The Important Role of Friendly Bacteria To A Healthy Immune System

The Golden Key to a Strong Immune System Lies in Your Gut Health

The friendly microorganisms which reside in your intestines play important roles in your health. These beneficial microorganisms make sure that the number of harmful microorganisms are kept to a minimum. The predominance of beneficial microorganisms maintains normal gut functions and prevents the development of certain diseases in the digestive system and other essential organs.


Your gastrointestinal tract is home to around 100 trillion beneficial microorganisms. They’re composed of bacteria, protozoans, fungi and archaea (primitive bacteria). Beneficial bacteria is the group that is most intensively studied. This is the reason why sometimes the term beneficial microorganisms becomes synonymous with the term beneficial bacteria.


The following are the specific roles of beneficial microorganisms in your gastrointestinal tract:

• 1. Combat foreign substances which get into our bodies. They accomplish this by producing antimicrobial substances that eliminate harmful microorganisms intruding in the gut.




• 2. Beneficial microorganisms lower the pH of the large intestine. By lowering the pH they make the environment more acidic and it becomes inhospitable for harmful microorganisms (which thrive in a neutral or alkaline pH). Examples of organic acids produced by beneficial bacteria include lactic acid and acetic acid.




• 3. An acidic pH created by your beneficial microorganisms prevents the metabolism of cholesterol and bile metabolites. You see, when bile metabolites and cholesterol undergo biochemical transformations, they can cause certain cancers of the gastrointestinal tract and other organs. Beneficial microorganisms prevent these substances from transforming to become potentially cancer-causing.




• 4. Beneficial microorganisms act as soldiers which guard the gastrointestinal border (GI border). An intact GI border acts as an impenetrable barrier against all harmful substances, foreign or domestic. If there’s a break in the barrier, you can experience what’s called leaky gut syndrome.




• 5. When you were born, your intestinal tract was as sterile as an operating room. As you begin eat solid foods, beneficial microorganisms in your intestinal tract grow in numbers. Before they arrived, you had no way of synthesising your own vitamin K and vitamin B. With their arrival, your body’s ability to synthesise these vitamins becomes possible. These vitamins help to support your overall health and wellbeing.




• 6. Beneficial microorganisms provide your body with extra energy. They do this by breaking down undigested sugars or carbohydrates through fermentation and releasing short-chain fatty acids. Short chain fatty acids like butyrates, propionates and acetates provide energy to your cells including your immune cells.




• 7. You know what xenobiotics are? They’re foreign substances present in your body. They shouldn’t be there because they can cause harm and disturb the function of your gastrointestinal tract. Beneficial bacteria are able to help detoxify and eliminate these compounds saving your immune system from having to deal with them.




• 8. Beneficial microorganisms, specifically bacteria train your immune system. They help your immune system recognise foreign substances that aren’t harmful. They teach them not to overreact and respond with an allergic reaction (food allergy). People who are allergic to several types of foods didn’t have the right population of beneficial microorganisms when they were young. As a consequence, their intestines overreact and view every foreign substance as a possible threat. Talk about trust issues, huh?




• 9. Another point goes to beneficial bacteria. This is because they can also prevent inflammation of the mucosa to a certain extent. If you’re take a lot of antibiotics, you’re messing up the normal balance of beneficial and harmful microorganisms which can contribute largely to the development of inflammatory bowel disease. Beneficial bacteria prevent this imbalance.




• 10. They compete with the bad microbes for space and nutrients. When you have a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria, there isn’t space for harmful microbes to set up camp and ambush your immune system.Your friendly bacteria even contribute to the normal muscle activity of your small intestine. This ensures timely elimination of toxins and harmful microorganisms rather than letting them hang around and bother your immune system.

Note: Beneficial microorganisms are also known by these terms: gut flora, intestinal flora, friendly bacteria, good bacteria, gut microbiota, gut microflora, intestinal microbiota, intestinal microflora and microbiome. A supplement containing friendly bacteria is called a probiotic.

Help Your Beneficial Microorganisms!

Here are some things you can do to help the beneficial microorganisms that reside in your gut:


Change your lifestyle. I bet this isn’t the first time you’ve heard this. Changing your lifestyle can do wonders not just for your gut health, but to also for other aspects of your life. Here are the specifics:

• 1. Keep your weight within the healthy range for your height and weight,




• 2. Get enough real sleep every night and exercise on a regular basis.




• 3. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables which are rich in fibre that feed your colonies of good bacteria.




• 4. Cultured foods (like kefir and yoghurt) and fermented foods (like sauerkraut and kimchi) will naturally increase the population of helpful microorganisms in your intestines.




• 5. Stress less, and if you find that difficult, look for some stress relieving techniques that you can practice daily.




• 6. Educate yourself on how to practice good hygiene, but don’t overdo it because using strong antibacterial soaps daily can also destroy some of the good bacteria along with the bad guys.




• 7. Drink less alcohol, moderation is the keyword. This is, of course, if you do drink alcohol.




• 8. Kick that smoking habit.

Keep your guard up. Be careful when buying health products (like probiotics and prebiotics) that claim to improve your gut health. Buy from reliable sellers only. Don’t sacrifice quantity with quality. Learn to ask questions about the products you’re buying.


Things to consider when buying a probiotic:


Are the strains of friendly bacteria in the probiotic synergistic? Some strains of good bacteria compete with each other.


Does the probiotic contain prebiotics? Prebiotics are types of dietary fibre which feed the good bacteria.


Does the probiotic need to be refrigerated? This usually means the bacteria in the product are more susceptible to being damaged by adverse conditions like heat.


Get your health checked out regularly. As you age, certain diseases can be more prevalent. Arrange a trip to your healthcare practitioner on a regular basis to get your health checked out. Don’t just go to your doctor when you’re sick.

Related Links

Probiotics Are Our Friends

Leaky Gut Syndrome

5 Quick Tips to Make Your Gut Stay Healthy

The Connection Between Gut Health and Mood

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