What’s The Gut’s Role With Inflammation & Immunity?

In this NB we ask and answer one very specific, and important question…

What’s The Gut’s Role With Inflammation & Immunity?

2,000 years ago, the Greek physician Hippocrates said, “all disease begins in the gut.” 

It was a bold assertion made by a man who barely knew of the intestinal and immunological physiology or of the complex ecosystem housing over 3 million genes and 100 trillion bacterial cells, known as our gut microbiome.

However, since then research has confirmed this statement, revealing that gut health — specifically permeability of the gut barrier and an imbalanced microbiome — is a primary trigger of the inflammatory process.

It’s simple. When we eat, we feed our microbiome. When we fast, it regenerates. 

Our diet, lifestyle, and environment determine its biodiversity and resistance to disruptive agents. 

The Standard American Diet, which is high in saturated fat, salt, and refined carbohydrates and sugars, feeds the harmful, pro-inflammatory bacteria in our gut and starves the beneficial bacteria. 

Excessive alcohol, circadian disruption, medications, and a sedentary lifestyle also influence our microbiome, resulting in dysbiosis. This dysbiosis blunts our immune response and triggers chronic inflammation. A loss of intestinal barrier function (aka leaky gut) is also a major trigger of inflammation. 

When an individual suffers from leaky gut syndrome, particles such as bacteria, food proteins, and toxins escape from the digestive system, “leaking” through their gut wall and into their bloodstream. Their immune system then mounts a response, triggering a constant source of inflammation throughout the body.

On top of that, toxins created by pathogenic bacteria also enter their bloodstream. Endotoxins, also referred to as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), are toxic compounds found in the cell membrane of gram-negative bacteria and released into the local environment when the bacteria die. 

Several factors can cause high LPS levels including a high fat diet, metabolically induced low HDL cholesterol, liver dysfunction, and leaky gut.

LPS are potent stimulators of the immune system and trigger a cytokine response. An excess of proinflammatory cytokines develops, while anti-inflammatory cytokines are suppressed. 

If LPS remains in the gut, the immune system is not activated. The ability of LPS to promote inflammation depends on their ability to enter the bloodstream. 

LPS activation of the immune system is associated with numerous chronic inflammatory diseases, including autoimmune disease, cancer, chronic heart failure, kidney disease, asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, and diabetes.

So… The question we started with was: What’s the gut’s role with inflammation and immunity? 

The answer would appear to be: EVERYTHING! 

As we’ve outlined, gut health directly affects whether your body has a healthy inflammatory and immune response, or not. 

If you think you have leaky gut, or any other issue that is affecting your gut health and possibly leading to negative health consequences…

You might wonder what you can do?? Where do you start?? (I certainly did!)

Well, to read more about this essential topic, and discover the best foods to correct an imbalanced gut and confront inflammation head on…

Download a copy of the newest book by dear friend and health researcher Sarah Otto and her team at Goodness Lover, The Top 29 Gut Healing & Inflammation-Fighting Foods (+ Recipes)