The research, a mouse study, showed that when two mice–one healthy, one obese with liver disease–were put in the same cage, the healthy mouse became obese. Many factors, including mice’s tendency to eat other mice’s feces, could enter into the equation. But, the bad bacterial strains from the fat mouse ended up in the healthy mouse’s gut. This change in gut microbe populations–more bad bacteria, less good–manifests itself in more disease susceptibility and weight gain (bad bacteria dominating the digestive track can inhibit nutrient absorption while also signaling for imbalanced immune response, triggering inflammation).

None of this, of course, is even close to being conclusive. But it does kind of relate to other research showing that a pregnant mother’s bacterial and pathogen exposure and the immune composition shaped by that exposure can be transferred to the fetus.

Here’s a brief explanation.

Stress can alter the bacterial composition of the digestive tract. When that happens, good/bad bacteria are out of balance. When bad bacteria rule the roost (in the gut), the ability of the body’s immune system to operate at top efficiency is compromised. Gut bacteria are the “educators” of the body’s immune cell behavior, signaling aggressive or passive response as needed, depending on the kinds of pathogens or antigens that enter the body and alert the immune system.

An even better, but lengthier, discussion is here. The author likens immune balance as a “four-way seesaw” that needs to maintain balance to work.

Go, stress, gut, immune. They make your health world go round. That’s why stress management over the long term is so important. It can impact so many other parts of your health and eventually, your quality of life.

Well for one, more people are going to be getting a lot more fresh air this month. That may portend great things in diminishing somewhat what otherwise could have been a lot more winter crud going around. Fresh air in the outdoors is something I’m not taking for granted anymore. Why?

My architectural student daughter has classes and does studio work with a number of Chinese students. They come from all parts of China, but one thing most have in common is they come from many of China’s burgeoning cities. She’s noticed a few of them doing something fascinating: opening windows in the classrooms and in their dorm rooms to take in Iowa’s fresh air, even when outside temps are frigid. The faculty sometimes needs to tell them to close the windows and keep the heat in. The students have been so used to poor air quality in their homeland that they can’t get enough of this new found clean air.

Can a good daily dose of fresh, outside air help your immune function? Maybe and maybe indirectly. For one thing, being outside usually means…unless you’re snoozing in a hammock…you are getting some kind of exercise like walking, running, yard work, whatever. Science has shown moderate exercise can strengthen immune function.

Getting outdoors regularly also seems to be a trait in people who aren’t sick a lot. And, being outdoors means less time spent inside where furnace heat can dry out air, and germs and viruses can circulate and live longer.

I know we’ll soon have some snow here and the temps will get back to reality. But for now, I’m gonna enjoy it as much as I can. I played disc golf a few days ago in the balmy weather. Maybe tonight it will be mai tais on the deck under the tiki lights.

I’m as guilty as anyone. Just when I was doing pretty good throughout the fall with nutrition and exercise, suddenly it’s Thanksgiving, and since then, wow. I’ve abandoned a lot of discipline. Someone brought a pile of holiday treats to our office a couple days ago. Did I eat one or two and bow out? No. I had to take three or four back to my office, fearing the rest would be gone in an hour.

My wife and kids took most of a Saturday to bake up a storm Of course, I had to sample everything as it came out of the oven or off the wax paper. And of course, a sample means more than one.

Sugar may not necessarily lead to severely reduced immune function. But if obesity, cardiovascular damage, cellular inflammation are some direct outcomes of  long-term processed sugar intake, those conditions right there are enough to wreak havoc on immune function. Others make a strong cell-based argument that sugar can compete with and displace vital nutrients needed for proper support of immune cell structure, leading to weakened immune function.  Too much sugar can also trigger overreaction of immune response, feeding proinflammatory cytokine cells that lead to chronic inflammation, a fundamental driver of many serious diseases. Such imbalance within immune response results in immune cells frenetically going after healthy tissue, leaving depleted immune capacity to fight real pathogens that may enter the body (bacteria, virus, etc.)

So now that I’ve made sugar enemy No. 1, are you scared to eat even one more cookie?  Don’t be. After all, a little sugar does provide some short term energy. But remember to keep the sweets at a reasonably low level, while getting good exercise, sleep and a good dose of fruits and vegetables. That would be a sweet deal all the way around.

• take in more alcohol than usual?
• don’t drink enough water?
• don’t eat real healthy?
• don’t get enough sleep?
• go running about outside in dry, cold weather?

Well,  besides putting on a few extra pounds and maybe exposing yourself to a bout of winter crud, one casualty could be your skin. Particularly dry, undernourished skin. And what’s the risk of unhealthy skin?  How about weakened immune function!?!

Skin is one of the primary immune defenses you have.  The New Zealand Dermatological Society has a good summary of how problem skin can impact immune function:

“The immune system develops in the first six months of life. There is a generally an equilibrium of the two main types of T Helper lymphocytes (small white blood cells), TH-1 and TH-2. In atopic dermatitis there is often an imbalance, with far more TH-2 cells and their associated chemical messengers (cytokines). In some children there are also high levels of the antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies and eosinophils (the white blood cells associated with allergy).

The loss of skin barrier function means that:

• Water is lost
• Irritants may penetrate (soap, detergent, solvents, dirt etc.)
• Allergens may penetrate it (pollens, dust-mite antigens, microbes)”

Another great little summary about immune function is here at this baby health site. Even though it focuses on immune health and skin from a baby’s perspective, I think the rules work well for adults, too.

So taking care of skin–good nutrition, proper hydration, etc.– can make an impact on overall immune health.  This holiday, put your skin in the game.

]]> http://www.balancedimmunehealth.com/2011/12/keep-your-skin-and-your-immune-health-in-the-game/feed/ 0 http://www.balancedimmunehealth.com/2011/12/immune-balance-may-work-right-into-the-teeth-of-the-problem/ http://www.balancedimmunehealth.com/2011/12/immune-balance-may-work-right-into-the-teeth-of-the-problem/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:12:21 +0000 Craig Maltby, Editor http://www.balancedimmunehealth.com/?p=3424 Holiday time is approaching and the sugary snacks are popping out. Hello tooth decay, right? Well, turns out that may not be the biggest dental problem we need to watch out for.  Periodontitis is one of the most common causes of tooth loss worldwide. An estimated 53 million American adults have the condition, approximately 2 out of every 10 adults, at a total annual healthcare expenditure of more than $14 billion.

Thing is, some new research is showing that the bacteria triggering periodontitis are behaving in amazingly complex and diabolical ways. We know those microscopic critters were pretty cunning. Now, a study is showing that bacteria taking up residence in the gum lining are working in deceptive ways never before observed. They’re almost as shrewd and vile as the Desperate Housewives.

Apparently, they work in two ways: they trick immune cells that are coming to wipe them out to attack other benign cells instead. And, they also alter immune cells in the tooth/gum gap so that a hospitable “living environment” is created, allowing the nasties to multiply nearly unabated. It’s truly brilliant.

So what about immune balance in all of this? My theory is that, in addition to always implementing proper dental care, a healthy, balanced immune system may, repeat MAY, limit the ability of that crafty bacterium to do its thing. Immune balance means suppressing immune response when appropriate to prevent health problems resulting from over-aggressive immune attacks that can actually harm healthy cells and tissues. It also means bringing on the antibody attackers when they are truly needed, seeking and destroying the bad guys with overwhelming force. Perhaps that aggressive end of immune balance would find those periodontal bacteria and work ‘em over before they can work their evil magic. Just a thought.

But how about African medicine? Rooted in herbalism with a spiritual component, there may be several overlapping philosophies with other cultural/medical practices. I’m the last to offer any familiarity or overarching perspective on the subject.

However, I did come across a fascinating article on immune balance in The Nigerian Tribune. The story provides some information on probiotic benefits of indigenous African foods that can lead to immune system improvement, with some studies cited. Well done, I say.

We’ve all known that stress and anxiety is something, when severe, you feel in your gut. That’s been known for centuries. However, more and more science is showing how that anxiety-driven upset stomach, if left unchecked long enough, actually can reconfigure the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which can negatively impact immune function and overall health.

A very good description of gut health, stress and immune function can be found here. It’s a site about prescription meds, but the article itself is well done. In fact, they call the gut “the second brain” in this story. Very interesting.

The pardox is this: We want to keep babies and young kids–whose immune systems are weak and still forming–free of germs and viruses, so they won’t get sick. However, it is the exposure to germs and viruses at a young age that “trains” and shapes the immune system, making it stronger and more effective as one grows older. Kids who grow up in a relatively sterile environment–no playing in the dirt, no daycare, no pets, no running around on the farm (as kids did decades ago)–do not get exposed to microbes at a young age. Therefore, when they get older, their first exposure to pathogens or antigens triggers severe over-reaction of the immune system, making for more frequent illness, and longer duration and greater severity of symptoms.

The new study mentioned above concluded that newborns not exposed to a variety of bacteria at birth or shortly after did not develop a healthy balance of microbiota (beneficial bacteria) in the gut, thereby weakening immune function  and increasing risk of developing allergies. Gut bacteria is a major determinant of immune system effectiveness.

So this holiday season, let your young kids play in the snow, pet the horses on the sleigh, maybe even get a puppy for Christmas. Their immune health may be the better for it.

But what about the converse? Can working to naturally improve immune function result in beneficial weight loss? It’s hard to say. But there may be some correlations. Take diet and exercise, for example. Both are important for immune health. Exercise can aid with production of antibodies and T-cells to fight infection. Research is also suggesting moderate exercise for immune health support. Extreme exercise can, at least temporarily, weaken immune function.

Healthy diet can influence gut microbiota–the balance of healthy bacteria in the digestive system. And sleep. Always important for immune health and stress reduction, which impacts immune health, too. Stress reduction can also impact release of “stress hormones” in the gut, which can contribute to mid-section girth and weight gain. One outlyer I’ve found, though, is the concept of colon cleansing for weight loss. The concept is that a colon cleanse will rid the intestinal tract of toxins that can inhibit healthy weight loss. Problem is, colon cleanses may also take out beneficial bacteria as well, leading to questionable health results, to say the least.

While I’ve not found any sizable clincial study showing a direct correlation between improved immune function and healthy levels of weight loss, to me, it appears to be a circular sequence. Many of the things that go into healthy weight loss…better nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress reduction…can contribute to a healthier, balanced immune system as well. And vice versa.