I’ve wondered about the role of probiotics in SARS-Cov-2 infections. Could a diverse and well-populated gut microbiome “discourage” the virus from taking hold in the body, resulting in a COVID-19 infection?

Could a probiotic like MegaSporeBiotic, which is clinically shown to support a healthy gut mucosal layer, help people have a better immune response to SARS-Cov-2 and possibly have fewer disease symptoms?

A new peer reviewed study highlighted that patients who were taking MegaSporeBiotic  for at least 30 days prior to a SARS-Cov-2 infection, and had a mild COVID-19 infection, experienced a shorter recovery time (6.6 days compared to 8.5 days in placebo) and faster fever resolution (MegaSporeBiotic group was 1.6x more likely to have their fever resolved faster than the control group).

In addition, those in the MegaSporeBiotic group experienced significantly less GI symptoms (diarrhea, pain, etc.).

If you’d like to read the study:
Ongoing Treatment with a Spore-Based Probiotic Containing Five Strains of Bacillus Improves Outcomes of Mild COVID-19, Nutrients, January 2023.

Key Takeaways of the Study:

• Ongoing treatment with the spore-based probiotic contributes to a better clinical outcome for mild COVID-19, including fewer digestive symptoms, faster symptom resolution and faster resolution of fever.
• Together with current therapies, probiotic supplementation may play a role in COVID-19 disease mitigation and improved patient quality of life.
• Consistently taking a spore-based probiotic before and during infection with SARS-CoV-2 positively impacts the course of COVID-19.

I consider a probiotic such as MegaSporeBiotic to be foundational to gut health. Strong gut health is key to maintaining a healthy immune system and overall health and to being prepared for health challenges.

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But, nutritionally speaking, is there anything you can do to protect yourself against coronavirus and give yourself more resilience?

In my view, for coronavirus as well as for other infections, using nutrition and healthy lifestyle are the best ways to support your immune system and build up your resistance.

Many medical professionals believe that there are nutritional approaches to support a balanced immune system, protect against COVID-19 and to mediate symptoms.

1. Eat an anti-inflammatory Mediterranean Diet
Load your plate with colorful vegetables and fruit rich in antioxidants, organic, if possible. Complement with wild fish, antibiotic-free poultry, pastured eggs and grass-fed meat. Healthy fats like organic cold pressed olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado provide good nutrition. Limit processed foods and carbohydrates, limit added sugar and moderate caffeine and alcoholic beverages.

2. Maintain a healthy gut barrier
Maintaining a healthy gut barrier and microbiome with diverse keystone strains is a first line of defense against all types of foreign invaders, including viruses. A diverse, balanced and healthy microbiome tamps down inflammation and maintains a strong gut barrier, keeping invaders from entering the bloodstream through the gut and eliciting an immune response. I use the total gut restoration program including MegaSporeBiotic probiotic, with many clients to help reestablish good gut health.

3. Support your respiratory system
Since the coronavirus spreads through the respiratory system I suggest special attention to lung-supportive foods including carotene-rich foods (orange, yellow, red, dark green colored fruit and vegetables) and vitamin A-rich foods like organ meats, fatty fish and eggs.

You might also consider some supplements like boswellia (boswellia helps reduce inflammation in the body including respiratory and digestive tracts) or N-acetylcysteine (antioxidant and support for chronic respiratory conditions).

Edible mushrooms (especially cooked) as well as medicinal mushrooms such as MyCommunity and Turkey Tail are very supportive of the immune system. A polysaccharide found in mushroom cell walls, beta glucans, has been clinically studied for its immune modulation benefits.

5. Practice an immune strengthening lifestyle
Get enough sleep, reduce stress (keep the worry in perspective), exercise regularly, stay connected to people (even virtually) and get out into nature (with a healthy amount of sunlight) as much as you can.

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But when it comes to viruses, you want to be a bad host — you want to be the most unfriendly host you can be!

You can be a bad host by staying healthy and building a better immune system.

First of all, if you don’t want someone to come into your home, you don’t open the door and let them in. The human body has natural barriers to the outside world, most notably the skin, the gut and airways. It’s your job to keep the barriers in each of those systems well-maintained, every day, using food and a healthy lifestyle as medicine.

In the example of the gut, you need to maintain a diverse and well-balanced microbiome which is key to a healthy and tight gut barrier that keeps toxins and foreign invaders from entering your bloodstream.

There are other things in the gut to fight off viruses too, like stomach acid, digestive juices and immunoglobulins. But sometimes barriers and defenses fall short. The viruses find particular cell receptors to bind to and start taking advantage of us, the host.

Viruses are very persistent infectious agents. They only “think” about their own survival. They need the cells of a living organism like yours to be able to replicate…they cannot replicate on their own. (They actually use your genetic material to replicate.)

No one knowingly invites viruses in.  Let’s say that the virus got through your first lines of defense. Next you have to rely on the defenses of your immune system to deter and destroy the virus. But here’s the catch, in order to do it successfully, you have to do it without overreacting. Otherwise you can cause damage to your own — the host’s — tissues.

There are many things that factor into a healthy immune system, including getting adequate protein and vitamins like C and A and minerals like zinc and iron, to name a few.

It makes sense that the immune system works best when your total body is in good order, like keeping blood sugar levels in the healthy range and regularly exercising and getting good sleep. (The immune system doesn’t work as well when blood sugar spikes or when you are under stress.)

In the case of the coronavirus, the most severe damage to the host comes not from the virus itself, but from the host’s overactive immune response.

It’s up to you. Viruses are not alive, they need a host.

If the host isn’t healthy, the viral guest will find its way into “your home,” take advantage, and make a “mess” of the place.

If the host becomes sick, the balance of power shifts in favor of the virus and away from the host.

But there are still supportive options for the host. Depending on the virus, there are usually medicines, nutrition supplements, diet and lifestyle choices that can deter the virus, modulate the host’s immune system and support the health of the body overall.

Bottom Line: Keep your body and bodily systems healthy. Healthy people are less hospitable to viruses. Healthy hosts are less likely to get sick.

Just to be clear, this blog is not to make light of the nightmare with the coronavirus and other viral infectious diseases. Unfortunately, the reality is that it is likely that we will have to face more viral outbreaks in the future. Staying healthy is the best offense…it is also the best defense.

If you are looking for a place to begin addressing your health, start with the gut. As Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician said over 2000 years ago, “All disease begins in the gut.”

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