What are Tight Junctions?

Tight junctions regulate the passage of ions, nutrients, and water across the intestinal wall. This ensures that the body absorbs the necessary nutrients while excluding harmful substances.

They connect the cells that make up the lining of the intestinal wall, which play a vital role in the digestive process.

There are four primary functions of the intestinal wall, which are:

• Nutrient absorption – the intestinal wall is responsible for absorbing the nutrients from digested food and transferring them into the bloodstream. This process is facilitated by specialized structures called villi and microvilli, which increase the surface area for absorption.

• Digestive enzyme secretion – during digestion the intestinal wall secretes various enzymes that aid in the breakdown of food into smaller molecules for absorption.

• Motility – the small intestinal wall has muscle that contracts and relaxes in a coordinated manner, propelling food along the digestive tract.

• Protection – when in good condition and working properly, without excessive permeability, the intestinal wall acts as a barrier against harmful substances, preventing them from entering the bloodstream and contributing to ill health. It also contains immune cells that help fight off infections.

Tight junctions are specialised protein complexes that seal the spaces between adjacent cells in the intestinal wall. From our point of view their primary, crucial function is that of a barrier. Tight junctions form a barrier which prevents the leakage of harmful substances, such as bacteria, toxins, and undigested food particles, from the intestine into the bloodstream. This protects the body from infections and maintains a healthy internal environment.

This essential function demonstrate why Tight Junctions need to be literally tight. If they are not functioning correctly, it can lead to a condition commonly called “leaky gut” in which the intestinal barrier becomes more permeable – too permeable – allowing harmful substances to enter the bloodstream. This can trigger inflammation and immune responses, contributing to various health problems, such as food sensitivities and allergies, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and even mental health disorders to name a just few.

The GAPS approach we are offering is designed to repair leaky gut to ensure tight junctions in the intestinal wall are “tight” and perform their proper function and maintain a healthy gut, essential for overall well-being.