Increased intestinal permeability is characterized by greater than normal intestinal permeability (leakiness) allowing for the penetration of harmful entities into the bloodstream such as undigested proteins and microbes. The popular name is “leaky gut.”
Q: Why does intestinal permeability increase?
A: Intestinal permeability is an essential function of the small intestinal mucosal lining by which wanted substances such as properly digested foodstuffs are allowed to permeate through the lining to enter the body via the bloodstream and lymphatics. At the same time unwanted substances are kept out.
The mucosal lining is one cell thick, which comprises the surface toward the digested foodstuffs inside the hollow of the intestine. This single layer of epithelial cells separates the contents of our small intestine from the lamina propria (underlying tissues of the small intestine) and the rest of our body. Breaching of this single layer of cells can expose…
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