Maintaining the diversity of your microbial population is just as important as ensuring the health of their habitat. But it's still a little-discussed topic, so let's try to shed some light on it.
What is the intestinal wall?
The intestinal wall is made up of 4 layers of mucosa, submucosa, fibers, membranes, etc. In which we find pores, orifices whose size is intended to be millimeters. A complex structure, which allows it to perpetuate functions essential to our body. Its primary role is ensured by the mucosa, it is a defense function, since we speak of “intestinal barrier”. This term refers to the capacity of this organ to remove all unwanted content while preserving the functions of absorption of nutrients through the wall, so that these then pass throughout the body.
This is why it is essential to preserve the health of your intestinal wall: it is one of the first lines of defense between the external environment and our internal environment. This is all the more important in a world like ours where we are highly exposed to pro-inflammatory molecules, pathogens, toxins, and other harmful substances that come into contact with our intestines, mainly through food. By not paying attention to protecting your intestinal wall, we are more exposed to these substances and this is due to a phenomenon called “intestinal porosity”. When we talk about leaking intestines, we are talking about a problem with the famous pores mentioned above. These are of a specific size, to allow nutrients to pass through, while preventing harmful substances from penetrating. An intestine is said to be “porous” when its pores are no longer the right size, they become too large and allow certain harmful substances to pass through.
What are the consequences of an altered intestinal barrier?
Various intestinal disorders, weakened immune system, headaches, concentration problems, chronic fatigue, skin problems, overeating, mental disorders... The consequences of a leaky gut are as vast as those of an unbalanced microbiota, and we are surely still far from having discovered them all.
Because these symptoms are relatively common, it is difficult to identify leaky gut, and although some medical tests exist (blood tests, urine tests, breath tests, etc.), they are often overlooked. But by identifying the causes that could be part of our lives, it is possible to identify a potential alteration of the intestinal barrier, act accordingly, and see if the symptoms persist.
What are the causes of this phenomenon?
Alcohol, stress, infections, but also certain treatments, industrial food, undernutrition/malnutrition, nutritional deficiencies... All these factors contribute to intestinal hyperpermeability. But one of the most important factors is dysbiosis (itself strongly correlated with the causes previously mentioned). Ultimately, everything is linked, and when we neglect our microbiota, it is the intestinal wall that takes over, then the entire organism by causing toxins to pass through the entire body.
How to take care of your intestinal wall?
To preserve or restore the integrity of the intestinal wall, it is important to follow a few key principles:
- Eat healthy and balanced, sticking to raw foods and avoiding ultra-processed foods as much as possible.
- Limit the risk factors for dysbiosis and intestinal porosity mentioned above.
- Maintaining balance within your intestinal microbiota: in a society like ours, where threats to our different flora are omnipresent, it is advisable to provide foods rich in probiotics and rich in fiber to take care of it.
- Diagnose and work on nutritional deficiencies.
Sources:
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[2] Nicard, Q. (2016). Small intestine. Health passport . https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/parties-corps/Fiche.aspx?doc=intestin-grele
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[5] Ilchmann-Diounou H, Menard S. Psychological Stress, Intestinal Barrier Dysfunctions, and Autoimmune Disorders: An Overview. Front Immunol. 2020 Aug 25;11:1823. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01823. PMID: 32983091; PMCID: PMC7477358.
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