how prebiotics and probiotics support your immune system.

How Prebiotics and Probiotics Support Your Immune System

Your immune system and gut are in constant conversation. Around seventy per cent of your immune cells actually live in the gut, working alongside the trillions of microbes that make up your gut microbiome. These microbes play a major role in how your immune system develops, responds to threats, and stays balanced. When your gut is well supported, your immune system is usually calmer, steadier, and more resilient.

The Gut–Immune Connection

Think of your gut microbiome as a highly intelligent filter. It helps your immune system tell the difference between what’s harmful and what’s safe. Beneficial microbes along the gut wall interact with immune cells, teaching them to react to genuine threats while staying relaxed around everyday substances like food or friendly bacteria.

A diverse microbiome makes this process even more effective. The wider the range of bacteria you host, the more adaptable your immune system becomes. Eating plenty of plant fibres, fermented foods, and whole grains is one of the simplest ways to support this diversity and strengthen your natural defences.

Probiotics: Friendly Microbes with Big Benefits

Probiotics are live microorganisms—often called “friendly bacteria”—that can support your health when you consume them in the right amounts. Certain strains help guide immune responses by boosting protective antibodies and calming unnecessary inflammation.

For example, a study by Paineau and colleagues (2008) looked at a seven-strain probiotic blend containing Bifidobacterium lactis BI-04 and Lactobacillus acidophilus La-14. After three weeks, the people taking the probiotic produced higher levels of IgG antibodies in response to a cholera vaccine than those taking a placebo. In simple terms, their immune systems reacted more efficiently—showing stronger “immune memory.”

Probiotics such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium longum have also been shown to reinforce the intestinal barrier, preventing unwanted particles and toxins from entering the bloodstream. By maintaining this protective layer, probiotics help reduce systemic inflammation and support overall immune balance.

Many probiotic strains, such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium longum, also help reinforce the intestinal barrier. This barrier prevents unwanted substances from entering the bloodstream, which in turn helps keep whole-body inflammation in check.

You’ll naturally find probiotics in fermented foods like yoghurt with live cultures, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, and kombucha. Adding even one of these to your daily routine can gently support microbial balance.

Prebiotics: Fuel for Your Friendly Bacteria

If probiotics are the friendly microbes themselves, prebiotics are what feed them. Prebiotics are specific types of dietary fibre that your body cannot digest but that beneficial gut bacteria thrive on. When these bacteria ferment prebiotics, they produce short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate and propionate, which play a major role in regulating inflammation and strengthening immune defences. 

Common prebiotics include inulin, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), resistant starch, and pectin. These are naturally found in foods like onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, green bananas, oats, and legumes. You can also find them in supplement form if you want a more consistent daily intake or if your diet is limited.

Combining prebiotics and probiotics together forms what is known as synbiotics. This combination supports both the growth of beneficial bacteria and their activity, amplifying their effects on gut and immune health.

How Gut Balance Supports Immunity

A balanced gut microbiome supports immune regulation in several important ways:

• It strengthens the gut lining, reducing the chance of harmful bacteria or toxins crossing into your bloodstream.

• It promotes the production of SCFAs, which help keep inflammation controlled.

• It supports immune cells such as T regulatory cells, so they can maintain a healthy balance between reacting to threats and staying tolerant of everyday exposures.

Certain bacteria are especially powerful in this process. Butyrate-producing species like Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia, and Eubacterium rectale are known for their anti-inflammatory effects, their ability to support the gut barrier, and their role in maintaining a healthy gut lining.

Your microbiome also creates substances that help protect the gut, such as:

• SCFAs, which strengthen the gut lining

• Mucins, which form a protective layer over the gut wall

• Antimicrobial peptides, natural compounds that keep harmful bacteria in check

• Secondary bile acids and polyphenol metabolites, which help regulate inflammation and support microbial balance

When communication between your gut and immune system is steady and harmonious, your body can respond to infections effectively and without unnecessary overreactions. This balanced environment also supports recovery after illness and helps reduce unwanted sensitivities or allergies.

Supporting Your Microbiome Every Day

Small, consistent habits can make a real difference to your gut and immune health:

• Eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to nourish your beneficial microbes.

• Include at least one fermented food each day, such as live yoghurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, or kefir.

• Stay well-hydrated to support smooth digestion.

• Limit highly processed foods, which can disrupt microbial balance.

• Prioritise good sleep and manageable stress levels as both have a direct impact on your gut-immune connection.

References

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