We often search for a “magic pill” to boost immunity, without realizing that the body’s main defense center lies in the gut. It is not just an organ for digesting food, but a complex ecosystem that largely determines our resilience to illness.
Dr. Helene
The Largest Immune Organ
About 70–80% of all immune cells are concentrated in the gut. Why? Because every day, countless substances from the outside world — food, bacteria, viruses — pass through the digestive tract. To sort the useful from the harmful, the body has set up a “border checkpoint” in the form of specialized immune cells (lymphocytes, macrophages) located in the intestinal wall. Their job is to constantly analyze what enters the gut. When a pathogen is detected, the gut’s immune system immediately signals the body’s overall immune defense.
A Complex Puzzle
The key players in this system are the trillions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that make up the gut microbiome. This is not a chaotic crowd, but a finely tuned community designed by nature. The “good” bacteria perfo...
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