Spotlight on the Mucosal Barrier
Mucosal barriers are found throughout the body. True to their name, they are barriers made of mucous that protect the body from harm. Out of all mucosal barriers locations (eyes, mouth, nose, respiratory tract, GI tract, genitalia) the main (and arguably the mucosal barrier receiving the most focus) is the mucosal barrier in our GI tract. Sticky intestinal mucous acts in our gut as a barrier and physical protectant that helps safeguard our bloodstream from harmful or toxic substances we come into contact with. This includes things in our environment that we might breathe in, eat, or drink- including food derived antigens, dangerous microbes, chemicals, and toxins.
The intestinal mucosal barrier is where we house the majority of our Immune System. It secretes SIgA (Secretory IgA) -the most abundant immunoglobulin in the body- acting as a chemical barrier, catching and identifying potential threats that it comes into contact with. While the Intestinal Mucosal Barrier is tasked with acting as the main component of the immune system and preventing anything harmful crossing the epithelial layer, it is also responsible for allowing nutritions through to be assimilated and absorbed.
If the mucosal barrier isn’t functioning properly, it’s usually because of damage. A compromised mucosal gut barrier is often caused by microbial infections, stress, chemical injury, blood sugar instability, antibiotics, food allergies, food intolerances, and menopause- among other things. Damage can be observed by the loosening of the tight junctures in the epithelial layer of the mucosal barrier- resulting in gut hyperpermeability or ‘leaky gut’. With decreased mucosal barrier function and increased gut permeability, digestive capacity and nutrient assimilation goes down as various symptoms of indigestion (and things such as bloating, constipation, diarrhea, IBD -and so on) goes up.
When the mucosal barrier isn’t functioning properly, our immune response is constantly being triggered. This can exhaust the body, and cause a decrease in our immunity. As our immune system becomes overwhelmed and depleted, infections, dysbiosis, oxidative stress and inflammation becomes worse.
With a healthy mucosal barrier, most pathogens and toxins often don’t pose a threat, as they are neutralized and contained without harming the rest of the body. When the gut barrier is damaged and leaky, harmful substances can easily leak into the bloodstream and end up in other parts of the body- including the brain. With leaky gut, food sensitivities increase. In time, it’s common to see hormonal imbalances, cortisol dysregulation, skin issues (rosacea, eczema, psoriasis, acne, etc) sleep issues, mood imbalances from neurotransmitter deficiencies (depression, ADHD, anxiety) malabsorption, increased histamine and histamine, hair loss, brain fog, fatigue, sore joints, thyroid issues, autoimmune conditions, headaches, and so on. Depending on a variety of factors, including a person’s baseline of health, their lifestyle and history, and the amount and type of stress they’re under, etc -it’s a matter of time before health issues arise from damage to the mucosal barrier.
Our gut mucosal barrier contains a single layer of cells called the epithelium that separates the lamina propria from the gut lumen. There are several stressors that can negatively affect the epithelium, which in turn, negatively affects digestion, immunity, and overall health. Just like a perfect storm, it’s almost never just one factor- but many things at play. An unhealthy lifestyle that is overrun with bad habits and poor life choices will always factor in. Cigarettes, alcohol, lack of sleep, excessive stress, chronic or acute stress, unaddressed environmental triggers and vulnerabilities, toxic people, etc- it’s often a constellation of things. Anything that causes inflammation and irritation in the gut will cascade into other issues throughout the body.
For healing purposes, anything that might cause damage to the mucosal barrier would need to be eliminated (foods obviously eliciting an inflammatory immune response, ongoing toxin exposure, etc). Utilizing the findings from functional labs screenings, pathogen eradication would be addressed. Nutritional deficiencies would need to be corrected. Probiotic-rich foods, probiotic and/or other gut-friendly supplementation would be implemented.
