gut microbes get most of their nutrients from our diet. As we now understand the link between our gut microbes and our immune system, it is unsurprising to note that what we eat has a great impact on our gut health. Consequently, this affects our immune system too. In fact, our diet heavily influences the symbiosis between our gut microbes and our immune system.

Many modern diets include highly processed foods, animal proteins, saturated fats, refined sugars and high salt, but often contain lower levels of plant-based fibre.

As a result, it is a diet low in plant fibre that can stimulate harmful reactions of your gut cells that in turn increase the risk of a negative immune response.

When looking at healthy short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that are derived from plant fibre, the opposite is true. SCFAs help cells to prevent inflammatory reactions against good microbes. Moreover, SCFAs also promote gut stability and decrease inflammatory responses in other organs around the body, such as the brain. Therefore, plant fibre and SCFAs are crucial for supporting our immune systems.

Conclusion

To maintain a healthy body, our immune system and gut microbiota must communicate. We can help to keep our body in balance by taking care of what we eat. For instance, reducing the amount of processed food we eat and increasing our intake of plant fibre. By taking good care of your gut, you can decrease the likelihood of inflammatory responses from your immune system.

When looking for high fibre foods, you can’t go wrong with our selection of soups. Our range is available at Waitrose, Whole Foods, Planet Organic and Ocado online.

Our 5 A Day soups are particularly nutrient and fibre dense. They also contain all of your 5 A Day in one pot of soup. Our range includes: 5 A Day Garden Pea with Leafy Spinach; 5 A Day Classic Tomato with Carrot & Red Pepper; 5 A Day Carrot & Butternut with a Hint of Chilli.

We also have two BRAND NEW flavours! Our 5 a day range has a new addition with our 5 A Day Sweetcorn & Carrot with Turmeric soup. WE also have a Rescued Veg soup, our Warming Carrot with a Hint of Chilli & Lime, using wonky carrots.

Overall, eating fibre-rich foods are crucial for maintaining good gut health and, in turn, a healthy functioning immune system. So, in this uncertain time, be sure to look after your health and the health of the community around you. While it’s impossible to guarantee you won’t get sick over the coming month – including a common cold or flu – it is important to give your body a fighting chance and do what you can to preserve your good health.

If you enjoyed today’s blog post, then you might like our article on Souper Foods that Boost Heart Health.

Love from the Soupologie Team xxx

[1] https://neurohacker.com/how-the-gut-microbiota-influences-our-immune-system – 16/03/2020