WHAT IS LEAKY GUT AND LEAKY GUT SYNDROME?
The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, said, “All disease begins in the gut.”
Dysfunction of gut barrier is known as “leaky gut” or "increased intestinal permeability" - meaning the lining of your gut is ruptured and has developed holes. When someone has a 'leaky gut', it means that the gut lining is damaged and cannot optimally function as a barrier any longer. Over a period of time with consistent abuse, the smaller holes become larger and allow harmful substances like gluten, bad bacteria, and undigested food particles to enter your system/bloodstream and cause considerable damage to health.
The leaky gut syndrome refers to a status with which there is an increased intestinal permeability allowing the translocation of microbial molecules from the gut into the blood circulation.
Studies have shown that people who have certain chronic gastrointestinal diseases have leaky guts that let larger molecules through — potentially toxic ones. Part of the job of your intestinal lining is to act as a barrier to bacteria and other infectious agents inside the gut. This barrier is an important agent in your immune system. The gut barrier includes mucus layer, commensal microbiota, and single layer of intestinal epithelium. Under physiological circumstances, the epithelial cells are joined together by the tight junction (TJ) and the adherens junction (AJ), thus forming a contiguous and relatively impermeable membrane. TJ and AJ are protein complexes.
The Intestinal epithelium provides a dynamic permeable barrier to selectively absorb nutrients while simultaneously separating mucosal tissues from luminal commensal bacteria, pathogens, and dietary antigens. The imbalance of intestinal microbiota is known as gut dysbiosis, which causes increasing intestinal permeability or leaky gut syndrome (LGS). It directly or indirectly triggers immune system reaction. Functional food or non‐functional food may change the intestinal microbiota bidirectionally.
Research shows that gut microbiota benefits the hosts by producing vitamins, preventing the growth of harmful bacteria, training the immune system, and fermenting unused food. The gut microbiota plays an important role in regulating the intestinal mucosa permeability and changing the microbial community impacts on gut mucosal barrier function. A fast-rising number of illnesses, including autoimmune diseases, are reported due to intestinal permeability changes relative to changes in tight junctions (TJs).
SYMPTOMS OF LEAKY GUT
If your intestinal barrier is impaired, it may be letting toxins into your bloodstream. These toxins may trigger an inflammatory response that may manifest as various diseases.
Leaky gut has so many possibly symptoms -
Gas and bloating - from fermentation by overgrown bacteria in your gut.
Low energy - from the reduced ability to draw energy from your food.
A burning feeling - of ulceration in your gut.
Painful indigestion - Acid reflux/GERD/Acidity - from the loss of intestinal mucosa.
Headaches/Migraines
Food sensitivities or allergies/ Unable to digest Gluten, Dairy, Peanuts or Sugar
Gastrointestinal mucositis - from radiation therapy.
Nutrient Malabsorption - various nutritional deficiencies resulting from leaky gut are observed, including vitamin B12, magnesium and digestive enzymes
Inflammatory Skin Conditions such as Psoriasis
Unexplained Weight Gain or weight loss
Constipation and/or Diarrhoea
CAUSES OF LEAKY GUT
When the microbial balance (Gut Microbiome) in your gut is right, your whole body functions the way it’s supposed to. But when that balance gets out of whack—say because of chronic stress, chronic constipation, exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, eating a poor diet, or taking too much antibiotics that wipes out a lot of those microbes—the “bad” bacteria cut holes in the fence and some of them, along with food particles and toxins, leak into the bloodstream. When your immune system sees organisms where they don’t belong, it attacks, causing irritation and inflammation. The theory of leaky gut syndrome suggests that anything that injures your gut lining can lead to intestinal permeability if the injury is persistent enough. Therefore, common everyday factors such as diet and stress may cumulatively wear down your intestinal lining until it becomes permeable.
The most direct causes of intestinal permeability include:
Chronic inflammatory states, such as IBD and celiac disease.
Other diseases that cause intestinal injury, such as HIV/AIDS.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapies that degrade the intestinal mucosa.
Chronic overuse of NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
Food allergies that cause an immune response to certain foods.
Chronic Drug use or Alcohol Use or Radiation Therapy
Consistent use of Birth Control Pills
Bacterial Imbalance
Chronic Stress
Toxin Overload
Poor Diet such as Processed food, refined Sugars and Carbs
Gut Dysbiosis - Imbalance of good bacteria and fungi (microbiome) in gut
CONSEQUENCES: The leakage in leaky gut may be responsible for a huge variety of health issues:
ranging from minor (bloating, cramps, fatigue, food allergies and sensitivities, gas, and headaches/migraines)
to “bigger things” such as - autoimmune conditions, depression and other mood disorders, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), and multiple sclerosis”.
HOW DOES LEAKY GUT AFFECT MY BODY?
Erosion of your intestinal lining is one thing, and intestinal permeability is another. Most people who think they may have a leaky gut have certain common gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain, food sensitivities, bloating and indigestion. These types of symptoms are common and may have many possible explanations, and many of them may injure your intestinal lining. You don’t have to have a leaky gut to experience those effects.
Impaired integrity of intestinal barrier and structure of the Tight Junction barrier may trigger local or systemic inflammation and diseases. It results in increasing intestinal permeability which allows antigens, endotoxins, pathogens, and other proinflammatory substances to pass through intestinal barrier into circulation. Ongoing studies showed that dietary factor, extra stress, and lack of physical activities could change gut microbiota, impair epithelial cell Tight Junctions and cause gut dysbiosis, and increase intestinal permeability.
Physical exercises regulate gut microbiota diversity; increase abundance of short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs); and provide long‐term benefits to the gut barrier. Unexpected or prolonged psychological and physiological stress threatens intestinal barrier homoeostasis which responds through gut–brain axis, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and sympathetic nerve system (SNS), leading to autoimmune and other disorders. Food provides nutrition to human body, and diet is also the most important factor to modify and regulate or influence diversity of gut microbiota. It may alter the intestinal barrier and impact gut homeostasis. Disruption of intestinal barrier and intestinal permeability may induce inflammatory states or diseases in multiple systems.
However, chronic low-grade inflammation due to leaky gut or intestinal permeability may, indeed, lead to metabolic disorders such as:
Gastric Ulcers
Arthritis/Joint Pain
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Asthma/Allergies/Respiratory Infections
Fibromyalgia
Inflammatory Bowel syndrome such as SIBO/Candida Infection
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases such as (Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis)
Autoimmune conditions (such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, Hashimoto’s and more)
Obesity-related metabolic diseases (fatty liver, type II diabetes, heart disease)
Parkinson's Disease
Celiac disease/Gluten and Dairy sensitivity
Esophageal and colorectal cancer
Acute inflammation conditions (sepsis, SIRS, multiple organ failure)
HOW TO HEAL AND SEAL A LEAKY GUT ?
The basic steps to healing leaky gut are as follows:
Remove - foods that create problems e.g. gluten, sugar, dairy or peanuts.
Replace - with foods less likely to irritate gut: Fermented foods e.g. sauerkraut, kimchi, whole milk yogurt (substitute with coconut if you are lactose intolerant), whole milk kefir (substitute with coconut if you are lactose intolerant), and pickles, are healing foods
Repair - the damaged gut lining with supplements such as:
a. L-glutamine (heal the intestinal lining)
b. Vitamin D
c. Zinc
d. omega-3 fatty acids
e. Slippery elm
f. Marshmallow root
g. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice root
h. Wheat grass Juice Powder or Moringa Powder is extremely beneficial
i. Collagen powder or Bone Broth
j. Gut Ion supplement by Intelligence of nature
h. Aloe vera Juice or Capsules
Rebalance - your gut with Probiotics (beneficial bacteria), Prebiotics (fiber) and Polyphenols: Take Probiotics as high as 450 billion CFUs (Colony Forming Units). Best ones I have tried for rebooting the system is VSL3 and Biokult available on amazon. Extremely beneficial in replenishing your gut microbiome especially after recovering from IBS or IBD issues. Another good ones are Silver fern, Biocidin Botanicals pro flora 4R and Physicians formula 60 billion strain. Also add fiber such as Inulin, Psyllium Husk, Flax seed powder to feed these good bacteria in your gut
One of the biggest leaky gut red flags is having issues with a variety of foods. Stay away from Gluten, Dairy and Peanuts, Refined Sugar
Do not, however, try to treat it yourself. Talk with your Healthcare Provider.
References:
2. Leaky Gut Syndrome: - By Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN January 3, 2022
6. https://www.vivehealth.com.au/blog/2022/03/24/intestinal-permeability-aka-leaky-gut/
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