In charge of the digestion of nutrients, the intestines also represent an important immune and neuronal reserve for our body. The imbalances that can affect it are the cause of benign digestive disorders, but also of increasingly widespread chronic inflammatory diseases, which are still difficult to diagnose and treat in allopathic medicine. Let’s see how lifestyle and plants can help stabilize their evolution.
Far from being a simple pipe through which the food we swallow passes, our intestines have gained in popularity since they were promoted to the rank of “second brain”. But in addition to hosting 200 million neurons, their role is not the least. As soon as we ingest something, the small intestine reduces it to mush thanks to the network of villi that line it. Daily, the small intestine is thus able to absorb several kilos of carbohydrates, up to 1 kg of lipids, 500 g of proteins and up to 20 liters of water! Next, the large intestine (or colon) takes over and takes care of breaking down what has not been assimilated thanks in particular to the presence of intestinal bacteria. The waste is then transported in the form of in it towards the exit. But in addition to this digestive and emunctory function, our intestines harbor a host of bacteria, phages, viruses and fungi (about 100,000 billion, or ten times more than the number of cells in our body!). These micro-organisms present from one end of the digestive tract to the other (but mainly in the colon) weigh up to 2 kilos and constitute the famous “gut microbiota”.
Fascinating, disconcerting, this ecosystem is at the origin of many scientific studies. Because it actively participates in our overall health. In addition to promoting the assimilation of undigested nutrients in the small intestine, participating in the synthesis of vitamins (B or K) or fatty acids that nourish our intestinal cells, the microbiota exerts a barrier effect against intruders. It works closely with our intestinal mucosa, a huge filter lining the intestine, made up of villi and microvilli whose role is to allow good nutrients to pass (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, etc.) and to prevent the penetration of microorganisms. -organisms, macromolecules and toxic compounds. However, if pathogenic germs manage to cross this natural barrier, the microbiota prevents the colonization of our body. “70% of our immunity would be due to our microbiota”can we read in the book Powerbiotic…
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