Bread, the Flu, Pandemics, and Immuno-health

More and more of us are trying to find ways to strengthen our immune system, especially as the currently Coronavirus continues to spread and the news puts it forward daily. For those of you who can recall, we have had pandemics in past decades with MERS and SARS, and even the seasonal flu two years ago was within one-tenth a percent of being at pandemic levels.

From the last week of January 2019, Michaela Fleming reported this perspective from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “the percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza stands at 7.1%, just below the epidemic threshold of 7.2%.”^[1] But even though some seem to think of this new pandemic in a seasonal way, it clear that COVID-19 kills people it infects.

According to Robert Preidt, “The death rate among COVID-19 patients was 18.5%, while it was 5.3% for those with the flu [during 2020]. Those with COVID were nearly five times more likely to die than flu patients, according to the study published online December 15 in the BMJ (British Medical Journal).”^[2]

So what do as we continue living with the constraining effects of the pandemic? Many of us have been trying to stay well taking extra vitamin C, eating better, sleeping longer, and exercising more. Still, this may not be enough.

Eating Our Way To Better Gut Health

Since more than two-thirds of the body’s immune system is housed in and near your gut, “subtle changes in gut health can have a powerful effect on how you look and feel,” says Megan Rossi, a research fellow at King’s College London and author of Love Your Gut. And she reports, that research has linked “an imbalance of gut bacteria, to more than 70 chronic diseases.”^[3]

Happily, the solution to nearly all gut problems is simple: build your diet around foods rich in fiber. Focus on foods like fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, seeds and nuts, and, of course, whole grains. “These foods,” writes Clint Carter, “provide outstanding nutrition not only for you but also for your microbiome, the medical term for the massive, diverse community of bacteria living and working within your digestive system.”^[4] And of all those food rich in fiber, whole grains rank highest.

But did you know that grain’s impact on the immune system can be improved even more? “Sourdoughs that take on a natural leavening process from their sourdough starter and a 6+ hour fermentation, are actually proven to boost your immune system and help increase healthy digestion of foods.”^[5]

Boosting the immune system, is, of course, the objective of staying well in flu season or during a pandemic. However, Harvard Medical School suggests that while “the idea of boosting your immunity is enticing… the ability to do so has proved elusive for several reasons. The immune system is precisely that—a system, not a single entity. To function well, it requires balance and harmony… Researchers are exploring the effects of diet, exercise, age, psychological stress, and other factors on the immune response, both in animals and in humans. In the meantime, general healthy-living strategies are a good way to start giving your immune system the upper hand.”^[6]

Taking vitamins and supplements is a common solution for those hoping to boost immunity. But Medical News Today says, “The safest way to consume more metabolism-boosting vitamins and minerals is by eating a healthful, balanced diet that is varied and nutritious.”^[7]

But eating the right bread can be a way to boost resistance. Dr. James Beasley of the Ford Foundation Project explained that wheat in: “very basic sourdough bread that [has] been fermented for a healthy 8 hours or more …contains 18 amino acids (proteins), complex carbohydrate (a super-efficient source of energy), B vitamins, iron, zinc, selenium and magnesium, and maltase.”^[8]

Immune-Strengthening Strategies

Exercising regularly—Experts recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet that is high in fruits and vegetables – Use the MyPlate technique to determine portions and types of healthy foods that are best for nourishing your army.
Maintaining a healthy weight—Aim for a BMI of 25 or lower. The best way to lose weight is with exercise and a healthy, balanced diet.
Getting quality sleep—Set a schedule and routine for sleep and practice good sleep hygiene.
Reducing stress and developing good coping mechanisms – Include activities in your daily life that help you handle stress, like virtually connecting with loved ones, going outside, practicing meditation regularly, exercising, making art, or other hobbies.
Quitting smoking—If you smoke, you can get support to help you quit.
Drinking alcohol only in moderation, if at all—Limit the amount of alcohol you keep in the house or limit the number of glasses/bottles you drink.
Taking steps to prevent infection— This includes washing your hands frequently and social distancing.

“Boost the Immune System“—University of Maryland Medical System

Vanessa Kimbell, a self-proclaimed sourdough specialist, and bread-making instructor echoes the nutritional need for longer (8+hour) fermentation. She clarified that “…sourdough, and the wild yeast in the leaven, pre-digests phytic acid…This neutralizes the effects of phytic acid and makes the bread easy for us to digest.

“These phytic acid molecules bind with other minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, which make these important nutrients unavailable to us. The sourdough bacteria pre-digests the flour, which releases the micronutrients. This process takes place over a long slow fermentation, which gives your loaf a superior taste and texture. Sourdough bread also takes longer to digest; studies have shown that rye flour added to sourdough can help regulate blood sugar levels which helps ward off diabetes.”^[9]

At the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, research at their Cancer Immunology Program has demonstrated that our immune systems can stop cancerous tumor growths. “There are many natural ways we can increase immune system strength and function,” writes Mark Sircus. “Thus we find gluten, and especially wheat gluten, implicated in malabsorption diseases, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, cancer, diabetes, and just about every disease under the sun. When things go wrong in our guts we do not receive the nutrition we need. Malnutrition is one of the major factors that lead to disease,”^[10] he warned.

However, Shauna Cusack, reminded, “The significant potential of sourdough fermentation to improve the nutritional properties of rye, oat, and wheat products have gained very little attention, although the interest is at present increasing. Sourdough fermentation can modify the healthiness of cereals in a number of ways:

It can improve the texture and palatability of whole-grain, fiber-rich, or gluten-free products
Stabilize or increase levels of various bioactive compounds
Retard starch bioavailability (low glycemic index products)
Improve mineral bioavailability.

“Sourdough bread is known as “the staff of life,” because it enhances the entire immune system.”^[11]

One Swedish study concluded: “that sourdough baking and other fermentation processes may improve the nutritional features of [wheat] starch. The results also demonstrate that certain salts of organic acids may have metabolic effects.”^[12]

Together these things suggest eating sourdough bread may deliver important nutrients that many of us are missing from our diets and that sourdough’s pre-and pro-biotic properties may improve our digestive systems ability to absorb other vitamins and minerals, all leading to better health. In the comment section below tell us about the foods you use to maintain good health.