Covid-19 & Health Update: Antiviral Defense Can Begin in the Gut!

RVAchironeuro • November 8, 2021

Hello everyone:

Here is a very interesting and helpful article on how gut health directly impacts our ability to put up a fight against infectious viruses. Many might say…well…who knew? However, once we understand that our gut houses nearly 75% of our immune secreting cells, it becomes more apparent. Here are a few quotes from the Harvard article (1) :

“The role of the gut microbiome in disease and health has been well established. Yet, how the bacteria residing in our guts protect us from viral infections is not well understood.

Now, for the first time, Harvard Medical School researchers have described how this happens in mice and have identified the specific population of gut microbes that modulates both localized and systemic immune response to ward off viral invaders. 

The work, published Nov. 18 in  Cell ,   pinpoints a group of gut microbes, and a specific species within it, that causes immune cells to release virus-repelling chemicals known as type 1 interferons.

The team cautions that the results remain to be confirmed in further animal studies and then replicated in humans, but the findings point to a novel strategy that could help enhance antiviral immunity in people.” 

Bottom Line: These researchers found that the supplementation with the probiotic called Bacteroides fragilis demonstrated that supplementation with this commensal microbial molecule is sufficient to restore the protective effects of the whole microbiota in animals with depleted gut microbiota.”

Given that the Standard American Diet (SAD) can deplete and imbalance our gut flora, it seems like a good idea to figure out how to restore the gut biome. Research shows that this restoration can be done with diet…that is…more plant based whole, organic, unprocessed plants that are great sources of soluble fiber…which helps restore B. Fragilis and other important probiotics. (2) That is great news, as not only does eating healthy assist our ability to fight infections, but it also helps in numerous other ways to keep us optimal.

PS: Currently, there is no probiotic supplement that I know of that has any of the Bacteroides probiotics…the solution for now is in our food choices!

 

By Mark Smith March 30, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith March 23, 2026
Health News Update: How To Fight Inflammation and Chronic Disease 3.23.26 Hello again everyone: You might wonder why I keep focusing on food…so here are some of the reasons: food choices are the leading cause of death in the U.S. and spreading around the world. Poor food choices lead to inflammation which slowly destroy health. It is that simple, plain, and clear and backed by research. The next question: how do we fight back? Introduction The positive impact of food on health was postulated by the ancient Hippocrates, father of modern medicine with his famous quote: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” [1]. In the 21st century, scientists have focused on the effect of nutritional habits in diseases. Nowadays, it is well documented that food plays a noteworthy role in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases namely cardiovascular diseases (CVD), metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus type II, and cancer [2–5], as it correlates with others with the lipid pattern, the blood pressure, and the endothelial function. The scientists examine the effect of nutritional habits on disease emergence and progression in both individual nutrient intake and dietary patterns models. Worldwide, two dietary patterns are usually compared—the Mediterranean diet (MD) and the Western diet (WD) [3,6]. The Mediterranean diet reflects the food culture of most Mediterranean countries based on olive oil consumption, seasonal fresh vegetables, cereals, and plants in balance with low consumption of meat [7]. The Western diet, on the contrary, is dominated by high-fat dairy products processed and red meat [8]. However, discordance in the different MD patterns and consumed food doses had been recognized. Without any doubt, those discrepancies could confine and restrict our knowledge on the health benefit mechanisms of the MD [9]. Due to the above, the medical community along with nutritionists and dieticians take a keen interest in MD and its traits [7]. https://www.academia.edu/45378994/biomedicines_Mediterranean_Diet_as_a_Tool_to_Combat_Inflammation_and_Chronic_Diseases_An_Overview?email_work_card=view-paper food choices can fight inflammation and chronic disease Bottom Line: This is a 2020 paper and since then literally hundreds of papers on the MD have emerged showing how the food plan lowers inflammation and the risk for developing multiple chronic illnesses. Even still, lots of research needs to be done to elucidate the many mechanisms of how food impacts our system and how to optimally individualize dietary recommendations. At this point, our best strategy to prevent and/or recover from any chronic condition is to eat as clean and natural as possible. It has become rather obvious that the further away from a natural diet we get, the sicker we become. On top of that, I have yet to see a full recovery from any health issue without the foundation of a predominantly plant-based, unprocessed, whole foods approach…which is why I keep posting about this subject. All the best to you and yours!
By Mark Smith March 16, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith March 2, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 23, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 22, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 16, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith February 2, 2026
New Title
By Mark Smith January 26, 2026
New Title
More Posts