Colostrum For Gut Health
Although immunity begins in the gut, there are several other important functions the development of a healthy gut contributes to, and this is especially obvious in the development of the gastrointestinal system of newborns.
Newborn mammals are born with leaky guts, and this includes human babies. Colostrum helps to seal these leaks and balance out the microbiome. It also has a very high concentration of nutrients relative to its volume. That means it is nutrient-dense so that the newborn doesnt need to consume large amounts or a variety of different foods in order to get the nutrients it needs for growth and health.
Bovine colostrum also contains lactoferrin. Lactoferrin binds to iron in the gut and keeps it away from bacteria. Many of the gram-negative bacteria in the gut need iron to survive, and so bovine colostrum can help with dysbiosis by keeping the iron away from the bad bacteria, giving the good bacteria a chance to balance out.
The theory is that if colostrum is safe and beneficial for newborns, its also safe and beneficial for adults suffering from leaky gut, dysbiosis, and those that have issues with absorption. There are also a few studies that corroborate this theory.
Microvilli provide more surface area in the gut, helping to increase absorption of nutrients from food, and when these microvilli get damaged, you get malabsorption. So, if youve been on strong pain medications, youll likely need to heal your microvilli and increase your absorption.
Coconut Oil Contains Saturated Fats
While coconut oil does contain MCTs, it has a distinct disadvantage its high in saturated fat. In fact, its over 80% saturated fat. In comparison, butter is 63% and pork lard is just 39% saturated fat.
And this is a problem for some scientists
In 2018, a Youtube video attacking coconut oil went viral. Coconut oil supporters rallied to defend it after Karin Michels, an epidemiologist at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, cautioned that the high amounts of saturated fats in coconut oil posed a risk to human health.
pure poisonone of the worst things you can eat.
Frank Sacks, the lead author of advisory at Harvard Chan School of Public Health, said he was shocked by the backlash from this recommendation. The fact that coconut oil isnt good for you shouldnt be news he said.
Its been touted as healthy. But the science for this opinion is not there at all, says Sacks. In fact, the science says that coconut oil, which has mostly saturated fatty acids, raises your LDL cholesterol, which is linked with increased risk for heart disease.
But what about dogs?
Do they suffer the same health risks as humans do when they eat saturated fats? In order to know the answer to that, you have to know what metabolic endotoxemia is
Repair Your Intestinal Wall Before Wasting Your Money On Probiotics
For the past 20 years the prevailing understanding to deal with an imbalanced microflora has been to pop an expensive probiotic capsule or consume yoghurt. We have been led to believe that by introducing a range of healthy bacteria then these will repopulate and undo any damage when needed or after antibiotics. Indeed, so successful has the marketing of these products been that just about every home in the modern world will have some of these products in their kitchen. The problem is that once our intestinal ecosystem has been damaged then we are locked in a viscous cycle of inflammation together with entrenched microorganisms that makes all these well meaning interventions pretty much a wasted effort. Probiotic capsules are little more than an expensive placebo if you do not first repair the damaged leaky gut and remove the opportunistic invaders that have advanced to occupy the valuable territory of your intestinal wall. If you are suffering from a chronic health issue that has been with you for months and years or if you are permanently on pharmaceutical medication for an existing condition or have been diagnosed with a more severe inflammatory or autoimmune condition then it is almost guaranteed that a severely disturbed intestinal microflora is a major causative factor that needs to be addressed as part of a holistic restorative program.
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The Health Benefits Of Mcts
There are a lot of benefits to feeding your dog MCT. MCTs can:
- Fuel the brain
- Form ketones that improve cognitive function in older dogs
- Reduce the number and severity of seizures
- Help with weight loss
- Antimicrobial and antibacterial
Plus, one thing that makes MCTs uniquely beneficial is the way theyre digested
Most fats your dog eats are LCTs . Because the chains of carbon atoms are longer, they take longer to break down in the digestive tract. And this requires more effort.
LCTs need the pancreas to release an enzyme called lipase for their digestion. Once theyre broken down, they need special proteins to escort them through the the cells lining the digestive tract . Once theyre through the intestinal wall cells, they move to the lymphatic system, where theyre transported to the thoracic duct by the heart and they finally land in your dogs blood.
Once in the blood, most LCTs are stored as fat, although some may travel to the liver to be converted for energy.
MCTs are digested differently than LCTs.
Once MCTs are broken down by lipase, they can freely cross into the circulation through the enterocytes. They travel directly into the blood and go straight to the liver. The liver then quickly converts them to ketones.
The liver can use ketones to fuel its own cells, help it detox or digest other foods. And the rest of the ketones go back into the blood where theyre used for fuel in the brain and the body.
Mother Nature Knows Best
As an animal naturopath, I always think in terms of what is natural, what would happen in nature when it comes to food and nutrients. In nature, all the nutrients come from the food an animal consumes. That is natural and what we need to mimic. Mother nature knows best.
When we feed our dogs a highly processed and cooked diet we are not mimicking nature and therefore compromise the ability for these animals to reach homeostasis which is the goal of the body. A body out of balance opens the door to a range of health issues including leaky gut syndrome. What ends up in the gut reflects the health of the body. You know the saying: We are and become what we eat.
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What Are Leaky Gut Disorders How To Heal Them
by Paul Fassa
Hippocrates, the ancient Greek doctor, is often quoted as saying,
All disease begins in the gut.
This includes many diseases not currently associated with gastrointestinal tract issues, although there is a small contingent of progressive practitioners who are recognizing this phenomenon.
Dysbiosis is the imbalance of intestinal gut flora or gut microbiome that seems to be the foundation of gut diseases: Crohns disease, IBD , and IBS , which is technically not considered a disease, but as the title suggests, a syndrome.
Dysbiosis is also the foundation for a syndrome that is at least involved with or possibly the cause of all those gut disorders to greater or lesser degrees leaky gut syndrome or intestinal hyperpermeability aka intestinal tight junction malfunction.
The normally tight intestinal cellular wall junctions keep undigested food particles and pathogenic microbes from entering the blood stream while allowing nutrients to enter that same bloodstream. If those junctions become somewhat loose or separated, endotoxemia, the release of toxins from inside the gut to other parts of the body, occurs.
Endotoxemia creates problems with the liver and kidneys. It is capable of lowering immunity since the immune system is so engaged with handling those toxins from improperly digested foods. From a 2013 study:
How Does Coconut Oil Support Gut Health
Coconut oil contains Medium Chain Triglycerides that have antifungal, anti-virucidal, and anti-microbial properties. The MCT found in coconut oil and other sources on a healthy food list is easy to digest and may help restore the balance of gut bacteria. A poor diet can trigger increased symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a proliferation of harmful bacteria, and an imbalanced gut microbiome. Various elements within coconut oil may help heal leaky gut and support overall healthy body function.
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And If You Want To Support Your Poor Ol Gut Get Some Probiotics
If youve ever drunk a little too much alcohol, then youve no doubt felt firsthand how it can cause havoc to the delicate balance of bacteria in our guts44 .
So taking probiotics can be a smart idea to keep things in better balance and more able to deal with those couple of glasses of pinot.
Now, if like me you cant stomach eating sauerkraut45 every time you drink , then consider trying a probiotic supplement, which well look at in the next point.
IDEA #10
Leaky Gut Diet Foods To Eat
If you suffer from leaky gut syndrome, youre overdue to consider adopting a leaky gut diet. Such a diet contains foods that support healing because they are easy to digest and can help repair the lining of the intestines.
Here are the best foods to include in a leaky gut syndrome diet:
In addition to eating a leaky gut diet, you can help repair your gut with certain supplements.
In a leaky gut treatment plan, there are many supplements that support digestive health as well as protect the gut lining from further damage. I believe the six most beneficial leaky gut supplements are:
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Avoid All Grains And Legumes For The Next Month
Life without any grains or legumes whatsoever can be tough. Whenever you plan a meal that is just meat/fish and vegetables it can feel like something is missing.
But if youre suffering from leaky gut and are really motivated to repair it fast, then leaving grains and legumes off the table, at least temporarily, is a no brainer. Especially GMO grains, which by design are the highest in anti-nutrients like lectins7,8.
Now, I will say, most grains & legumes dont quite irritate the gut lining as bad as those with gluten , but they are still loaded with anti-nutrients like lectins and phytates9,10, which your digestive system simply cant necessarily handle when it is in already poor shape.
Try A Green Powder Drink Daily
If we were hanging back in the 1990s, I would suggest that you hold your nose and drink your green shake as fast as you can. Because historically thats been the only way to stomach this fairly putrid, but amazingly healthy concoction.
Thankfully though, green powders have gotten a lot more palatable thanks to smarter ingredient combinations and of course, better and better natural sweeteners like stevia.
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Limit All Cow Milk Based Dairy
So there are 2 reasons to consider avoiding this bad boy of gastrointestinal health.
For starters, cows milk comes packed with lactose. This is the milk sugar that the majority of us struggle to digest23. It is a high FODMAP ingredient too. So if youre on a low FODMAP diet, it is out as well.
Secondly and less importantly normal cows milk also comes with another potentially troublesome sidekicka protein called A1 Casein24. It often does not play well with our guts, especially in the early healing phases.
In response to both issues above you can consider lactose free milk, but then you have the casein problem, or you can consider A2 Casein milk, but then you still have the lactose problem.
All a bit confusing I know. So my approach in the first 30 days of a gut healing diet is simply no cows milk dairy, eg milk, milk chocolate, ice cream, cheese etc.
Leaky Gut Diet Foods To Avoid
What foods should you avoid if you have leaky gut syndrome? Its essential to avoid or greatly limit allergens and inflammatory foods when following a leaky gut diet.
Foods/ingredients to avoid include:
- Unsprouted grains, especially those containing gluten note that sprouting and fermenting grains reduces phytates and lectins, making these foods easier to digest
- Processed foods made with added sugar
- GMOs foods
- Refined oils
- Processed foods made with synthetic food additives
- Conventional dairy products
- Heavy alcohol use
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Is Your Bullet Proof Coffee Causing Leaky Gut
The research and our knowledge of fats has come a long way in over the past 10 years. Weve gone from fat-phobic, demonising anything high-fat and opting for low-fat options to now realising that fats actually should have a place in our diet and are essential for our health. What we understand now is that we cant disregard all fats as bad, its just about the quality and the quantity of fats that we are consuming.
Fats are essential for the health of our brains, nervous system function, hormone production, skin health, immune function and the absorption of certain nutrients. On average, we know that most of us should be getting approximately 20-35% of our daily macronutrients from a variety of high-quality fats.
Whether its eating half an avocado with breakfast, drizzling olive oil over your salad at lunch, cooking with ghee, or snacking on a handful of nuts and seeds in the afternoon, you can easily reach this goal by making sure you include at least one serve of healthy fats at every meal. However, it is important to remember that we are all different and how we respond to fats varies, so some people may find that they respond better with slightly lower or higher amounts of fat in their diet.
This is a fairly beefy, complicated topic that weve tried to simplify and condense down as much as possible. But if you are interested in getting to the nitty-gritty of the science, here are our references.
References
What Is Array 2 By Cyrex Labs
Cyrex Labs offers a number of tests for things like leaky gut, food sensitivities, gluten sensitivity, and autoimmunity.The full name of the test I had done, Array 2, is “Intestinal Antigenic Permeability Screen” and it tests for antibodies against actomyosin, occludin/zonulin, and lipopolysaccharides . Actomyosin is a a complex of the two proteins actin and myosin which works in conjuction with occludin and zonulin to properly regulate intestinal permeability and ensure that tight junctions actually remain tight. If you want to learn more about these molecules and intestinal permeability, I recommend this excellent review article: Multiple facets of intestinal permeability and epithelial handling of dietary antigens. For a nice illustration of tight junctions, check out Figure 1. I also highly recommend this article to learn more about leaky gut, probiotics, and diet: Regulation of Tight Junction Permeability by Intestinal Bacteria and Dietary Components.
Lipopolysaccharides are potent endotoxins found on the cell membranes of gram-negative bacteria. Having blood antibodies against LPS indicates a gut leaky enough to allow large molecules into the body where they certainly don’t belong.
My results: positive for leaky, infected gut
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Coconut Oil For Dogs Latest Scientific Research
Our clever friends over at Microbiome Labs have recently completed research that demonstrates that at a given amount, both humans and dogs cannot correctly deal with longer-chain saturated fats.
In fact, they show that the long-chain fats can provoke Leaky Gut . This means that, in excessive amounts, the longer chain fats are difficult to digest. They irritate the lining of the gut and create a widening in the gut lining, between the gut wall cells.
So rather than improving digestion, these longer chain acids can impair it. Intestinal permeability is linked with food sensitivities, allergies, inflammation, behavioural issues and itchy skin.
If you want to see an interview with Kiran Krishnan the Chief Science Officer at Microbiome labs, .
So if this is the case. What does this mean about Coconut Oil for dogs
What Is Yeast Overgrowth And How Is It Related To Leaky Gut
Hippocrates said years and years ago that all disease begins in the gut and were finding more and more just how right he was. Your gut houses 70 percent of your immune system and of course the intestinal cells that break down food. Its where nutrients are absorbed and toxins are removed. Your gut is composed of about a tennis court worth of lining all scrunched together to soak up as many nutrients as possible.
Very simply, a yeast overgrowth happens when your bodys bad bacteria outnumbers its good. Candida, the most common fungus present in your mouth and gut, can be productive in small amounts, but when it is overgrown, it breaks through your intestinal wall and leaks into the bloodstream. When this happens, toxins that are supposed to be eliminated by the gut circle back into your system. This spillage of toxins into the blood is called leaky gut, and it is the root of many of our health problems.
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Got Anxiety Brain Fog Fatigue Improving Your Gut Health Could Be The Answer
Our gut health influences everything from our weight, to our mood, to our cognitive ability. It can be the reason for our back pain, the root of our depression, and of course, the cause of our digestive issues. That’s why testing the health of our gut and then healing our gut is absolutely essential for improving our mental and physical health.
Why I Want to Help You Heal Your Gut
I never thought much about my gut. I’m a psychologist and well-being expert, so I focus mostly on what you can do to boost well-being . But this all changed when my gut completely gave out on me. In the blink of an eye, I started getting nauseous, bloated, and belchy anytime I ate anything. I quickly dropped 15 pounds, became exhausted, and developed intense anxiety.
Had I thought more about my gut health, I could have seen the signs and prevented this nightmare. My gut had been screaming, “Pay attention to me!” for years by giving me new food allergies, migraines, and tummy troubles. These were all signs that my gut was unhealthy… I just didn’t realize it yet.
Why You Want to Heal the Gut Before You Get Sick
When my gut got mad at me, I had no idea what the problem was. It took me months to figure it out. Eventually I took the GI-MAP stool test and learned that I had a parasite called blastocystis hominis , which I likely picked up in Mexico a few years back. I also ate dairy , and lived in a moldy apartmentall things that contribute to poor gut health.