[dropcap]C[/dropcap]alcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, with 99% residing in teeth and bones where it constitutes 40% of skeletal bone weight along with 45% phosphorus.
As a component of hard tissues, calcium fulfills a structural role to maintain body size and acts as attachments for musculoskeletal tissues.
Q: What does the non-skeleton calcium do in the body?
A: The remaining 1% of calcium is present in blood and soft tissues. Calcium levels in the blood are maintained within very strict limits by dietary intake, hormonal regulation and a rapidly exchangeable pool in bone tissue. The many important functions are described below.
What Is Calcium Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
[dropcap]C hronic diarrhea is an intestinal motility disorder characterized by 1) alteration in stool formation causing loose to fluid movements and quantity of movements with or without abdominal pain and 2) interference with normal carbohydrate salvage by the intestinal microbe population.
The severity of diarrhea is determined by the frequency and quantity of fluid lost.
Q: What is carbohydrate salvage by microbes in the colon?
A: Carbohydrate salvage in the colon is the necessary process whereby billions of microbes normally present in the colon work to breakdown undigestible carbohydrate foodstuffs such as fiber that continually arrive from the small intestine.
The microbial action releases energy to the body that would otherwise be lost with defecation, generates short-chain fatty acids, and stimulates sodium and fluid absorption. In this important process, butyrate and proprionate are produced which nourish the colonocytes (cells that line the colon), and acetate is produced for the liver.
While diarrhea may be a common symptom of small bowel mucosal disease, the consequent malabsorption can lead to substantial malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies. The small intestine, unlike the colon, has been relatively inaccessible, and systematic evaluation is often necessary to identify and treat small intestinal mucosal diseases that lead to diarrhea. All patients with severe diarrhea or diarrhea associated with features suggestive of malabsorption may have a disease of the small intestinal mucosa that requires careful evaluation and targeted management.1
What Is Chronic Diarrhea In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Sources:
Murray JA1, Rubio-Tapia A. Diarrhoea due to small bowel diseases. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2012 Oct;26(5):581-600. doi: 10.1016/j.bpg.2012.11.013. [↩]
Close-up Slice of a Small Intestinal Villus Showing How Enterocytes Appear Tightly Lining the Entire Outside Surface Of A Villus. Courtesy Cleo Libonati
What Is Increased Intestinal Permeability?
[dropcap]I ncreased intestinal permeability is characterized by dysfunctional intestinal permeability (leakiness) allowing for the penetration of harmful entities from the gut 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 and makes up the surface between the digested foodstuffs inside the hollow of the intestine and the underlying tissues.
The mucosal lining is covered by millions of microscopic finger-like structures called villi that project toward the inside of the intestine giving the appearance of a shag rug.
Each one, called a villus, contains a capillary bringing blood to absorb nutrients, a vein to take away nutrients, and a lacteal to absorb and take away digested fat. Its wall is made up of a single layer of tightly connecting cells, called enterocytes.
This single layer of 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 by leakiness can expose lymphocytes (immune cells) located in the lamina propria to a myriad of microorganisms and food antigens, leading to immune reactions.1
To protect the body from unwanted substances, a gatekeeping barrier system operates to regulate the passage of nutrients, or permeation, through the surface mucosal lining. This system acts to seal the inside body from the gut.
The integrity of intestinal permeability is determined by interactions among several barrier components including the unstirred water layer, mucosal surface hydrophobicity, the surface mucous coat, and cell factors (especially tight junctions).
Tight junctions hold cells tightly together side-by-side to prevent unwanted substances from passing through the lining. Tight junctions are complex structures comprising over 50 proteins, such as the claudin proteins which are considered to be the structural backbone of tight junctions.
Tight junctions include a series of special proteins forming fibrils (springy like proteins) that cross the plasma membrane and interact with proteins in the adjoining cells. Tight junctions are regulated by the protein zonulin.2
If zonulin deregulates from the action of substances such as gliadin (gluten in wheat) and bacteria, the tight junction barrier fails which results in increased intestinal permeability. Dysfunction of the barrier system allows unwanted substances to enter the body where they are damaging to many tissues.
Tight junction dysfunction has been shown to be a part of certain autoimmune diseases such as celiac disease, type I diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Other diseases associated are cancer, allergies, and infections.3
Important gastrointestinal infections that cause leaky gut include rotavirus, parasites, pathogenic bacteria (escherichia coli, clostridium difficile), and mycotoxins produced by fungi found in stored grain and dried fruit.4
Fortunately, the presence of some commensal (friendly intestinal bacteria) and probiotic strains leads to an increase in tight junctions proteins at the cell boundaries and in some cases prevents or reverses the adverse effects of pathogens, food and stress. Various dietary components are also known to regulate epithelial permeability by modifying expression and localization of tight junctions proteins.2
What Is Increased Intestinal Permeability In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Sources:
Fahardi A, Banan A, Fields J, Keshavarzian A. Intestinal barrier: an interface between health and disease. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2003; 18: 479-497. [↩]
Ulluwishewa D, Anderson RC, McNabb WC, Moughan PJ, Wells JM, Roy NC. Regulation of tight junction permeability by intestinal bacteria and dietary components. J Nutr. 2011 May;141(5):769-76. doi: 10.3945/jn.110.135657. [↩] [↩]
Fasano A. Zonulin and Its Regulation of Intestinal Barrier Function: The Biological Door to Inflammation, Autoimmunity, and Cancer. Physiological Reviews. January 2011Vol. 91no. 151-175DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00003.2008 [↩]
Farhadi A, Banan A, Fields J, Keshavarzian A. Intestinal barrier: an interface between health and disease. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2003;18:479-91. [↩]
Cancel your subscription?
We're sorry to see you go.
Please select a reason for cancellation.
Please provide additional details.
Cancellation request submitted
We've received your request. Your subscription remains active while we process it. We'll email you once it's confirmed.
Cancellation pending
Access Content
Affiliate Terms
By joining our Affiliate Program, you agree to the following terms:
1. Eligibility: You must be 18 years or older to participate. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason at any time.
2. Promotional Guidelines: Affiliates must not engage in misleading advertising or spam. Promotions must accurately represent our brand and products.
3. Affiliate Links: You must use your unique tracking link to receive credit for referred sales.
4. Prohibited Use: You may not use our branding in a way that may confuse customers or misrepresent your relationship with us.
5. Termination: We reserve the right to terminate your account at any time for breach of these terms.
6. Changes to Agreement: We may update these terms at any time. Continued participation implies acceptance of any changes.
By continuing, you agree to the terms of this Affiliate Agreement.
What Is Calcium?
