Do you know where your baby’s immune system actually is? Although there are white blood cells that circulate all around their body, a huge proportion of their immune system actually lives in their gut.
Your baby’s immune defenses depend on a thriving and healthy gut microbiome – all the trillions of organisms that live in your baby’s digestive system. This community of friendly flora speak to the immune system and help to programme a healthy immune response.
Your baby’s gut microbiome actually helps to educate their immune system when to react – supporting an appropriate response to pathogens that might cause things like tummy bugs or other infections.
It also helps to teach your baby’s immune system about inappropriate responses and when not to react, such as to harmless bacteria. And learning about self-tolerance so that your baby’s immune system doesn’t react harmfully to its own body. This is why a healthy gut microbiome may be helpful for babies who are at risk of allergies and other food sensitivities.
Finally, our gut microbiome helps to support healthy digestion – which means your baby is efficient at absorbing all the essential vitamins, minerals and other helpful compounds that their immune system needs to stay strong.
