Saturday, December 3, 2011

Wait, what? Your gut is leaking???

So there I was, enjoying what was to be my last wonderful sandwich, for a long, long time. There was no goodbye to this wonderful food, or even to its following treat the brownie. No forewarning that I was about to leave the life of bagels and beer for quite sometime, and to top it off my excuse was not due to the calorie count on the back label. Rather, it was the pure and simple fact that yes, my gut was actually leaking.

It seems to me that we had a wonderful relationship, my gut and I. Where my small intestine was working so well and diligently that I had no idea it was working at all. Turns out after stressing far too much and mowing down on Einstein Bagels for every meal I had eroded holes in my hard-working intestine and it would never be the same. But why?

It’s name is Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS) and that is why the nickname Leaky-Leak works so perfectly for me! Leaky Gut Syndrome, otherwise known as increased intestinal permeability occurs when the wall of the small intestine is damaged.

But wait, before we get into the logistics of how this LGS affects the intestine, let’s quickly go over how a properly functioning intestine works, you know the one you never pay attention to. Yeah I’ll tell you what it’s doing 24/7/365, and then maybe you’ll appreciate it a bit more. The small intestine is about a twenty-foot long tube between the stomach and the large intestine. It’s lining is made up of millions of villi, which also are covered in millions of microvilli. This tube breaks down food into nutrients and moves the harmful substances down to the bowel. This immune function is incredibly important, seeing that the most potentially dangerous material we, as human beings, encounter is not the tiger across the street, but instead the food we shove down our throats. Actually researchers have estimated that over two thirds of all our immune activity occurs right in the gut. That’s incredible!

So why could something so amazing be leaking? And really, what does that mean; that it’s leaking? The wall of my gut and that of others dealing with this increased intestinal permeability has been breached. There are tiny pinholes, do to gaps in tight junctions, where bacteria and yeast can flow right into the blood stream and cause infection. Well, because the human body is so amazing it creates antibodies to these proteins and the body begins to attack these proteins like they are a foreign substance. This battle can cause numerous symptoms like a rash, diarrhea, joint pain, migraines, chronic-fatigue, abdominal pain, severe weight loss, insomnia, nutrient deficiencies, a constant fever, inflammation, and sometimes arthritis.

Now that we know how this LGS completely violates the small intestine, what are some of the causes of this holiness? Well, it has actually been linked to numerous immune deficiencies but it is not clear yet, whether it aids in the development of these deficiencies or if the stress induced by them, onto the body, causes this increased permeability.

There are a few ideas dealing with how reseal the gut and prevent these symptoms. One, which I have used for the past four years is the elimination diet. There are a few key foods that set off this retraction of the villi and the outflow into the bloodstream. For me it was Gluten that is why I am living the wonderfully expensive gluten-free lifestyle. If I do end up eating gluten I get super hot and my entire abdomen swells, which not only looks like I am carrying a child but is quite uncomfortable as well. But for other people dairy sets off a reaction or an over abundance of caffeine, alcohol, the use of antibiotics and some food preservatives or additives. The way these regularly used products morph into pathogens is due to chronic inflammation.

After this wearing down of the small intestine there are a few ways to build back the wall. Eat more fiber and Glutamine. Fiber is good to keep the food moving so it does not have time to sit and leak, a few good choices are rice bran, slippery elm bark or flaxseed. And the glutamine is what will actually help repair the intestinal wall. Probiotics with acidophilus are sometimes prescribed to those suffering from a leaky gut to support the microflora and reestablish a healthy ecological balance of bacteria in the gut to promote its health.

So moral of this leaking story. Respect and appreciate your gut. It does a whole lot for you! Oh, and enjoy that cookie!



References

Leaky gut syndrome. (2007). MLO: Medical Laboratory Observer, 39(5), 17.

Liu, Z. Z., Li, N. N., & Neu, J. J. (2005). Tight junctions, leaky intestines, and pediatric diseases. Acta Paediatrica, 94(4), 386-393. doi:10.1080/08035250410023304

Khalsa, K. (2010). heal a leaky gut. Better Nutrition, 72(2), 26-27.

Marston, W. (1997). Gut reactions. Newsweek, 130(20), 95.

Leaky Gut Syndrome: More Symptom Than Disease. (1998). Environmental Nutrition, 21(11), 7.

Saputo, L. (1999). Go With Your GUT. American Fitness, 17(3), 29.

Alpert, M. (2007). The Autism Diet. Scientific American, 296(4), 19-20.

Meyerowitz, S. (2000). Simple strategies to soothe your stomach. Better Nutrition, 62(7), 60.

2 comments:

  1. This is crazy! I have never heard of such a thing. Is leaky gut syndrome a common side affect for some allergies? And wouldn't severe gut permeability lead to sepsis?

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  2. Leaky gut syndrome can become a serious problem. LGS can be caused by parasites, toxins, poor diet or medications that enter the body through the digestive system. The side effects of LGS such as inflammation and discomfort/pain, can be triggered directly by the release of these toxins, food, parasites or medication or can be triggered by an immune response to the release of these particles.

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