Plus the clinically-proven way to keep it running smoothly.
Your immune system is truly fascinating. It protects you against a multitude of threats every day. Some it’s battled before, others that it’s never come across.
And no matter what kind of microbe or toxin is attacking, your immune system will find a way to defeat it.
You probably never notice your immune system until something goes wrong, but it’s there all the time, keeping you safe, and working around the clock.
All it needs in return is support, especially during those times when everyone around you seems to have caught something.
To give your immune system enough of the right support, it helps to know more about it. Here are seven amazing things you may not know about your immune system.
1. The majority of your immune system is in your gut.
Your gut is home to between 70–80% of your immune cells.[1] That makes sense when you think about it: Most of the microbial threats you face come in through your digestive system.[2] So your immune system sets up shop right there, to take out problems before they can attack the rest of your body.
2. Your immune system doesn’t have one centralized location.
Because your immune system has to protect your whole body, it’s everywhere all at once, with no centralized location. It’s made up of organs, cells, and proteins that team up to take on invaders no matter how they get in. Different pieces of your immune system include:[3]
- Bone marrow
- Lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels
- Spleen
- Tonsils
- Immune cells, like natural killer (NK) cells
- Mucus and mucous membranes
- Protective proteins, like immunoglobulins
3. There are two main parts of immunity: innate and adaptive.
Your immune system has two key parts: innate and adaptive.[4]
You’re born with your innate immune system, and it covers all the basics. It acts as a rapid response system made up of physical barriers—like skin and mucous membranes—that block invaders. When the innate system senses a threat, it calls on special cells called phagocytes to surround and devour them.[5]
The adaptive immune system is more specific, made up of special proteins called antibodies that recognize and target particular germs.[5] Antibodies know exactly how to kill their targets and are able to defeat them more quickly than the innate system.[4]
4. Antibodies are your immune system’s first line of defense.
Whenever your immune system senses a threat, it sends out antibodies, also called immunoglobulins. These front-line fighters are your body’s most important soldiers, going on the attack whenever they come across viruses, infectious bacteria, environmental toxins, fungi, yeast, and allergens.[6] Antibodies latch on to these invaders so they can’t escape, prevent them from penetrating your gut barrier wall, then neutralize them so they can’t cause any damage.
Your body’s primary antibodies—making up at least 80% of the total antibody population—are immunoglobulin G, or IgG. When you don’t have enough IgG available, you’ll notice. Common signs include:
- Frequent infections
- Repeat infections
- Chronic diarrhea
- Frequent lung and sinus infections
Several things can slow down antibody production including chronic stress, insomnia, medications like methotrexate (an immunosuppressant), and vitamin A or D deficiencies. Luckily, you can restore and replenish IgG with special immunoglobulin supplements that help shore up your immune system and balance immune responses.[7]
5. Your immune system remembers every microbe it’s ever fought.
The first time a pathogen gets into your body, your immune system floods it with responders, throwing everything at the germ until it’s neutralized. During that first encounter, some of the cells create a memory of that specific pathogen and how it was defeated. So, if that pathogen tries to invade again, your immune system will be able to send in specialists with an exact plan to quickly defeat it. That’s known as immunological memory, which protects against re-infection by any pathogen you’ve already faced.[8]
6. Getting a fever means that your immune system is working properly.
Fever is one of your body’s strongest defenses against infection, bringing body temperature up to at least 99.1 degrees (a low-grade fever). The elevated