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Is intestinal permeability part of a regulated response to bacterial infection?

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Many times here I have come across the idea that processes usually considered negative are actually perfect regulatory loops, i.e., processes that respond in a controlled way to the surrounding environment. They are not random malfunctions or mistakes of nature. They are long-tested regulatory processes. Today we will look at intestinal permeability and the endocannabinoid system (eCB). Nowadays, no one doubts intestinal permeability anymore; that is a great success. I remember how about 20 years ago it was a topic that all professionals in the field laughed at, and only a few individuals (e.g., Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride ) tried to convince them to take a closer look, that it is very important. It took a long time, but eventually they did look into it, and intestinal permeability really began to be thoroughly studied. This is also evidenced by the study that will be discussed today . But as usual, I will again try to bring a few of my own thoughts into this issue. It simply seems st...
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What Determines Fasting Blood Glucose?

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Do not expect me to answer the question in the title with certainty. You probably understand that the body is very complex and nothing is that simple; moreover, each of us is different, and when something works for one person it may not work for someone else. So let’s get back to reality, we will look at two studies and I will try to comment on the observed results in my own way. Take it as you wish—believe it or not, that is up to you. The answer to the basic question “What is good and what is bad?” may not be easy at all. Is easy and rapid fat storage good or bad? Recently it has become increasingly clear that easy and rapid storage of fat in adipose tissue is a sign of good metabolism and does not lead to obesity . Obesity is determined by overeating, the easy availability of overly tasty and overly digestible food, and insufficient satiety signaling. The ability to quickly store these surpluses without damaging metabolism determines the health of adipose tissue; unhealthy adipose t...
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Can MCT Oils Reduce the Omega-6 Content in Membranes?

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You probably already know this. Oxidative stress of any kind triggers the activity of enzymes called phospholipases, especially iPLA2γ, which releases oxidized polyunsaturated fats from the mitochondrial membrane . This is how cells monitor their condition and oxidative stress, and the released oxidized products derived from omega-6 linoleic acid (LA/ARA, e.g., 4-HNE) serve as signals for many processes. For example, they can also trigger chronic inflammation by activating aldose reductase (AR) and the polyol pathway . Elevated glucose levels (HG), when the enzyme ALDH2 functions insufficiently and 4-HNE molecules are attached to it, become problematic and instead of correcting oxidative stress they deepen it further. The missing ALDH2 activity can be restored using H2S (NaHS was used here) or by activating the CSE enzyme (e.g., by restricting methionine and cysteine in the diet ). I have many posts about this here; most of them concern liver cells or pancreatic cells, and therefore a...
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Do You Know That Without Oleic Acid, Fats Cannot Be Stored?

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You probably suspect that fats only begin to be stored once a signal for their storage appears in the body. But what exactly is that signal? Do we know? In an earlier post, I already searched for the answer to this question, and I believe I found it . It involved the formation of triglycerides in the liver and their export throughout the body in the form of VLDL particles. For the formation and export of fats from the liver, oxidative stress is required—specifically hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)—and oleic acid (OA). This time, we will look at fat storage in adipose tissue, in subcutaneous (SWAT) and organ (visceral, EWAT) fat. It might seem that storing fat is easy. That it does not matter which fats are available. After all, it should be enough to raise insulin levels and fat will store itself, right? But it really does not work that easily. Without oleic acid, you will not store any fats! Truly! And moreover, the association with insulin levels also somehow does not work (mice, 3 days on ...
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Obesity and Hydrogen Sulfide

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In this post, I will try to summarize information from previous posts and studies and supplement it with the latest insights on the effect of enzymatic hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production on metabolism. What do we already know? Intestinal permeability A high-fat diet with sugar promotes a composition of gut bacteria that produces a large amount of hydrogen sulfide. There is so much of it that this hydrogen sulfide deprives intestinal epithelial cells of ATP energy, blocks mitochondrial complex IV, and causes leaky gut . A high concentration of H2S damages metabolism. Liver With a high-fat diet containing sugar, the liver is burdened by endotoxins (LPS) from a leaky gut. These activate aldose reductase (AR), increasing the formation of H2O2 (ROS) in the liver. According to the already known scheme, this switches on fatty acid synthesis (DNL) as well as triglyceride (TG) production and activates their export further into the body , either to be burned for heat, to produce chemical energy (...
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