The incredible link of the gut microbiome and overall gut health with the metabolic manifestations of PCOS just keeps growing more clear! A new study was just recently published, the key points shown in the attached below piece, indicating that women with PCOS do indeed carry a higher risk of developing fatty liver.
The intestinal tract links directly with the liver, through a passageway called the enterohepatic circulation. Inflammatory products from the gut head right to the liver. This connecting passage exists to allow the liver, in concert with the brain, to regulate the glucose and fat levels in our blood and to regulate our appetites.
Never did Mother Nature anticipate that humans would eat huge amounts of animal fats and transfats, inordinate quantities of sugar, and high fructose corn syrup in particular, eat nonstop and late into the night, and eat chemicals toxic to our intestinal microbial guests! The outcome of this unfortunate gut environment is gut dysbiosis (the wrong sorts of bacteria living in the gut) and impaired gut barrier function (also called Leaky Gut).
Leaky gut occurs when the wrong gut composition of bacteria develops and toxic particles are produced by them, called Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) – also called endotoxin – which pass through the gut lining and into the adjacent immune cells, called the Gut Associated Lyphoid Tissue (the GALT). These immune cells feel that they must defend the body against these toxins, as they are assuming the body is undergoing a serious infection, and a severe inflammatory reaction develops in the liver and a chronic state of inflammation develops throughout the body.
This occurs as the immune cells release their own inflammatory products, designed to protect us from invading bacteria, fungus, parasites, and such, but in this case, these “helpful” immune cells are actually furthering the damage being done by creating an unremitting state of chronic inflammation in the liver and throughout the body. This also manifests are severe inflammatory acne!
The occurrence of this inflammation in the liver worsens insulin resistance, causing more testosterone to be made and further interfering with the natural hormonal functions of the ovary.
The first thing all women with PCOS must do is to change the diet to help heal and restore a healthy gut. Food can and indeed should, be thy medicine!!
And that will be the topic of my next PCOS blog!
