Good gut health can significantly lower the risk of coronavirus, according to researchers. They reveal that unhealthy gut health could be a big risk factor for COVID-19. The good bacteria in the human gut could make a person survive and fight against the deadly coronavirus.
The gut is a part of the natural defense system of the body; probiotics stimulate immunity, which makes a person healthy and free from disease.
Louise Westra, a certified naturopath, and health coach have warned the general public that it is not a ‘one size fits all’ theory here. There is no standard procedure to ensure good gut health, so for a person, this gut health booster could vary.
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Not many people know but nearly 80% of the immunity comes from the gut. So a healthy functioning gut is essentially required for an active immunity. But it doesn’t mean that probiotics will directly affect on lowering the risk of coronavirus. It is not that simple.
Louise believes that probiotics can help against certain diseases such as Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) mainly because there is evidence present that probiotics lower the complications in these cases.
But these probiotics are not general and she checks the microbiome profiles of a patient before giving them a customized probiotic plan.
There is no harm or risk associated with probiotics. So people can take probiotics without getting the complete gut profiling done. This profiling may not be affordable by many people as it costs nearly £300 and doesn’t look like something that people find useful in coronavirus prevention.
Louise who is an expert in herbal medicine believes that without gut profiling, taking probiotics is not as helpful as otherwise. There is absolutely no way to tell which type of bacteria is low in the gut without the test. So it is hard to suggest any probiotic and the general probiotics may not be that helpful especially when someone is a high-risk patient.
More than 120 scientists wrote a letter to the British Health Secretary Matt Hancock, suggesting poor diet as a risk factor for COVD-19. This letter shares there is sufficient research that implies that bad gut health is a real-time threat during this pandemic.
Apart from medicines and probiotics, there are many natural remedies that could help in bad gut health. Taking foods rich in zinc and vitamin D or taking these in supplement forms is beneficial for the gut.
Most people ignore the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables in their daily diet. It is hard to improve metabolism without filling the daily dietary needs from fresh veggies and fruits.
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People may not even notice their immunity unless there is a critical situation like this coronavirus pandemic. Only when the immunity starts working, they tend to notice that they are not getting sick easily like other people and it is their natural immune system which is saving them.
But when this immune system is compromised because of a disease or poor diet and lifestyle, the active role played by the immunity ends and in worst cases, a person can even lose his life.
There is plenty of research suggesting that certain types of food prevent upper respiratory tract infections that may include coronavirus too. But a major part of this food is natural and organic foods and the probiotic supplements come next.
