It was only in the past few years alone that scientists began discovering interesting links between the microbial communities that call the human body home and its overall health. More specifically, it was found that having a wide variety of gut bacteria in your microbiome leads to a stronger immune system.
Now scientists have discovered that a healthy microbiome can also boost the activity of killer immune cells that are vital to fighting infections and cancer. In an attempt to understand how the microbes that live in us influence our ability to form killer memory cells, researchers observed that in the absence of microbiota, killer T cells failed to survive as memory cells. However, “the reverse was true in mice with microbiota” that were fed a high-fiber diet.
What this tells us, amongst other things, is that diet, which is the main way a person can influence the gut bacteria in their microbiome, is absolutely vital for the body’s ability to fight cancer.
