Immune balance research news: Signaling cells and probiotics
Posted Jul 23 2011 4:55pm
A couple of articles this week put forth some interesting research on immune cell “management” and a new take on probiotics.
Researchers at St. Jude’s children’s hospital have identified a molecule in the body that “functions like a factory supervisor” to make sure the right balance of T-cells are available to fight infection. They call the molecule phosphatase MKP-1. A summary of the research says that phosphatase MKP-1 “is an important regulator of immune balance, and “serves as a bridge between the innate immune response that is the body’s first line of defense against infection and the more specialized adaptive immune response that follows.”
Another piece of immune balance news this week was found in Slate, the online magazine. The article, which generated a good number of comments, talks about the pros and cons of probiotics, in light of the fact that more and more food and nutrition products are falling all over each other to add probiotic beneficial bacteria so they can claim their products aid in digestive health and support healthy immune function. The article looks at several studies in concluding that probiotic intake may only improve total sick days in a given year by a day or so. The evidence cited in the story, plus the evidence available in many other studies, may not be worth staking much of a claim on. The findings are generally products of small trials with many confounding factors, including the idea that a ton of live bacteria may not be present in the claimed bacterial volume on the product label, due to bacteria being destroyed during processing and shelf time. One study of yogurt intake, in fact, was designed so that participants ate a pretty hefty helping of yogurt 3 times a day for weeks on end. That’s a ton of yogurt, with not-so-dramatic of outcomes. One thing that most science does agree on, however, is that certain levels of gut microbiota can aid in digestive function, and may also be important in how certain components of the immune system perform.
The wrap on all this is that yes, our immune systems are complex and involve myriad classes of cells which produce other cells which produce other cells, all working together and performing extraordinary tasks at certain times. It is indeed, a monumental balancing act. And it’s much, much more than the body launching a bunch of attack cells to destroy bacteria or viruses. Your gut health does influence your immune system performance. But it may take more than a lot of yogurt to make that happen.
A couple of articles this week put forth some interesting research on immune cell “management” and a new take on probiotics.
Researchers at St. Jude’s children’s hospital have identified a molecule in the body that “functions like a factory supervisor” to make sure the right balance of T-cells are available to fight infection. They call the molecule phosphatase MKP-1. A summary of the research says that phosphatase MKP-1 “is an important regulator of immune balance, and “serves as a bridge between the innate immune response that is the body’s first line of defense against infection and the more specialized adaptive immune response that follows.”
Another piece of immune balance news this week was found in Slate, the online magazine. The article, which generated a good number of comments, talks about the pros and cons of probiotics, in light of the fact that more and more food and nutrition products are falling all over each other to add probiotic beneficial bacteria so they can claim their products aid in digestive health and support healthy immune function. The article looks at several studies in concluding that probiotic intake may only improve total sick days in a given year by a day or so. The evidence cited in the story, plus the evidence available in many other studies, may not be worth staking much of a claim on. The findings are generally products of small trials with many confounding factors, including the idea that a ton of live bacteria may not be present in the claimed bacterial volume on the product label, due to bacteria being destroyed during processing and shelf time. One study of yogurt intake, in fact, was designed so that participants ate a pretty hefty helping of yogurt 3 times a day for weeks on end. That’s a ton of yogurt, with not-so-dramatic of outcomes. One thing that most science does agree on, however, is that certain levels of gut microbiota can aid in digestive function, and may also be important in how certain components of the immune system perform.
The wrap on all this is that yes, our immune systems are complex and involve myriad classes of cells which produce other cells which produce other cells, all working together and performing extraordinary tasks at certain times. It is indeed, a monumental balancing act. And it’s much, much more than the body launching a bunch of attack cells to destroy bacteria or viruses. Your gut health does influence your immune system performance. But it may take more than a lot of yogurt to make that happen.