If you’re still not sure where to start, begin with the gut.’ It’s a fascinating concept because not every person with gut dysfunction experiences obvious gut symptoms.
Some might feel perfectly fine, but when we delve deeper and ask questions like, ‘How often do you have a bowel movement?’ we uncover hidden issues.
You’d be surprised how many people consider going to the bathroom every four days as normal just because they’ve done it for so long.
Now, let’s talk about something called metabolic endotoxemia. It often starts with our nutritional choices – inflammatory diets, processed foods, unhealthy fats – and our lifestyle factors like stress, sleep, and productivity.
These elements can disrupt and alter our gut microbiome, shifting it towards an unhealthy state. This unhealthy shift happens in two primary ways.
First, there’s increased intestinal permeability, often referred to as ‘leaky gut’ in everyday language.
Second, the diet we consume can feed the wrong kind of microorganisms while killing off the beneficial ones, creating an imbalance in the gut microbiota – a condition known as dysbiosis.
In both cases, whether you have a leaky gut or an imbalanced microbiome, you’re dealing with a combination that’s starting to surface.
Potentially harmful microorganisms in your gut might start secreting substances like lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which can enter your bloodstream through the leaky gut lining.
We call this ‘endotoxemia’ – essentially, endotoxins in your bloodstream.
So, what does this mean for your immune system?
It’s a trigger for inflammation.
This inflammation can manifest locally in the gut, but remember, blood flows throughout your body, so it can easily become systemic, contributing to a state of chronic inflammation.
This, my friends, sets the stage for reduced insulin sensitivity.
In fact, it’s so common that I encounter it frequently in my practice. These days, it’s challenging to find patients without some level of gut-related issues.
So, it’s crucial to be mindful and maintain a healthy gut because metabolic endotoxemia disrupts your body and significantly increases its inflammatory tone, creating the perfect conditions for insulin resistance to develop.”