02 January, 2006
Why do some people have an immune response to themselves and to some foods?
Recently, a paper was published that announced the discovery, in the human intestine, of a human protein that the researchers called “Zonulin”. Zonulin controls the strength of the normally tight junctions between the cells that make up the wall of the intestine. The more zonulin there is, the more permeable the intestine becomes. The name derives from a bacterium called "Zonula occludens" which was found to produce a protein that mimics the action of the human one. It could be that the presence of a similar bacterium in the gut is actually the cause of "leaky gut" syndrome. One experiment showed that the presence of high numbers of E. coli in the colon, was associated with the production of large amounts of zonulin, thereby opening up the junctions and allowing the passage of the E. coli through the intestinal wall (a phenomenon called “translocation”) and into the blood. A food substance called inulin (which is basically lots of fructose molecules joined in chains) was added to the diet and tests of the subjects’ urine revealed that this too had been translocated. It is known that the presence of any large molecules or bacteria in the blood stream will elicit the production of antibodies to fight the perceived invaders. These same researchers then added a probiotic organism (a Lactobacillus) to the patients’ diet and were able to demonstrate that it reduced the translocation of E. coli cells and inulin by up to 100-fold. It is tempting to assume that, given the body’s ability to recover this should also reduce the severity of any disease that is being triggered in this way.
Recently, a paper was published that announced the discovery, in the human intestine, of a human protein that the researchers called “Zonulin”. Zonulin controls the strength of the normally tight junctions between the cells that make up the wall of the intestine. The more zonulin there is, the more permeable the intestine becomes. The name derives from a bacterium called "Zonula occludens" which was found to produce a protein that mimics the action of the human one. It could be that the presence of a similar bacterium in the gut is actually the cause of "leaky gut" syndrome. One experiment showed that the presence of high numbers of E. coli in the colon, was associated with the production of large amounts of zonulin, thereby opening up the junctions and allowing the passage of the E. coli through the intestinal wall (a phenomenon called “translocation”) and into the blood. A food substance called inulin (which is basically lots of fructose molecules joined in chains) was added to the diet and tests of the subjects’ urine revealed that this too had been translocated. It is known that the presence of any large molecules or bacteria in the blood stream will elicit the production of antibodies to fight the perceived invaders. These same researchers then added a probiotic organism (a Lactobacillus) to the patients’ diet and were able to demonstrate that it reduced the translocation of E. coli cells and inulin by up to 100-fold. It is tempting to assume that, given the body’s ability to recover this should also reduce the severity of any disease that is being triggered in this way.
