Fat in Fast Food Rapidly Weakens Your Gut's Defenses

"Ultraprocessed foods are pervasive in the modern food system. It's estimated that around 60% to 70% of an average American adult's daily calories consist of these products. While convenient and tasty, chronic consumption eventually wrecks your health, and the first place that's affected is your gut. Eating ultraprocessed foods weakens your intestinal lining, allowing harmful bacteria to thrive and creating systemic inflammation. Moreover, your gut's balance shifts dramatically, crowding out beneficial microbes that normally keep your gut healthy"

"The methodology focused on how different types of dietary fats affected immune activity within the mice intestines, with an emphasis on a critical molecule called interleukin-22 (IL-22). This is produced by a type of immune cell known as ILC3 (innate lymphoid cells), a frontline defender that maintains the gut barrier by strengthening mucus layers and antimicrobial proteins that block harmful bacteria."

"HFD impacts your overall gut function - The researchers found that mice fed with a HFD containing about 36% fat experienced a dramatic decline in IL-22 production within just 48 hours. By seven days, IL-22 output from these immune cells dropped by approximately 50%, significantly weakening the mice's gut defenses. This loss led to lowered production of critical gut barrier components such as mucus proteins and antimicrobial peptides."

Ultraprocessed foods supply roughly 60–70% of daily calories for an average American adult and promote chronic consumption due to convenience and palatability. High intake of unhealthy fats from such foods rapidly impairs gut immune function. Diets with about 36% of calories from fat cause a swift decline in IL-22 secretion by ILC3 innate lymphoid cells within 48 hours and roughly a 50% reduction by seven days. Loss of IL-22 lowers mucus layer integrity and antimicrobial peptide production, weakening the intestinal barrier and enabling harmful bacteria to flourish. Microbial communities shift away from beneficial species, and barrier breakdown drives systemic inflammation and reduced gut resilience.

Read at Natural Health News