Food & Beverage Asia June/July 2022

30
INGREDIENTS
Building an ironclad
immunity with
gut-friendly food
As the world emerges from
the shadow of the pandemic,
maintaining gut health remains an
ever-relevant issue for consumers.
By Christian Philippsen, managing director at
BENEO Asia-Pacific
As more countries in Asia ease
COVID-19 restrictions, maintaining
good health and immunity continues
to remain at the top of many
people’s agendas. Consumers
have made it their utmost priority
to strengthen and maintain their
immune system — the body’s first
line of defence against diseases.
What most may not know, is that
our gut houses 70% of our inner
defence system, therefore making
it an instrumental target for any
nutritional plan. A balanced diet and
a smart choice of nutrient intake
that reinforces digestive health is
thus a great way to support our
inner defence system in a longlasting
manner, ensuring we are
in optimal condition to fend off
current and future health threats.
Imagine the gut as a steel pipe
with room inside for food residue,
faeces and microbiota biomass.
The surrounding steel symbolises
the gut wall structure — a wall
to protect the inside from the
outside and vice versa. The cells
of the immune system in the
intestine and the microbiota living
there are interconnected, as a
human “inner defence force”.
The composition of the
microorganism populations living in
the large intestine is influenced by
many factors. There is, however, a
natural way to selectively promote
the growth of good bacteria:
providing the bifidobacteria with
food that helps them grow in the
quickest possible way. Gut friendly
foods, such as prebiotics, can
be supportive in nourishing the
microbiota. The selective increase
in bifidobacteria helps to support a
person’s digestive health and overall
wellbeing, whilst helping to keep their
inner defence system in good shape.
BREAKING DOWN THE
SCIENCE
The large intestine, the section of
our gut that houses the majority
of our immune system, is home
to trillions of microorganisms that
live both inside the gut and on the
inner surface of the gut wall.
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA JUNE / JULY 2022