Health
ESSENTIAL Naples
Our Gut Is Our
Second Brain
SUMMER 2022
16
By Jenni Berman, PA-C, CPT, CNS
“If we have less good bacteria and now we have an increased amount of bad bacteria into our tissues and bloodstream, the immune system is constantly fighting.” —Jenni Berman, PA-C, CPT, CNS
O
ur intestinal lining can make or break us. If we have strong intestinal lining, we are keeping food particles in the intestinal tract that then get absorbed or expelled appropriately. When this happens, we absorb proper nutrients, have proper vitamin levels, and lower inflammatory markers. This is a perfect scenario but unfortunately, it is very rare.
The Major Problem of Gut Permeability
The intestinal tract has villi, fingerlike structures that aid in absorption of our nutrients. These villi can be damaged, reducing our ability to absorb nutrients and vitamins and leading to vitamin deficiencies and malnourishment. Our intestinal lining covers more than 4,000 square feet of surface area. The intestinal lining has tight junctions that are supposed to stay tight so that particles do not get outside of the intestinal tract and into the tissues underneath it. When the gut is unhealthy, these junctions get holes or cracks in it, allowing
bacteria, food particles, and toxins to get through and penetrate these tissues. This is called leaky gut or gut permeability. The penetration of these particles into the tissues stimulates the immune system to react. Our body sees these particles as foreign bodies; thus the immune system gets to work…and then goes on overdrive. Gut permeability leads to a slew of problems. First, with the intestinal villi damage, we are not absorbing nutrients properly. Then, with the holes in the tight junctions, the good bacteria leak out and bad bacteria begin to develop. With this, the environment of our intestinal tract changes, increasing growth of bad bacteria (which also then gets into our bloodstream and tissues) and decreasing the good bacteria in our intestinal tract.
How Bacteria Make a Difference
We know that we need good bacteria for gut health and that bad bacteria can lead to infections. Think about it, though: If we have less good
