Three ways MicrobiomeX® supports your immune system
The knowledge about gut microbiota and its connection with the immune system is increasing every day and so is the consumption of science-based products helping consumers achieve their immunity goals. MicrobiomeX® is a nutraceutical ingredient based on citrus flavonoids that can boost your immune system by improving the gut microbiota composition stimulating the production of butyrate, increasing the level of antibody SIgA, and lowering the level of intestinal inflammation.
The connection between gut microbiota and immune system
Every day the body is exposed to different pathogens that can potentially cause disease. The immune system can protect the body from these intruders and the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in doing so.
The microbiome consists of a collection of bacteria living in your gut. Primarily, the good bacteria residing in the intestine adhere to the gut wall. Once the gut wall is full of these bacteria, other pathogens cannot adhere. In this way, beneficial bacteria prevent bad bacteria from “sticking” to the gut mucosa [1].
Moreover, these bacteria produce important molecules such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) that are involved in improving immune function and lowering gut inflammation.
What is MicrobiomeX®?
MicrobiomeX® is an ingredient based on citrus flavonoids that can boost the immune system and improve gut defense.
BioActor developed MicrobiomeX® and, together with Maastricht University and Wageningen University, researched the ingredient and confirmed its health benefits in multiple clinical, ex-vivo and in-vitro studies.
Clinical research in different study populations has shown that MicrobiomeX® has a direct effect on gut health and immunity by being metabolized by gut microbiota and positively changing the microbiota composition. This is what we call Flavobiotic® effect.
MicrobiomeX® is standardize for two important citrus flavonoids: hesperidin (>85%) and naringin (>5%)
The Flavobiotic® effect and immune boosting effects have been demonstrated at low dose from 250mg to 500mg in a dose dependent fashion.
Three ways MicrobiomeX® supports your immune system
If you are considering including MicrobiomeX® in your formulation, you should know this:
1. MicrobiomeX® positively changes the microbiota composition helping stimulate the production of butyrate.
When health-promoting bacteria are present in the gut, they help protect your gut wall from pathogens and bad microorganisms. MicrobiomeX® has been shown to help the growth of beneficial microbiota in the gut, for example strains that belong to the phylum Firmicutes.
Not only helps MicrobiomeX® with maintaining a protective layer against bad microorganisms, but it also promotes butyrate-producing strains such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Clostridium leptum and Roseburia. This results in higher levels of butyrate [2].
This is beneficial, mainly because butyrate inhibits nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). Dysregulation of NF-κB is often seen in inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. This means, that by increasing butyrate levels in the gut and consequently inhibiting NF-κB MicrobiomeX® helps lower inflammation in the gut [3].
2. MicrobiomeX® increases Secretory Immunoglobulin A
After four weeks of daily 500 mg MicrobiomeX®, fecal Secretory Immunoglobulin A (SIgA) significantly increased in healthy elderly.
Why is this good news?
IgA is the antibody that is the most produced by the body and it is primarily found in the gastrointestinal system, where it plays a big role in keeping your intestinal microbiota in check. IgA directly binds to pathogens such as bad bacteria and viruses and neutralizes them.
Neutralization of pathogens stops them from colonizing the mucosal layer of the gut wall and infiltrating the cells of the gut to cause illness. This protection mechanism is known as ‘immune exclusion’ and makes SIgA a key factor in your immune system.
3. MicrobiomeX® lowers gut inflammation
Consumption of MicrobiomeX has shown to lower calprotectin levels. Calprotectin is found in different parts of the body, and it is an indicator of chronic inflammation.
Typically, older people and people with irritable bowel syndrome or leaky gut syndrome have chronically increased levels of calprotectin [4].
Gut inflammation leads to a lesser functioning gut barrier, which makes it easier for pathogens to infiltrate your body. MicrobiomeX® has been shown to decrease fecal calprotectin, indicating it lowers gut inflammation and thus, your gut health benefits from this product.
Moreover, MicrobiomeX® was shown to be able to lower NF-κB levels in a co-culture study with Caco-2 cells line and macrophages. NF-κB is a proinflammatory transcription factor involved in the production of inflammatory chemokine such as TNF-a, which accordingly was shown decreased in the same study.
The bottom line
There are several ways your gut helps to fight against pathogens that cause disease. It is good to boost your immune system and the citrus flavonoids in MicrobiomeX® offer a way to support your immune system naturally.
