① Pickles have recently gained popularity in many parts of the world not only because of their delicious taste, but because of their potential to positively influence the many thousands of important microbes living in our gut as well as our overall health. A recent study suggests that pickles may also help support the immune system. This study involved overweight adults who consumed around 30 grams of pickles daily for 12 weeks. Blood samples were taken before and after the study and analysed using a technique that shows what each immune cell is doing instead of giving an overall average. This gives a detailed view of how the immune system responded.
② The study found that pickles affected the immune system in a targeted way. It increased the activity of antigen-presenting cells (APCs). These are immune cells that ingest pathogens (病原体), process them and show pieces of those pathogens on their surface so the body’s helper T cells (which coordinate overall immune response) know to mount a response against those specific pathogens. Pickles also increased the activity of certain genes that act like switches, helping these immune cells send clearer signals to T cells. There were also genetic changes in helper T cells that made them react more quickly to anything that triggers an immune response. Since helper T cells coordinate immune responses, these changes mean they’re better equipped to help other immune cells fight infections effectively.
③ Most other immune cells stayed the same, meaning pickles targeted helper T cells rather than activating the entire immune system. Maintaining this balance is important because the immune system must be able to respond to infections effectively while avoiding excessive inflammation that can damage tissues.
④ It’s worth mentioning that this study was small and focused on changes in immune cells, not actual health outcomes. So we don’t yet know if eating pickles in this way would reduce infections or inflammation in daily life. However, the study does provide a plausible molecular explanation for how fermented foods can influence immune function. This tells us more than we can learn from studies that only observe people’s habits. It links a common fermented food to measurable effects on immune cells – supporting the idea that fermented foods may be used strategically to enhance immune regulation and overall immune balance.
⑤ Pickles are not the only fermented food that may have immune benefits. Other foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut and tea contain live microbes and metabolites that have a positive effect on the microbiome and may influence immune function.
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