The Microbiome – Key for your Immune system

Millions of organisms form a protective layer on the surface of our body and within the cavities connected to the outside, like the mucous membranes of the respiratory and digestive systems, vaginal mucosa, etc. This is the microbiota, an organ in its own right. Although we cannot see it, our health depends on its correct functioning.

The first bacterial colonisation takes place at birth, when the baby comes into contact with the vaginal and skin bacteria of the mother. It has been shown that the sooner this colonisation occurs, the better will the microbiota perform its functions. At a later stage, other factors such as diet, use of antibiotics, living with older siblings, in the countryside or in an urban environment, having pets in the family, among others, will determine the amount and diversity of the bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa that constitute the microbiota. Each individual has a microbiota composition of his own, a characteristic pattern. A disturbance of this pattern or dysbiosis can lead to disease.  

In addition to its digestive, metabolic and neuro-endocrine functions, the microbiota plays a key role in the defence of the organism since it is in direct contact with the outside. 

– Commensal bacteria produce mucin and antimicrobial peptides hindering the entry of pathogens and controlling their replication. They also contribute to maintaining the intercellular junctions of the mucosal epithelium to secure a physical barrier and prevent intestinal permeability, i.e. foreign molecules crossing the intestinal lumen. 

– Dendritic cells, immune cells specialised in detecting foreign elements, are trained through their interaction with commensal bacteria, triggering cellular and humoral immunity and promoting the secretion of IgA antibodies that detect the entry of pathogens into the mucosa. 

– The microbiota regulates the function of lymphoid cells, thereby promoting adaptive immunity and tissue repair and controlling inflammation. 

Promoting the diversity and balance of your microbiota is key for intestinal tolerance. 

– Watch your diet: rather than excluding food of animal origin, increase the variety and amount of vegetables. A varied diet ensures a stable microbiota.  Fibre from fruit and vegetables, cereals and dried fruit, is the gut flora’s main source of food. Intestinal bacteria are responsible for digesting it, producing short chain fatty acids beneficial for health.

– Avoid fats and processed foods rich in additives and preservatives, since these are proinflammatory and detrimental to the balance of the intestinal milieu.

– If needed, use prebiotics (resistant starch, inulin, among others), probiotics (yeasts such as Saccharomyces, Lactobacillus or Bifidobacteria) and synbiotics (prebiotics+probiotics with a greater effect than separate intake). Their integration into diet is being studied as a possible treatment for diseases such as antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, baby colics, diabetes, among others. In such cases, treatment should not be initiated without consulting an attending nutritionist. 

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