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Probiotics – A Powerful Boost for Your Immune System
Every day, your immune system does its best to protect you from bacteria and microbes waiting for you to become vulnerable so they can strike. Sometimes, your immune system can fail, and the germ that was waiting for its time would make you sick. But do not fret, because there are so many ways of how you can make your immune system stronger, so it can continue protecting you. One of those ways comes from studies on the immune system and probiotics.
Why is it so essential to make sure your immune system stays strong? Every part of it has its unique function for protecting your body from viruses and other pathogens. You encounter millions of germs every day, but it is your immune system that protects you from the bad ones. The same way it takes care of you; it is your responsibility to take good care of it.
How to Strengthen Your Immune System
As you age, your immune system, in general, gets weaker, and in menopause, this comes along with many other symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal health issues, and other problems. Aging makes your body weaker, along with leaving you with a more vulnerable immune system that can be prone to infections. Because this is such an important time for you to age healthily, take extra care of your health and avoid these triggers that can weaken your immune system.
Eat a Healthy Diet
A tip for healing many symptoms of menopause and supporting your immune health, a proper diet is a key to staying healthy as you age. Many people get sick more often than others because they do not get enough vitamins and minerals. But these elements are needed for our bodies because they strengthen our immune response. Knowing that, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, as well as whole grains and legumes, and avoid processed and unhealthy foods.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise can not only help boost your mood and help your mood swings, but it can also make your immune system so much stronger. Regular exercise improves your heart health and blood pressure, enables you to maintain a healthy weight, and improves your overall well being. As a result, working out is your ticket to good health.
Avoid Smoking and Drinking Alcohol
It should not come as a surprise that smoking and excessive alcohol drinking create problems for your health. Apart from aging your body, skin, and organs faster, and increasing your risk for diseases associated with them, these two also make your immune system weaker. Quit smoking if you do, and consume alcohol in moderate amounts only to preserve your immune health.
Rest and recharge
Being stressed all the time, not getting enough rest, and not sleeping at least 7 hours every night makes you tired, groggy, and more prone to being sick. Yes, you heard it correctly – sleep deprivation lowers your immune response making you more susceptible to infections. This study has shown that chronic lack of sleep increases inflammation in your body, reduces immunity, and even makes you more prone to catching colds (1).
Practice Good Hygiene
Ever since you were a child, your parents must have told you always to wash your hands when you come home from outside. And you probably always wondered why they kept going on about that. Now, you already know that proper hygiene is very much needed to protect you from bacterial and viral infections. Wash your hands properly and cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing (please use a tissue or your elbow and not in your hand). Also, try to avoid items used by other people. No matter how strong your immune system is, good hygiene will not fail you.
How Probiotics Can Strengthen Your Immune System
Our digestive tract is a host to billions of bacteria. Some of them are good, while some of them are not. For your body to be healthy and function properly, you need a healthy balance of bacteria in your digestive tract. This means that about 85% of your gut microflora should be made up of good bacteria. And only 15% or less of the space should be left for the bad. But, sometimes, this balance is disturbed, which is where probiotic foods and supplements come to play a role in supporting your health.
Probiotics are very versatile. That is why people use them to prevent and help alleviate symptoms of many diseases. Yan and Polk have found that probiotic bacteria can regulate the immune response of a person (2). As a result, they help in the prevention and treatment of viral infections, eczema, and allergies. Active components found in probiotic bacteria could improve the balance between defense mechanisms of the body. In this way, probiotics regulate the immune system making it stronger and more resistant to the diseases and infections studied.
Another study by Maldonado et al. (3) discusses the mucosal immune system, which is influenced by the microflora of the digestive tract. Within the gastrointestinal tract, probiotic bacteria work to create unique signals and stimulate an immune response in the host. As a result, probiotic bacteria offer beneficial effects for the immune system as a whole.
Where to Get Probiotics for Your Immune System
If you want to support your health and strengthen your immune system, probiotics are the best way to do so without side effects. Besides, they are readily available in food and supplemental form. You can try eating such foods as kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, live yogurt, tempeh, or drinking kombucha. Or you can buy a quality probiotic supplement with 5-20 billion CFUs per dose.
MenoLabs has just the solution for you. We created our line of probiotic supplements to target the unique needs of women in menopause. If symptoms like night sweats, hot flashes, skin problems, low sex drive, or other, are bothering you, these friendly bacteria can help. And if you are taking steps to strengthen your immune system, probiotics can give you an additional boost so that you stay happy and healthy in menopause.
(1) Luciana Besedovsky, Tanja Lange, and Jan Born. “Sleep and immune function.”
(2) Fang Yan and D.B. Polk. “Probiotics and immune health.”
(3) Galdeano Maldonado et al. “Beneficial Effects of Probiotic Consumption on the Immune System.”
