Colds and the flu are common as temperatures drop, especially during the winter months. While getting sick is usually just a major inconvenience, the common cold can cause some serious complications for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
Therefore, it is useful to learn how to support your body and immune system to resist illness. When cold and flu season rolls around, and you find yourself in a situation where many people around you are getting sick, there are some things you can do to support your body — such as taking probiotics.
Probiotics are a fantastic natural remedy. Supporting your body and immune system with a multispecies and multistrain, medically relevant probiotic will help you avoid getting sick from things like the common cold, the flu, and other respiratory illnesses.
Interested in learning more? We can help! Read on to discover everything you need to know about how probiotics can help with the common cold.
Do Probiotics Help With the Cold and Flu?
The most effective method for preventing yourself from catching a cold or the flu is to strengthen your immune system in as many different ways as possible before the onset of cold and flu season. So, do probiotics help with colds?
Reinforcing your body's vital force by ingesting on a consistent basis a multispecies and multistrain probiotic that is of high quality and is supported by scientific research is a good idea.
Probiotics can offer the following benefits, which may support your immune function:
1. Gut Wall Support
The digestive tract and the intestines are the entry points for harmful bacteria and viruses into the bloodstream. It is the job of the gut wall to prevent foreign substances, including bacteria, viruses, and poisons, from entering the bloodstream. However, this can only happen in a healthy and robust body, which is not the case for many people.
Certain probiotic bacteria can help support the gut wall, maintaining its resistance to harmful microorganisms and viruses.
2. Support the Body’s Immune System
It should come as no surprise that the bacteria residing in your digestive tract have a significant impact on your immune response. The excellent thing is that research into the impact of probiotics on the gut microbiome, and consequently on healthcare and well-being, is advancing rapidly.
Intestinal and systemic health can be preserved with the help of probiotics, which work to restore the gut's natural balance of good bacteria. As a result, the immune system is supported — and when your immune system has the support it needs, it can work hard to keep you healthy.
3. Digestive System Support
Your intestines are home to the majority of your immune system, despite popular belief that its sole function is to aid with digestion. Bacteria can make a home in the intestinal lining. Both healthy and bad bacteria can thrive there, and the ratio of good to bad bacteria in your body has a significant impact on your immune system.
That said, if you eat properly, beneficial bacteria can find their way into your digestive system. However, it is quite challenging to match the advantages of even the most effective probiotic. Some beneficial bacteria can be obtained from the diet, but probiotics use cutting-edge technology to deliver only carefully selected strains to the appropriate areas of the digestive tract.
The finest flu season probiotics will provide your digestive system with significantly more beneficial bacteria than any dietary product, even those marketed as probiotics, such as probiotic drinks, supplements, or yogurt.
4. Supporting Mucosal Membrane Health
Probiotics support the proper release of immunoglobulin A (sIgA). SIgA is an antibody that helps mucosal membranes perform their immunological functions. Lack of sIgA in the body has been linked to a compromised immune system and an increased risk of contracting bacterial, fungal, or viral illnesses like the common cold, influenza, or even a urinary tract infection.
With this in mind, defending yourself this cold and flu season by supporting your immune function via a balanced gut flora can have a significant impact. And what’s one way to do this, you ask? Simple, with probiotics — like Gut Feelings.
Gut Feelings Probiotics®
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A pre-, pro-, and post-biotic formula that supports complete gut health and immune function, simply take one capsule a day to maintain your wellness.*
What Exactly Are Probiotics?
Believe it or not, beneficial bacteria and yeasts are already present in your body. To most people, bacteria implies only one thing: sickness and death. There is always some balance of good and bad bacteria living on and in your body. Healthy bacteria like those found in probiotic supplements play an important role in maintaining optimal bodily function.
When you have an excess of bad bacteria, this good bacteria can help you fight it off and feel better. The microbiome is like a forest full of different species that all contribute to your well-being. It turns out that bacteria make up this whole town. You are home to a microbial community of trillions of organisms. These microbes include:
- Bacteria
- Fungi (including yeasts)
- Viruses
- Protozoa
What’s the Gut Microbiome?
Over the past few years, scientists' conceptions of the microbiome in the digestive tract and its function in regulating the immune system have shifted. Seventy percent or more of the human immune system is located there. The gut immune system also has more antibody-producing cells than the rest of the body combined. That's why digestive fluid (mucus, saliva, etc.) has as many health-promoting and disease-preventing elements as breast milk.
Probiotics are beneficial because they improve the health of your gut microbiome, which in turn boosts your immune system's capacity to interact with your body in numerous ways. These helpful bacteria encourage a strong immune system, supporting a healthy number of the cells that actively seek out and destroy harmful viruses.
Researchers have discovered that a combination of probiotics is particularly efficient at warding off the common cold and other respiratory viruses, all of which enhance immunological balance and strength.
Should I Give Probiotics to My Kids for Immune Support?
The health benefits of probiotics extend to both adults and children. It has been shown that giving your little one a probiotic may help support their overall immune function.
In most cases, giving probiotics to your child through their regular food intake is a safe option. Yogurt and cottage cheese are examples of probiotic-rich foods that can be included in a healthy diet with minimal disruption.
Probiotic supplements formulated for kids are now widely accessible on the market. Nevertheless, you should talk to your kid's doctor before giving them a probiotic or changing their lifestyle to incorporate probiotic-rich foods.
The Bottom Line
We can maintain our health with the help of probiotic bacteria and yeasts, both of which are natural components of the human microbiome. These organisms may even reduce our risk of developing food allergies.
That said, although it’s generally believed that probiotic supplements are safe for human consumption, there are some individuals who could be at risk for adverse health effects from taking them. So prior to starting any new health plan, be sure to discuss your options with your primary care physician!
Here at Love Wellness, we create natural solutions for natural problems because we experience them too. Whether you’re hoping to boost your gut health or simply looking for feminine hygiene advice, you can always count on us to have your back.
