So what exactly are our body’s “natural defences”?

[24 October 2008 - 09h09]
[mis à jour le 24 October 2008 à 17h04]

What are our body’s natural defences? How do they operate? What are they for and how can we improve them? Along with the skin and mucous membranes, the intestines are one of the main physical barriers we have against bacteria and viruses. Once these barriers are breached our immune system kicks in to halt infection and to limit its effects.

These are the body’s “natural defences”. In fact, the intestines are our first and main defence against the different types of food-related disorders we encounter on a daily basis. There are three distinct lines of defence: intestinal flora; the intestine walls; and the immune system associated with it.

Flora are the first line of defence. At this stage, the “good” bacteria in our flora are able to eliminate pathogens by halting their development, preventing them attaching themselves to the mucous membranes and countering their toxic effects;
The intestine wall is the second line of defence, providing a purely physical barrier against intruders. Protected by a thick layer of mucous, it also contains cells that act like a kind of “filter”;
The final line of defence is the immune system which can react either immediately, or more slowly and specifically, thanks to a stored memory of earlier attacks.

Although genetically programmed, the effectiveness of our defence system is also affected by our environment and by food in particular. In recent years, the effects of probiotics on these three lines of defence has become a very active area of research. However, results are very variable as not all probiotics are easy to improvise.

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