Don't be too happy about your "sudden plummet" in weight! Medical warning: Outbreak of "leaky gut syndrome" may affect cardiovascular function
If your weight suddenly plummets, don’t be happy too early! Dr. Su Shengjie, deputy director of Lianqing Clinic, pointed out that a 46-year-old female patient suddenly lost 10 kilograms in weight a few days ago, and her symptoms of flatulence and gastroesophageal reflux became increasingly severe, so she sought medical treatment for a medical functional test. After testing, it was found that the root cause of the patient’s sudden weight loss was “damage to the intestinal mucosa,” which resulted in a sharp reduction in the surface area for nutrient absorption in the intestines and rapid nutrient loss.
Don’t be too happy about your “sudden plummet” in weight! Medical warning: Outbreak of “leaky gut syndrome” may affect cardiovascular function
Dr. Su Shengjie explained that the human digestive system is divided into upper and lower digestive tracts. After food enters the body, it will first pass through the “upper digestive tract” consisting of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, and then be fully minced and mixed with pancreatic enzymes. Finally, it comes to the “lower digestive tract” and is efficiently absorbed by the small intestine and large intestine. It is an important part of intestinal absorption of nutrients.
In a healthy gastrointestinal state, the intestinal mucosa can efficiently absorb nutrients from food and serve as an important barrier for the body to prevent harmful substances from penetrating into the bloodstream from intestinal gaps. However, when the intestinal mucosa is injured, it not only greatly affects the efficiency of nutrient absorption in the body, but also greatly reduces the barrier function.
Dr. Su Shengjie said that the symptoms of damage to the mucosa of the large and small intestines are different:
Damage to the mucosa of the small intestine can lead to weight loss.
Damage to the large intestinal mucosa will cause symptoms such as flatulence and changes in bowel movements.
And if undigested macromolecule food, bacteria, and toxic substances break into the body through the gaps between the intestinal wall cells and penetrate into the blood vessels, it will form “leaky gut syndrome”, which may not only cause chronic inflammation, but also damage the blood filtering system. Changes in liver function may also affect cardiovascular health and lead to serious cardiovascular diseases.
Will the intestinal mucosa be “regenerated every week” and constantly renewed? Be careful of “these things” damaging the intestinal mucosal function!
Dr. Su Shengjie pointed out that if you zoom in on the intestinal mucosa, you will see many finger-like protrusions, also known as “intestinal villi.” These villi are composed of a semi-permeable cell membrane and renew quickly. If the body’s functions are normal, they will all be replaced in about 5-7 days to maintain the stability of intestinal function.
However, because the human body is easily exposed to many harmful factors in daily life, such as environmental toxins (plasticizers, preservatives, pigments or growth-promoting hormones administered to animal meat), alcohol, stress and other factors, causing damage to the intestinal mucosa , and even cause problems with its renewal ability, so various gastrointestinal diseases or symptoms may further develop.
Is poor gastrointestinal disease more likely to lead to chronic diseases? Doctors reveal “3 major aspects” to detect intestinal function
Most people often detect mucosal problems through medical examinations because of gastrointestinal symptoms. Dr. Su Shengjie reminds that leaky gut syndrome can lead to chronic inflammation of the body, and in severe cases, it can further lead to other diseases. Therefore, chronic diseases that seem to have nothing to do with the gastrointestinal tract, such as fatty liver, cardiovascular disease, etc., may also be related to damage to the intestinal mucosa.
To fully evaluate intestinal health, colonoscopy and functional medicine testing are crucial, because colonoscopy is a macroscopic examination of the intestinal structure; functional medicine testing is to judge intestinal health from a functional perspective. Therefore, even if there are no abnormalities during colonoscopy, attention should be paid to whether the intestinal function is normal. The detection of intestinal function can be roughly divided into three major aspects:
Clarify the intestinal condition: Intestinal function can be inferred by testing and analyzing whether food has been broken down by normal processes, such as whether there are red meat fibers and other substances in the feces.
Function of the intestinal mucosa: Damage to the intestinal mucosa will release substances such as “calprotectin”. Therefore, by testing the proportion of substances in the feces, the permeability and digestion and absorption capacity of the intestinal mucosa can be known, and the complete intestinal tract can be further evaluated. Metabolic function.
Intestinal flora function: Intestinal conditions may be caused by damage to the mucosa or imbalance of intestinal bacteria. When there is a microbial imbalance in the intestinal bacteria, in addition to indigestion and decreased absorption, it is also likely to cause many metabolic and inflammatory diseases. The distribution of intestinal flora can be analyzed through testing. If an imbalance is found, the bacteria can be supplemented with health food.
Diarrhea is a warning sign for the intestines! The reasons should be found to maintain stable gastrointestinal function
Dr. Su Shengjie pointed out that after the above-mentioned female patient underwent testing to find out the problem, she followed the recommendations and started a gluten-free diet, and simultaneously took nutrients to repair the intestinal mucosa, such as prebiotics and probiotics. After 2-3 months, The weight finally started to increase, and the flatulence and gastroesophageal reflux conditions gradually improved.
Dr. Su Shengjie emphasized that when the intestinal leakage problem no longer occurs, it can resist the invasion of harmful substances and effectively absorb nutrients. More importantly, people must maintain a stable intestinal health in their daily lives. They should try to avoid overly processed foods. Three meals a day must be nutritionally balanced. They should also learn to moderately relieve stress, so that their “intestinal” health can be maintained. Correct approach.
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