Back on the podcast today is Steven Wright, the man behind Healthy Gut, a cutting-edge supplement line devoted to helping those suffering with persistent GI problems. After being diagnosed with IBS by several doctors, Steven found relief from his own gut health problems by following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and then spent years coaching others to do the same. His goal continues to be providing solutions for effective digestion, nutrient absorption, and microbiome balance.

Today Steven is talking about targeting the gut for the purpose of optimising immune health. He discusses what to look for in a probiotic supplement, and explains how paraprobiotics are now being used to improve gut function. He describes some of the specific probiotic strains that have been found to modulate immune response, soothe rashes and improve exercise performance - and where you can find them. Steven also offers some of his best tips for supporting immune health and managing stress with nutrition.

Here's the outline of this episode with Steven Wright:

[00:00:07] Steve's previous NBT podcast: How to Stop Suffering and Restore Your Gut to Health.

[00:00:26] How Steven connected supporting the immune system through the gut.

[00:03:25] 5 different immune misfires (scroll down page).

[00:06:05] Innate vs. adaptive immune system.

[00:09:02] Leaky gut and its role in autoimmunity.

[00:09:45] Alessio Fassano, MD; Study: Fasano, Alessio, and Terez Shea-Donohue. "Mechanisms of disease: the role of intestinal barrier function in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases." Nature clinical practice Gastroenterology & hepatology 2.9 (2005): 416-422.

[00:16:06] Histamine intolerance and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).

[00:18:19] Effect of butyrate on mast cells.

[00:20:34] Paraprobiotics (heat-killed probiotics) vs. typical probiotics.

[00:25:09] Importance of probiotic strain and concentration.

[00:27:26] Probiotics found in HoloImmune; Lactococcus lactis JCM 5805 (Immuse ®, also called LC-Plasma in the literature).

[00:30:31] Lactobacillus plantarum L-137 (Immuno-LP20 ®).

[00:31:50] Lactobacillus acidophilus strain L-92.

[00:34:49] 1-year study on LP20: Nakai, Hiroko, et al. "Safety and efficacy of using heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum L-137: High-dose and long-term use effects on immune-related safety and intestinal bacterial flora." Journal of Immunotoxicology 18.1 (2021): 127-135.

[00:34:49] Immuse ® - studied at 250mg; Study: Kato, Yukiko, et al. "Safety evaluation of excessive intake of Lactococcus lactis Subsp. lactis JCM 5805: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial." Food and Nutrition Sciences 9.04 (2018): 403.

[00:37:07] Beta glucans for boosting Secretory IgA (SIgA).

[00:41:20] Best interventions for gut and immune health.

[00:45:20] Tips for optimizing nutritional status: Track your food, get a continuous glucose monitor, monitor vitamin D status.

[00:45:30] Managing stress with nutritional and gut support.

[00:48:06] Boosting butyrate: Tributyrin and L. rhamnosus GG.

[00:48:43] HealthyGut.com - new customers use coupon code NOURISH15 to save $15.