Could CBD and Probiotics Beat the Winter Colds and Flus?
Today we’re going to talk about CBD and Probiotics and how the combo can support immunity. Now is an important moment to have this conversation. Because we’re all worried about this winter’s flu and COVID combination, and we’re looking for ways to stay healthy. That’s why you’ll want to check out our info about combining CBD and probiotics. It could keep you healthy this cold and flu season.
What is the Immune System?
Before we talk about preventing infection, we have to review how your body protects itself. This happens with your immune system! Without this network of cells, tissues and organs, you would get sick all the time. And your illness would be more than just a runny nose. In fact, your immune system is what keeps minor infections from becoming fatal. Because it fights off foreign invaders in your body.
To do so, your immune system needs to figure out which cells don’t belong in your body. That way, it can combine all the weapons in its arsenal to destroy a virus, or even a cell that could cause cancer. Now, to do this job, your immune system must be strong and healthy. But sometimes, our lifestyle can take a toll on our immune health.
How could that be possible? Well, your endocannabinoid system (ECS) influences your immune system. How? The recently discovered ECS maintains balance in your body. But things like stress or even the wrong diet could impact the way your ECS works. Which, in turn, could take a toll on your immune health. Luckily, taking CBD can help boost your ECS—and may boost your immunity in the process!
Immune Health and CBD
There are a few different ways that taking CBD may be able to boost immunity. As we mentioned, the first relates to your ECS. When balanced, the ECS uses your body’s own cannabinoids to keep your body systems balanced. But when it's sluggish, you may boost the ECS with external cannabinoids. Such as those found in broad-spectrum CBD.
Now, recent research shows new ways CBD could boost immunity. And this has to do with CBD's relationship with cytokines. What are cytokines, you may ask? They are groups of proteins that your body releases into your immune system. Their job? To control inflammation and immunity, mostly by controlling white blood cells production. (Remember, these are the cells that attack disease.)
But what does all this have to do with CBD? Research suggests that CBD can impact or even stop your body’s cytokine release. This is important because of a deadly condition called a cytokine storm. Caused by too much cytokine building, this is something we’ve seen a lot in fatal cases of COVID-19. [i] In this way, CBD may help keep your immune system from overloading the rest of your body. Which would put your health in danger. A 2014 study in Egypt backed up these findings. It showed that cannabis users produced less inflammation-triggering cytokines than other people. This may also explain why many people find inflammation relief from CBD products. [ii]
And there’s one more way that CBD could support immune health. As it turns out, many of your immune systems network cells hang out in your GI tract. For that reason, keeping “good bacteria” in your gut could strengthen immunity.
Now, one way to support gut health is by taking probiotics (we’ll get to that in a minute.) But, even with probiotics, gut inflammation could kill off your good bacteria. Here, again, CBD could help you out. Because early research suggests that taking CBD lowers inflammation in your intestines. So that, with the help of a good probiotic, you can boost gut health—and, by extension, your immune response!
Probiotics and Your Immune System
Probiotics are supplements that introduce more good bacteria to your body. They’re designed to improve your digestion and gut health. Which, as we reviewed, is directly connected to your immune system. Let’s take a closer look at that connection.
You see, your immune system has to fight dangers that you breathe or that you take in when you eat and drink. It targets inhaled invaders with its blood-based network. But the gut is where your immune system fights off ingested toxins.
In reality, there's a connection between the two battle fronts. If your gut system struggles, it may call for backup. And that would take immune cells away from fighting any inhaled illnesses. In that way, poor gut health could actually increase your risk for colds, the flu or even a serious case of COVID-19.
That’s why now, more than ever, it’s important to boost your gut health in every way possible. If you’re already taking CBD daily, that’s a great start. And, if you want to boost gut health and immunity further, consider taking CBD and a daily probiotic.
These supplements bring more good bacteria to your gut. But they also help your body form a biofilm, which keeps bacteria from the rest of your body out of your intestines. Something that could further hurt your gut health and your immune response.
There are many probiotics on the market. But medical experts say you should choose one with at least 1 billion CFU (colony forming units.) To boost immunity, your probiotic should also contain Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium or Saccharomyces. [iii]
Then, you have to choose the right CBD for immunity. The best choice will deliver the entourage effect, by combining many cannabinoids. Options in this category include a full spectrum or broad-spectrum CBD. But, if you need to avoid THC entirely, stick with broad-spectrum CBD products, like the ones we carry at 12Twenty CBD. And, as always, reach out to us with any questions about the best CBD to take with a daily probiotic! [i] https://www.verywellhealth.com/cytokine-storm-syndrome-4842383 [ii] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25812351/ [iii] https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-pick-the-best-probiotic-for-you/#:~:text=A%20general%20recommendation%20is%20to,of%20the%20most%20researched%20probiotics.