Gut and Psychology Syndrome describes neutrophils and macrophages as immune cells that gather in infected or inflamed tissue, engulf viruses, toxins, bacterial debris and cellular debris, and destroy what they take in. The book says a deficiency of beneficial gut bacteria reduces their ability to complete that work efficiently.[1]
What These Cells Do
Neutrophils and macrophages gather in infected and inflamed tissue and clean it by engulfing and destroying viruses, toxins, bacterial debris and cellular debris.[1] IgA works at mucous membranes, while these cells handle material within infected or inflamed tissue.
The Scale of This Daily Operation
Campbell-McBride states that approximately 126 billion neutrophils leave the blood and pass through the gastrointestinal wall every day.[1] The figure shows the scale of neutrophil movement through the gut wall.
Engulfing and Destroying Are Different
In people with abnormal gut flora, the book says neutrophils and macrophages lose some ability to tackle antigens and cannot destroy invaders or their toxins efficiently, even when their phagocytic, or engulfing, ability appears normal. Campbell-McBride says the mechanism behind that functional change was not yet understood.[1]
What the Book Says Can Persist
The reported consequence is that viruses, bacteria and other invaders can survive and persist inside the neutrophils and macrophages that should destroy them.[1]
How This Differs From IgA
The IgA and phagocyte sections describe two related effects of abnormal gut flora. Low IgA weakens mucous-membrane defense, while neutrophils and macrophages may still engulf material but destroy it less efficiently. Continue with the IgA deficiency guide for the mucosal-antibody side of that sequence.[1]
Making Sense of the Explanation
The useful distinction here is between taking material into a cell and successfully breaking it down afterward. A cell can appear to perform the first task while the second is impaired. That is the distinction Campbell-McBride makes; the passage does not identify the mechanism behind the impairment.
The approximately 126-billion figure is the book’s estimate of daily movement through the gastrointestinal wall. It is not a count of how many cells a reader has, how many are working properly or how much gut repair someone needs.
Our family has followed GAPS since July 2024. As a working, homeschooling mother of six, I want the explanation to lead to something useful at home. Understanding the terms helps me read the books carefully and keep food decisions connected to the protocol. You can read our family’s GAPS story for the experiences behind this blog.
Keep Reading
Read the IgA guide for antibody defense and TH1 and TH2 guide for the wider immune-balance explanation. These pages cover different jobs within the same GAPS framework.
For a fuller introduction to the protocol, look for Understanding & Preparing for the GAPS Diet in our course catalog. It is designed to connect the reading with meals and a workable family routine.
References
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Psychology Syndrome, 2004 English edition, PDF pages 32–34, gut flora and immune function; 2015 expanded German edition, corresponding immunity section.
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