Optimal Immunity Starts In Your Intestines

Even the best laid plans for a healthy diet can fall by the wayside when cravings for cold-weather comfort food strike—and the long winter ahead won’t make eating well any easier. But what you may not realize is that it’s not just your digestive health that’s at stake when your dietary habits take a nosedive. Your immune system can suffer, too.

That’s because your intestines play host to your body’s largest mass of immune-cell-populated lymphoid tissue, known as gut-associated lymphoid tissue, or GALT.¹ Your gut’s mucosal barrier is equally important to your immune system, charged with keeping unwanted organisms and substances at bay while supplying your body with the nutrients it needs to thrive. So it’s easy to see how both your digestive and total-body health can come under fire if this barrier becomes irritated and weakened.

Unfortunately, a number of dietary saboteurs pave the way to a so-called “leaky gut” and all the complications that come with it. Gluten is one of the most notorious culprits, with studies showing that this wheat-based component of cookies, bread and other carb-laden treats is associated with greater discomfort, bloating and tiredness, even in subjects without a major genetic sensitivity to it.²

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs)—the byproducts of a series of chemical reactions between proteins, fats and sugars in your body—also come along with increased refined carbohydrate consumption. While these trouble-making glycotoxins are usually quarantined by your intestinal wall and eliminated, a weak mucosal barrier could mean that more of these AGEs wreak havoc on your body, triggering an imbalanced inflammatory response and aggravating food sensitivities.^3-10

Even your morning cup of coffee can impact intestinal permeability over the long haul—as can some popular food additives, which are known to play a significant role in food sensitivities and impact immune health.^11-12 In fact, a number of foods that are good for you can be bothersome to your gut, thanks to digestion-resistant lectins—sticky proteins that can weaken your mucosal barrier, negatively affect immune responses, and disrupt intestinal flora balance.^13-14

So how can you keep your digestive system and your immune function strong without giving up the foods that you love? Luckily, a steady supply of the right nutrients will support your mucosal barrier’s natural regenerative cycles—and a carefully selected blend of natural compounds can ensure that your gut is equipped to handle the dietary dangers it’s faced with every day.

For example, low dietary levels of L-glutamine have been shown to contribute to intestinal permeability, while supplementation boosts barrier function.^15-16 Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) can also enhance gastrointestinal health, while n-acetyl glucosamine (NAG) and marshmallow leaf and root are involved in the formation and defense of the intestinal mucosa’s protective cover.^17-18 Berberine balances digestive inflammatory responses, cabbage and phosphatidylcholine support the GI tract, while slippery elm stimulates protective mucous secretion—and gamma oryzanol offers antioxidant support to keep gastric acid secretion balanced.^19-23

You can find all of these critical gut-strengthening nutrients combined in VRP’s GI Cell Support. For added defense, you can also supplement with lectin-binding compounds like the ones in VRP’s Lectin Lock™—including NAG, bladderwrack, okra, D-mannose, and sodium alginate—which have been shown to protect GI cells by binding with trouble-causing dietary lectins.²⁴ And of course, a comprehensive probiotic that contains Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum—such as VRP’s BioPro™—can also improve mucosal barrier function.²⁵

Finally, clinical studies show the patented yeast culture EpiCor® can dramatically boost your levels of secretory IgA, an immunoglobulin responsible for reinforcing your mucosal lining^26-27—which is why you’ll find it available as a standalone immune-enhancing supplement from Vitamin Research Products®.

References:

1. Salminen S, Bouley C, Boutron-Ruault MC, et al. (1998). Functional Food Science and Gastrointestinal Physiology and Function. British Journal of Nutrition. 80(S1):S147-S171.

2. Newnham ED. Does gluten cause gastrointestinal symptoms in subjects without coeliac disease? J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2011 Apr;26 Suppl 3:132-4.

3. Faist V, Erbersdobler HF. Metabolic transit and in vivo effects of melanoidins and precursor compounds deriving from the Maillard reaction. Ann Nutr Metab. 2001;45:1-12.

4. Koschinsky T, He CJ, Mitsuhashi T, Bucala R, Liu C, Buenting C, et al. Orally absorbed reactive glycation products (glycotoxins): an environmental risk factor in diabetic nephropathy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997;94:6474-9.

5. Grunwald S, Krause R, Bruch M, Henle T, Brandsch M. Transepithelial flux of early and advanced glycation compounds across Caco-2 cell monolayers and their interaction with intestinal amino acid and peptide transport systems. Br J Nutr. 2006;95:1221-8.

6. Rapin JR, Wiernsperger N. Possible Links between Intestinal Permeablity and Food Processing: A Potential Therapeutic Niche for Glutamine. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2010 June; 65(6): 635-643.

7. Smedsrod B, Melkko J, Araki N, Sano H, Horiuchi S. Advanced glycation end products are eliminated by scavenger-receptor-mediated endocytosis in hepatic sinusoidal Kupffer and endothelial cells. Biochem J. 1997;322(Pt 2):567-73.

8. Uribarri J, Cai W, Sandu O, Peppa M, Goldberg T, Vlassara H. Diet-derived advanced glycation end products are major contributors to the body’s AGE pool and induce inflammation in healthy subjects. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2005;1043:461-6.

9. Bengmark S. Advanced glycation and lipoxidation end products–amplifiers of inflammation: the role of food. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2007;31:430-40.

10. Ilchmann A, Burgdorf S, Scheurer S, Waibler Z, Nagai R, Wellner A, et al. Glycation of a food allergen by the Maillard reaction enhances its T-cell immunogenicity: Role of macrophage scavenger receptor class A type I and II. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010 Jan;125(1):175-83.e1-11.

11. Cibicková E, Cibicek N, Zd'ánský P, Kohout P. The impairment of gastroduodenal mucosal barrier by coffee. Acta Medica (Hradec Kralove). 2004;47(4):273-5.

12. Csáki KF. Synthetic surfactant food additives can cause intestinal barrier dysfunction. Med Hypotheses. 2011 May;76(5):676-81.

13. Watzl B, Neudecker C, Hänsch GM, Rechkemmer G, Pool-Zobel BL. Dietary wheat germ agglutinin modulates ovalbumin-induced immune responses in Brown Norway rats. Br J Nutr. 2001 Apr;85(4):483-90.

14. Jones, David S., ed. Textbook of Functional Medicine. Gig Harbor: The Institute for Functional Medicine, 2005, p. 303.

15. Li N, Neu J. Glutamine deprivation alters intestinal tight junctions via a PI3-K/Akt mediated pathway in Caco-2 cells. J Nutr. 2009;139:710-4.

16. Lima AA, Brito LF, Ribeiro HB, Martins MC, Lustosa AP, Rocha EM, et al. Intestinal barrier function and weight gain in malnourished children taking glutamine supplemented enteral formula. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2005;40:28-35.

17. Burton AF, Anderson FH. Decreased incorporation of 14C-glucosamine relative to 3H-N-acetyl glucosamine in the intestinal mucosa of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 1983;78:19-22.

18. Newall CA, Anderson LA, Philpson JD. Herbal Medicine: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals. London, UK: The Pharmaceutical Press, 1996.

19. Fukuda K, Hibiya Y, Mutoh M, et al. Inhibition by berberine of cyclooxygenase-2 transcriptional activity in human colon cancer cells. J Ethnopharmacol. 1999;66:227-33.

20. van Poppel G, Verhoeven DT, Verhagen H, Goldbohm RA. Brassica vegetables and cancer prevention. Epidemiology and mechanisms. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1999;472:159-68.

21. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.

22. Stremmel W, Ehehalt R, Autschbach F, Karner M. Phosphatidylcholine for steroid-refractory chronic ulcerative colitis: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2007 Nov 6;147(9):603-10.

23. Cicero AFG, Gaddi A. Rice Bran and Gamma-Oryzanol in the treatment of hyperlipoproteinemias and other conditions. Phytotherapy Research. 15(4):277-289.

24. Rudiger H, Siebert HC, Solis D, Jimenez-Barbero J, Romero A, von der Lieth CW, Diaz-Marino T, Gabius HJ. Medicinal chemistry based on the sugar code: fundamentals of lectinology and experimental strategies with lectins as targets. Curr Med Chem. 2000 Apr;7(4):389-416.

25. Zeng J, Li YQ, Zuo XL, Zhen YB, Yang J, Liu CH. Clinical trial: effect of active lactic acid bacteria on mucosal barrier function in patients with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2008 Oct 15;28(8):994-1002.

26. Moyad MA, Robinson LE, Kittelsrud JM, Reeves SG, Weaver SE, Guzman AI, Bubak ME. Immunogenic yeast-based fermentation product reduces allergic rhinitis-induced nasal congestion: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Adv Ther. 2009;26(8):795-804.

27. Schauss AG, Vodjani A. Discovery of an edible fermentation product with unusual immune enhancing properties in humans. FASEB J. 2006;20(4):A143.