Heres How I Recommend You Do The Breathing Exercises
- Download the The Breathing App app and do it before and just after each meal. Although it is somewhat annoying to remember or take the time out to do this, all you need to do is try it out for the next 30 days.
- If you really struggle to do it, then at least try to nail it once a day with your biggest meal.
- As insurance, make sure you take a digestive enzyme or two just before each meal.
IDEA #17
Underlying Causes Of Leaky Gut
Leaky gut is thought to be moreof a side effect of other digestive issues,rather than a specific disease.
A number of diet and lifestyle factors contribute to leaky gut.Understanding what these are can help you take steps to avoid them.
Here are some of the possible underlying causes of leaky gut thatneed to be addressed to resolve it.
Antimicrobials Kill Off Bad Gut Bacteria
It is clear that imbalanced gut bacteria, or dysbiosis, plays an enormous role in the development of leaky gut.
Because of that, its absolutely necessary to kill off bad bacteria and encourage healthy growth of beneficial microbes.
Most often, getting rid of bad bacteria is going to require being on antimicrobials of some kind .
As a dietitian, Im a big fan of herbal antimicrobials. Here are some of my favorites to use:
- Oregano oil
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Diagnostic Tests For Leaky Gut Syndrome
If you have been experiencing any of the signs and symptoms listed above, then that is a good indicator that your gut health is not optimal. However, poor gut health does not automatically produce increased intestinal permeability.
The cells that make up the gut lining regenerate every two to three days. So, while treatment can be started to support the gut lining without confirming increased intestinal permeability, there are tests available to evaluate the degree of intestinal permeability. These tests include the Lactulose/Mannitol Test and the Antigenic Permeability Screen.
While these diagnostic tests do not offer a 100 percent accuracy in confirming Leaky Gut Syndrome, they can serve as invaluable measures of gut permeability, active immune response, and current level of inflammation.
Usually offered by independent laboratories, intestinal permeability tests are no more invasive or involved than the need to fast for a short period or drinking a sugar solution followed by a simple blood test. For more information or to schedule an appointment, consult an integrative healthcare provider.
Taking Medications That Damage Your Gut
Medications are the double-edged sword of our modern world. Some are life-saving and non-negotiable. Yet there are other gut-damaging medications such as antibiotics, oral contraceptives, and NSAIDs that can do more harm than good and get in the way of fixing leaky gut.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are one of the most over-prescribed medications. Nearly half of all outpatient prescriptions are unnecessary, according to the CDC. They work by blocking bacterial processes by either killing the bacteria or stopping them from multiplying. Unfortunately, antibiotics cannot tell the difference between the bad bacteria causing an infection and the good bacteria that belong in your gut. As the number of good bacteria in your gut decreases, you become susceptible to gut infections including Candida overgrowth and SIBO, which can contribute to leaky gut and interfere with leaky gut treatment.
Oral Contraceptives
Oral contraceptives or birth control pills contain synthetic hormones such as ethinyl estradiol and norethindrone, which are not recognized or broken down by the body in the same way natural estrogen is. Birth control pills also disrupt your internal balance of Candida by causing something called estrogen dominance meaning too much estrogen in the body. Candida cells have the ability to permeate your gut lining, causing leaky gut. When working to fix leaky gut, talk to your doctor about alternative methods of contraception.
NSAIDS
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How Do You Know If You Have A Leaky Gut
There are tests for leaky gut, which can be useful if you want hard evidence that you need to address your gut health. In other words, having proof that something is going on in your body might help to motivate you to make changes in your lifestyle or stick to a protocol.
For a more detailed rundown of how you can know if you have leaky gut, read our blog How do you know if you have leaky gut? Some quick answers
At Healthpath we use a PEG test to look at leaky gut. Together with your symptom survey, our Registered Nutritional Therapists and Functional Medicine Practitioners use the results to build you a personal diet, lifestyle and supplement protocol to get you great gut health.
For all you need to know about leaky gut testing, read Testing for leaky gut syndrome: the complete guide .
For most people, we recommend a deep-dive into the workings of your gut: a Gut Health Test. Some of our Gut Health Tests look at your zonulin level, which is one marker of leaky gut.
However, theres really no comparison to a stand-alone leaky gut test and a Gut Health Test, which is a fully comprehensive analysis of the goings-on of your gut. It looks at:
- Your microbiomes health: stool consistency, pH levels, microbe diversity, enterotype, and dysbiosis index.
- Bacteria, yeasts , moulds, parasites, worms, H. pylori and pathogenic bacteria.
- Advanced biomarkers: digestive function, immune system and inflammation.
Bonus elements on more advanced tests include:
How Bone Broth Helps Leaky Gut
Not only will the fast give your digestive system a much needed break, it will also ensure no more big food particles are making their way through your leaky gut and into your bloodstream.
That means inflammation can cool down and your immune system will also get a chance to regroup.
Meanwhile, the bone broth itself has a huge benefit for our gut, because the collagen in it delivers a huge serving of the types of amino acids our GI tract feeds on in order to repair itself eg glycine, proline and hydroxyproline4,5.
These amino acids work great together to mend the damaged cells lining the wall of our gut. Amazing!
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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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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.
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Fixing Leaky Gut: Avoid These 10 Mistakes
Amy Myers, MD
Amy Myers, M.D. is a functional medicine physician, trained and certified by The Institute of Functional Medicine. Dr. Myers earned her Doctor of Medicine at the LSU Health Science Center, and completed her Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Dr. Myers retired from her functional medicine clinic, Austin UltraHealth, where she served thousands of patients, to empower those who were failed by conventional medicine. Shes a 2x New York Times bestselling author, and the founder and CEO of the health & lifestyle e-commerce brand, Amy Myers MD®.
Have you been dedicated to your leaky gut treatment, only to have your digestive issues, eczema, brain fog, seasonal allergies, or other symptoms persist? Dont give up! Fixing a leaky gut can take time and there are many factors that can complicate your leaky gut treatment.
In fact, you may simply be overlooking a few key steps to fix leaky gut. Once youve made the necessary tweaks to your leaky gut treatment protocol, and continue to use essential supplements such as Leaky Gut Revive® , it should be smooth sailing. As a quick reminder, lets discuss The Myers Way® protocol to fix leaky gut.
Isnt This Good Enough
Well, not really.
For starters, when glutamine is taken alongside other amino acids , it is often taken in at a lower concentration than you really need. So expecting all the benefits of glutamine to accrue is probably not realistic.
But for people with perfect digestion who arent looking for GI support, glutamine through food and protein shakes may indeed suffice.
Lets take a look at exactly how much glutamine you should consider supplementing with.
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How Is Leaky Gut Syndrome Diagnosed
Leaky gut syndrome is not a medical diagnosis that can be proven or disproven. Instead, it is a potential effect of a number of different underlying intestinal diseases. Therefore, your veterinarian will perform tests designed to diagnose the underlying disease.
“Your veterinarian will perform tests designed to diagnose the underlying disease.”
Your veterinarian will begin by performing a thorough physical exam and obtaining a detailed medical history. A fecal sample will be collected and examined under a microscope, to look for intestinal parasites. Blood will be collected for a complete blood cell count and serum biochemistry profile.
Depending on your pets signs, additional testing may be recommended. These tests may include radiographs and/or ultrasound of your pets abdomen, and/or biopsies of the intestines. These tests can help your veterinarian understand the underlying cause of your pets gastrointestinal signs.
Increase Your Collagen Consumption
Collagen contains the amino acids glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline that are needed to repair and rebuild your gut lining. Regular consumption of collagen containing foods like bone broth, gelatin, and collagen powders can be therapeutic additions to the diet that may help mend and prevent leaky gut. Studies show that supplemental collagen peptides can help to strengthen the gut barrier, making it less permeable and more likely to retain nutrients from food. Eating foods that boost your bodys collagen production like eggs, citrus fruits, broccoli, sunflower seeds, and mushrooms can also help increase your bodys natural collagen production.
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Leaky Gut Tests On The Market
There are two common tests for identifying leaky gut: differential sugar tests and the zonulin test.
Differential sugar tests are considered the gold standard in leaky gut testing. For this test, you drink a solution containing specific sugars and then the levels of these sugars are measured a few hours later in your blood or urine. The idea here is that large oligosaccharides, like lactulose, do not pass through the gut barrier, while small monosaccharides, like mannitol, do. By testing for the sugars in the bloodstream or urine after consuming them, youre able to see the degree of intestinal permeability that is present.
Testing for zonulin in the blood is, unfortunately, not a great way to determine if you have leaky gut. Zonulin levels do not seem to correlate with other markers of intestinal permeability , and zonulin levels are constantly changing, making one single measurement of this protein a fairly useless measurement of intestinal permeability.
Testing for zonulin antibodies, on the other hand, may prove a more useful measurement.
If you want to test for leaky gut, a differential sugar test or a zonulin antibody test is your best bet.
But that brings us to our next question Is testing for leaky gut even worth it?
Identify The Foods You Should Eat:
As mentioned, foods that are low in fiber can lead to this condition. This offers you the opportunity to fix a leaky gut naturally. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that you consume a lot of food high in fiber to heal the leaky gut. It is also advisable to eat many fruits and vegetables to boost or support your immune system. Foods that are rich in probiotics and prebiotics are also essential. But if you do not have access to such foods, you can replace them with probiotic supplements. You should also include a lot of fish, meat, eggs, and yogurt in your diet and eat a lot of healthy fats as well. This is because a form of short-chain fatty acid called n-butyrate plays an important role in feeding the cells that line the gut. This way, it helps to provide the weak cells in the gut linings with the necessary nutrients and helps them heal faster. Also, when you consume a lot of soluble fibers, fruits, and vegetables, you will help support the gut bacteria responsible for producing n-butyrate. Other sources of healthy fat include clarified butter and coconut oil- which contains medium-chain fatty acids essential for keeping a healthy gut.
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Healing Your Gut Through Diet
Regardless of the cause of a leaky gut, proper nutrition can help you feel better.
The foods that you eat determine if you are giving your body a chance to heal, says Dr. La Vella. Diet is one of the important parts of managing the symptoms of a leaky gut.
She notes that ultra-processed foods are a common problem because they are low in fiber, high in fat and often contain chemical additives. This combination can harm healthy bacterial growth and damage tight junctions in the intestines.
Dr. La Vella recommends filling up on whole foods from all the food groups including fruits, vegetables, grains, lean protein and cultured dairy. Look for recipes for a Mediterranean-style diet or the DASH diet, which use healthy ingredients prepared in a tasty manner.
So How Long Does Leaky Gut Take To Heal
As leaky gut is not an official diagnosis and therefore has no set treatment procedure, the time taken for leaky gut to heal can vary greatly. The time it takes can depend on the method of healing you choose and can be different for everyone.
There is not enough information to define a definite healing time, but here are some general timeframe indicators of how long it can take to heal leaky gut.
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Leaky Gut Before And After
Lets go back to thinking of your gut lining as a drawbridge. When you have leaky gut, your drawbridge opens to allow undigested food particles, toxins, bacteria, and viruses to escape into your bloodstream and cause inflammation throughout your body.
As soon as you begin healing leaky gut, your drawbridge starts to lower, keeping those inflammatory agents within the safety of your gut where they can be broken down and expelled from your body via pooping, peeing, or sweating.
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.
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Abstain From All Alcohol For 30 Days And Say Goodbye To Beer Forever
Your gut is not a huge fan of alcohol. And that shouldnt be a surprise given alcohol itself is the natural result of yeast overgrowth and sugar37!
I go through a detailed explanation here in my article on alcohol and leaky gut syndrome, where I explain how alcohol messes with your digestion , reduces your ability to control inflammation39 , and it makes the openings in your gut lining larger .
Oh yeah, and alcohol is fantastic at depleting your levels of mucosal-supporting zinc too42!
These effects are magnified if you drink alcohol on an empty stomach, which is so often the case when people go for after work or pre-dinner drinks.
So heres my guide to alcohol and leaky gut
Cut Out Toxic Foods From Your Diet
Gluten, dairy, sugar, processed foods, pesticide-treated foods , and alcohol, are some of the most common foods that mount an assault on the sensitive cells lining your gut. If you want to heal leaky gut syndrome, we recommend cutting out these foods for at least three months and avoiding them in excess thereafter.
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Gut Microbiota And Leaky Gut Syndrome
The intestines are also home to a wide range of bacteria called gut microbiota. These bacteria aid digestion, protect the intestinal wall and support normal immune function. LGS may involve imbalances in gut microbiota.
According to a 2016 article, imbalances in the gut microbiota can trigger the bodys immune response. This results in gut inflammation and increased intestinal permeability . IP describes how easily substances can leak out of the intestines and into the bloodstream.
Experts still do not know exactly why autism develops. However, scientists have suggested that various genetic, biological, and environmental factors may play a role.
Recently, scientists have begun investigating a possible link between gut microbiota, IP, and autism.