Abstract
The immune system is a finely coordinated network of different cellular functions that are located within a fragile balance between defense and tolerance. Nutritional components are an essential environmental factor for the maturation of the human immune system and for maintaining immunological homeostasis. A chemical–physical immune barrier confines the body and allows it to interact with the environment as a partially open system. Microbiological colonization of this barrier is an important additional protective factor in this regard. Many food applications relate their effect to this demarcation function.
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Beermann, C. (2023). Basics: Basic Principles of the Immune System. In: Food and the Immune System. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11523-3_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11523-3_1
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