2. Gut Infections
Underlying parasitic, viral, bacterial, and/or fungal infections should be known as the “silent killers.” These infections can truly wreak havoc on the immune system and the rest of the body. Unchecked infections can lead to the breakdown of just about every other function within the gut leading to poor nutrient absorption, chronic and systemic inflammation, leaky gut, toxic overload, hormone dysregulation, and more.
Gut infections can further inhibit the body’s ability to kill ingested pathogens while they are still in the stomach.
This can allow these pathogens to move deeper into the digestive tract unchecked and increase the chance of an illness proliferating.
3. Poor Nutrient Absorption
Nutrition from foods and supplements provide this critical fuel, however, a compromised gut can inhibit the full absorption of these nutrients. Without proper nourishment, the immune system is left depleted of the energy and resources needed to mount a powerful attack against pathogens.
4. Leaky Gut
At its root, a leaky gut creates systemic inflammation. Among other things, this inflammation causes reduced blood flow which, likewise, inhibits the body’s ability to send immune cells throughout our system looking for pathogens. As such, our immune cells are forced to move at a much slower pace due to the congestion, reducing the speed at which they can detect and attack offending pathogens. This then provides the opportunity for pathogens to hide and multiply in areas where blood flow has been reduced.
Figure 2. Illustration of healthy gut lining versus a broken lining in leaky gut. (Adapted from gastrosav.com, 2019).