Article by Gemma Hurditch for CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine).
Many health problems begin, or are worsened, by what’s going on in the gut. Leaky gut and dysbiosis are two of the different malfunctions that can occur. They are separate conditions that can frequently occur together.
Leaky gut
Leaky gut refers to a gut lining that is too permeable; like a tea bag that has small tears in it. To get nutrients from our food our microvilli, which are tiny little finger-like projections in the gut lining, filter and absorb broken down food. Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream through the gut mucosa (the first layer of cells in the digestive tract). Sometimes the villi are damaged, or the gut lining is compromised for a number of reasons that can include stress, medications, alcohol, and inflammation. Then, the tight junctions...