Your body is under constant attack from bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances – and your digestive system is their favorite way in.
Everyday foods bring germs and toxins along with them, like bacteria (like salmonella or E. coli) and mold. And even the digestive process itself releases certain toxins (called LPS toxins).
Luckily, your body has an army of special proteins called immunoglobulins (also called antibodies) to make sure those invaders can’t do any harm. And the most active fighters are called immunoglobulin G, or IgG.
IgG antibodies quickly lock onto a wide variety of harmful substances (also called antigens) (learn more here)
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Molds
- Funguses
- Yeasts
- Allergens
- LPS toxins
IgG acts like a detoxifier, grabbing those antigens and escorting them out of your body before they cause damage.
Sometimes, though, your gut can get overwhelmed by a build-up of antigens. That can kick off an immune system cycle that increases inflammation and attacks the protective lining inside your gut – and that feels as bad as it sounds.
But you can give your gut a steady, healthy IgG boost. And when you supply your gut with all the IgG it needs, you’ll feel the difference every day.
Quick Answer: IgG (immunoglobulin G) is the most abundant antibody in your body and a key part of how your gut defends itself. It binds to bacteria, viruses, molds, allergens, and LPS toxins, then escorts them out before they can do harm. When your gut runs short on IgG, those antigens can build up, fuel inflammation, and wear down the protective gut barrier. Keeping your gut supplied with IgG supports a strong gut barrier, calmer immune responses, better digestion, and a more balanced microbiome. Serum-derived bovine IgG is a highly absorbable form that has been studied for easing common digestive complaints like gas, bloating, and irregular stools.
What Happens When You Don’t Have Enough IgG?
When There’s Not Enough IgG
When IgG runs low, antigens and toxins can build up in the gut, fuel inflammation, and damage the protective gut barrier. A weakened barrier may let pathogens and toxins slip into the bloodstream, which can lead to gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and fatigue.
With plentiful supplies of toxin-taming IgG in your gut, antigens can’t cause intestinal distress and inflammation. They can’t attack and damage the protective barrier that lines your gut. And since that barrier acts as one of your strongest defenders against disease, all sorts of problems can crop up when it’s damaged – a condition known as leaky gut.
A weakened gut barrier can let pathogens (like bacteria and viruses) and toxins escape into your bloodstream. That’s called toxic streaming, and it can cause all sorts of health issues... in your gut and throughout your whole body. That can lead to a lot of discomfort, like
- Gas
- Bloating
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Weight gain
- Fatigue
But provide your gut with a steady supply of IgG, and everything turns around.
What Are the Top Reasons Your Gut Needs IgG?
7 Reasons Your Gut Loves IgG
Your gut relies on IgG to neutralize and remove toxins, balance the immune response, improve digestion, rebuild the gut barrier, stop toxic streaming, and help keep the microbiome in balance. The seven roles below show how each one supports gut health.
IgG does so much to improve and maintain gut health – and that boosts overall physical and mental health as well. That’s why you need to make sure your gut gets a steady supply of IgG.
So what exactly will IgG do for your gut? The seven most important contributions include:
- Neutralizing and removing toxins. IgG latches on to a wide variety of germs and toxins, making them harmless and then carrying them out of your body (through excretion). Those pathogens could otherwise damage the intestinal lining – the gut barrier that makes sure toxins don’t escape into your bloodstream. By neutralizing them, IgG acts as a pre-detoxifier, never giving antigens the chance to do their worst.
- Increases tolerant immune cells. Your immune system has many different weapons, and they act in different ways. Tolerant immune cells (like CD4 cells) don’t react when they’re not supposed. They tolerate non-harmful cells, rather than over-reacting and attacking them. Tolerant cells don’t go after your body’s own cells or other non-toxic substances, causing a big reaction (like an autoimmune disease or allergy) that isn’t necessary. IgG helps increase your body’s supply of these tolerant immune cells – the ones you want fighting on your side.
- Decreases inflammatory immune cells. Other immune cells create inflammation, which can be helpful when it’s necessary (like to fight off an infection) but very harmful when it’s not. Over-reactive inflammatory immune cells attack the gut barrier and cause chronic inflammation throughout the body, which can trigger many diseases and autoimmune conditions. IgG helps keep those inflammatory immune cells under control.
- Improves intestinal function. Your intestines – your gut – play a key role in digestion and nutrient absorption. IgG helps smooth out the way food moves through the digestive system (an activity called peristalsis). IgG also helps release special enzymes and bile acids that help break down food and release nutrients.
- Rebuilds, repairs, and fortifies the gut barrier. When it comes to gut health and total health, your gut barrier may be your most important defense against infectious and toxic pathogens. Not only does IgG protect that crucial barrier against new damage, it can also repair and reverse existing damage.
- Stops toxic streaming. Lipopolysaccharides, also called LPS Toxins, are virtually impossible to avoid entirely. And when LPS toxins overwhelm your gut and attack the gut barrier – causing leaky gut – they escape into your blood stream, a condition called toxic streaming. That’s where IgG comes to the rescue – IgG antibodies disarm LPS toxins, tie them up, and drag them out of your system (through excretion). Because IgG stops LPS toxins cold, it also stops toxic streaming.
- Helps restore a healthy, balanced gut microbiome. IgG knocks out pathogenic bacteria, and that includes gut bacteria. Your gut microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria, both beneficial (probiotics) and harmful (pathogens). IgG helps keep your gut microbiome in a healthy balance by making sure bad bacteria don’t grow out of control, and supporting good bacteria so they can thrive.
Can IgG Help Lower Digestive Health Costs?
Your Wallet Will Love IgG, Too
One pharmacoeconomic analysis found that people with IBD who added IgG supplements saved money on medication over an eight-week period. The savings were largest for those whose existing medication was not working well.
A startling study found that people with IBD who added IgG supplements into their regimen saved (on average) $1,692 on medication over 8 weeks. And the savings were even more dramatic for people whose medicine wasn’t working well for them – they were able to save (on average) $5,077 over 8 weeks simply by taking IgG.
What Are the Benefits of IgG for Your Gut?
Why You’ll Love IgG
By repairing and strengthening the gut barrier and improving gut function, IgG may help ease common GI complaints. Human studies of serum-derived bovine IgG report better stool consistency, less abdominal pain, and relief from gas and bloating.
IgG offers up so many benefits for your gut health… and it can improve your whole life, too. By repairing and strengthening your gut barrier and improving gut function, IgG helps eliminate some very unpleasant GI (gastrointestinal) issues.
Human clinical studies (here, here and here)
show that supplementing with serum-derived bovine IgG (a special, highly absorbable form of IgG) can:
- Improve stool consistency (so it’s not too hard or too watery)
- Make it easier to pass stool
- Normalize stool frequency
- Ease abdominal pain
- Relieve gas and bloating
- Minimize loose stools and urgency
- Reduce nausea
- Reduce discomfort when eating
On top of all that, because IgG offers so many gut benefits, people who supplement with it report great improvements in their quality of life.
Frequently Asked Questions About IgG and Gut Health
What is IgG?
IgG (immunoglobulin G) is the most common antibody in the body. It binds to harmful substances like bacteria, viruses, molds, allergens, and LPS toxins, then helps remove them so they cannot damage your tissues.
How does IgG support the gut barrier?
IgG helps neutralize toxins and pathogens before they reach the intestinal lining, and it may support repair of the gut barrier. A stronger barrier helps keep toxins from escaping into the bloodstream.
What is serum-derived bovine IgG?
Serum-derived bovine IgG is a highly absorbable form of IgG used in supplements. Human studies have looked at its effect on stool consistency, abdominal pain, gas, bloating, and overall digestive comfort.
What digestive complaints has IgG been studied for?
Research has examined IgG for stool consistency and frequency, ease of passing stool, abdominal pain, gas and bloating, loose stools and urgency, nausea, and discomfort when eating.
Who might consider IgG support?
People looking to support a healthy gut barrier and ease everyday GI discomfort may consider IgG. As with any supplement, it is best to talk with your healthcare provider about what is right for you.
Give Your Gut the IgG It Needs
You can boost your gut’s natural IgG army with Just Thrive Ultimate IgG.
Just Thrive Ultimate IgG supports a strong, healthy gut barrier and fortifies your body’s supply of crucial antibodies to fight off unwanted invaders.
Learn more about Just Thrive Ultimate IgG today.
