The birth control pill (bcp) can cause our gut lining to become permeable, aka “leaky gut”. You’ve all heard of it. This is when there is a dysfunction in the 3 layers of the lining, allowing for lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to leak through. LPS is a bacterial endotoxin that is released into the bloodstream when bacteria die which is fine when it is happening in the lumen, but when it leaks through our gut lining, undigested particles of food or even antigens can go through and cause our body to go into an inflammatory response to protect itself.
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But the question still stands, HOW does it get leaky in the first place?
In between epithelial cells are proteins structures that seal up the cells called tight junctions. Tight junctions are supposed to stay tight and closed during digestion, as nutrients make their way through a process called diffusion via cell, or active transport. Zonulin, a protein that regulates the movement of these junctions, is responsible for this. A decrease in zonulin solidifies the barrier of these tight junctions, as an increase allows things to seep through. It’s normal for zonulin to go up and down, but if it’s increased for too long, the immune system kicks in which can damage the intestinal wall, and even the microvilli, which can eradicate nutrient deficiencies.
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Of the many causes of what can trigger this are dietary factors (such as lectins from grains, nightshades, legumes, dairy, or processed food), imbalanced microbiome (due to candida overgrowth, or candida secreting toxins that cause the epithelial cells to shrink), or our everyday lifestyle (such as antibiotic use the bcp, NSAIDs, antibacterials or even stress).
Conversely, the bcp can also affect our actual bacteria, which can lead to candida, yeast over growth and even SIBO, as well as hinder our liver and gallbladder from detoxing properly, which in turn can also cause digestive issues and further the danger of toxic build up.
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Do you suffer with gut issues, irregular or missing periods and have been on the bcp? Let me know below!