Your Microbiota
By Ben B.
From TheBody.com
I have had many thoughts lately about this recent turn of events, but I learned something yesterday that might change my life going forward:
More than half of your body's lymphocytes ("T cells") exist in your gut. Meaning your body realizes this avenue is a main entry point for most foreign microbes and the like, and provides that route with the necessary "security" for nutrients and good bacteria while hopefully keeping out the bad.
HIV loves your gut. The mucous membranes lining the intestines are a perfect breeding ground, and the gut is where HIV goes to "hide out" when your tests are coming back "undetectable." Further, the gut provides an "on-ramp" to the rest of your body because what HIV likes to do is cause havoc in the gut/blood vessel barrier. If it can disrupt that wall, it can spread from your bloodstream to new spots in your body (as well as sending other harmful gut microbes into your bloodstream, adding MORE inflammation/immune response).
In a scientific article published 6 months ago (and then reported/blogged about endlessly from there), HIV's affinity for using the gut as a "secret fortress" is discussed, vis-a-vis HIV's M.O. and its relationships with other microbial members of your own personal ecosystem.
As a virus, HIV has two goals in life: replicate and spread. The gut provides it with an ideal environment for doing that. In order to replicate, human lymphocytes are needed. This means if HIV can trigger inflammation, and therefore an immune reaction, it can propagate.
What it does in your GI tract is attempt to get "bad" microbes all fired up. In essence, HIV behaves as an instigator. I'm still trying to wrap my head around medical journal articles, et cetera, so if my data here turns out to be MISINTERPRETED, please forgive.
Somehow, HIV in your gut releases, or "catabolizes" tryptophan (catabolism is the breakdown of food into energy -- I'm not super clear on this process). If you look at your "gut mucosa" as one large petri dish, think of this tryptophan attracting all kinds of BAD bacteria that digest tryptophan.
A byproduct of this tryptophan digestion inhibits the production of "Interleukin-17" by local immunity cells. IL-17 reinforces the walls of the gut. Think Medieval: no fortress reinforcements, easier for invaders to break through and pillage.
Ergo, HIV creates a swarm of harmful bacteria that ups inflammation, drawing lymphocytes to it for replication, but also, indirectly: weakens the blood boundary of your intestinal wall, making it easier to rupture and therefore: easier for HIV to spread elsewhere. Medical studies indicate this is a very common way for the early HIV infection to take hold.
Armed with this new information, I'm looking into probiotics and nutrients that nourish the good members of your micro-ecosystem while possibly going after the bad ones. Also, I want to find out what food/nutrients I can consume that will strengthen the intestinal wall and/or make these IL-17 immunity cells stronger.
There's a lot to be said here, re: what you consume and HIV ... definitely more later.
(If I've gotten anything wrong here, please tell me ... I have so much to learn).
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