Cold and flu season is upon us, and experts warn that this year may be particularly nasty. Following the 2017-2018 season when more people were killed and hospitalized due to flu-related symptoms than in several decades, the 2018-2019 season was the longest in 10 years.
Many people are surprised to learn that 70% of the cells that comprise your immune system live within your intestinal wall. Based on that fact, it’s safe to say that having a healthy gut is crucial to having a strong immunity defense.
While probiotic vitamins are commonly used to treat gastrointestinal conditions, they are also highly effective at naturally boosting your immune system.
Good Bacteria for Immunity
The food and nutrients we consume can’t enter the bloodstream without first making their way through the intestinal wall. Acting as a security guard of sorts, its job is to keep anything potentially dangerous out and absorb all the good stuff.
Probiotic vitamins go a long way in helping to maintain a strong gut wall, balancing the stomach’s pH and reducing the number of bad bacteria. If our bodies go into dysbiosis, the state in which the body has more bad bacteria than good, our health suffers. If your gut bacteria get sick, so do you.
Why Probiotics Work
Colds and flu are often treated with medications that only reduce the symptoms, or worse, antibiotics that kill both good and bad bacteria. Here’s where probiotic vitamins are different — they work from the inside out, boosting the body’s natural immune response.
A comprehensive probiotic vitamin has numerous strands of potent bacteria that actively work to improve not only digestive function, but immune support as well.
- Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Gg (LGG): More than 400 studies have been published supporting LGG’s immune-boosting properties. It prohibits numerous harmful gut pathogens and has been shown to prevent as well as reduce the duration and severity of respiratory tract infections.
- Lactobacillus Paracasei (L. paracasei): Shown to enhance the function of the immune system, numerous studies like this one have found it to reduce the duration of cold and flu symptoms by as many as three days.
- Lactobacillus Acidophilus (L. acidophilus): A probiotic in nearly every brand of yogurt available, L. acidophilus has been linked to significantly preventing and reducing cold and flu symptoms.
This cold season, probiotic vitamins are the secret weapon in your sickness-busting arsenal. Taking them is a simple yet highly effective way to stay on top of your overall health.
