Secretory Immunoglobulin A (SIgA) is a key ingredient or leader in our “defense team” as it contains and compartmentalizes many of the antibodies found in our saliva. SIgA is the most abundant immunoglobulin in the body and is our first line of defense against ingested pathogens. This is part of the reason that 80% of our immune system lies in the gut…in the mucosal barrier.
SIgA is suppressed if cortisol to DHEA ratio is out of balance- so cortisol dominance will lead to depressed immune system vs. a good strong healthy gut will increase SIgA. If pathogens are present- we should see an elevation in the immune defense team leader- SIgA but if the stressors do not leave and it begins non-stop and chronic then the production begins to shut down. Common GI diseases are results or contributors to METABOLIC CHAOS including villous atrophy and blunted brush border… which impacts our ability to breakdown and absorb nutrients including minerals even if they are eating good healthy sources of food.
BUT as a result of CHRONIC STRESS, SIgA can become suppressed if we experience an imbalance of cortisol to DHEA ratio.
If we continue to “live life as a race” and don’t identify hidden internal stressors, chronic stressors accumulate. If we look at the HPA Axis dysregulation chart, we progress from the acute phase to the compensatory phase and if we keep doing what we are doing now- then we can progress to the exhaustive phase.
Chronic stress leads to a cortisol to DHEA imbalance- leads to increased activity of SIgA to deal with increased immune activity but if chronic and not addressed then as with everything (more is not better, too much of anything leads to dysfunction and overload)– leads to lowered SIgA then increases our risk for chronic infections, infestation and other inflammatory agents.
A result of a SIgA deficiency can contribute to villous atrophy, blunted brush border, Pylori, and other digestive related diseases or dysfunction. These are results or contributors to METABOLIC CHAOS… we don’t know which comes first so we need to treat everything non-specifically and not treat the results.
The goblet cells secret mucous lubrication and the lamina propria contains our arterial as well as venous blood supply plus our lymph vessels and nerves.
So, I would say that it makes sense to say that “all health starts in the gut” …
As nutrients are transported, or diffused, through the enterocytes into tiny blood vessels and via the hepatic portal system for assimilation in the body. Amino acids, carbohydrates and some fatty acids diffuse through these cells into tiny vessels – if the gut wall lining is not damaged and functioning at optimal level.
Our lacteals have the lymphatic capillaries running through that absorb our dietary fats and long chain fatty acids through the villi throughout the intestines. Fats are passed through the lymphatic vessels into the thoracic duct then eventually into our blood circulation via the subclavian vein to be metabolized in the bloodstream. THEN fats are taken up into the liver and processed for assimilation, usage or storage! Are you burning fat for fuel?
Tiny fats go through the liver for digestion (MCT)
Bigger fats, lacteals, long chain fatty acids, fat absorption in lymph system