What Are The Causes Of Leaky Gut Syndrome
A lot of things can result in a leaky gut. These can include anything from stress and eating too much sugar , to antibiotics and hormone treatments. There are some additional factors that may come into play too, such as consuming too much alcohol or not having a properly balanced diet. All of these things can affect your guts permeability. A healthy diet rich in the proper amount of nutrients can help you avoid this condition in the first place.
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What Causes A Leaky Gut
The exact cause of increased intestinal permeability is unknown but as our environment has become more processed and hygienic there has been an increase in autoimmune disease. Inside the human body is a complex ecosystem of microorganisms composed of viruses, bacteria, and fungi, all of which collectively constitute whats called the human gut microbiome. Balance and biodiversity in the gut microbiome create health. Imbalance and reduced diversity in this ecosystem create disease.
The gut microbiome protects us from dangerous bacteria, regulates our metabolism, aids in digestion, creates vitamins, manages hormone levels, disposes of toxins, feeds, and protects the lining of the gut and our immunity. Our relationship with our microbiome ecosystem is symbiotic. We provide a home for these microorganisms and give them food. In return, these organisms serve us in many ways
Our gut microbes help produce short-chain fatty acids to maintain the strength and integrity of our gut lining. The short-chain fatty acids are involved in regulating your immune system, healing, combating inflammation and may help protect you against cancer and many other diseases. There is a strong correlation between a weak intestinal lining and autoimmune diseases.
Foods That Can Disrupt The Balance Of Your Gut Microbiome:
- Sugar, added sugars, refined carbohydrates, and high fructose-corn syrup.
- Artificial sweeteners.
- Refined vegetable oils: canola, corn, peanut, sunflower, soybean, safflower.
- Cured and processed meats and food additives.
- GMO foods. Look for the Non-GMO Project Verified seal on a food label.
- Foods containing emulsifiers and food additives: Gums, Carrageenan, Maltodextrin.
- Foods rich in Saturated fat, including processed meat, deli meat, hot dogs, sausage, bacon.
- High salt intake.
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The Role Of Leaky Gut In Overall Health Remains Unclear
Leaky gut could be the cause of some health problems, or a sign of something larger, says Dr. Fasano. The science is still up in the air. For example, digestive conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and Crohns disease share many of the same symptoms as leaky gut, and all are linked with chronic inflammation, but its not known how, or if, they are connected.
The challenge is that its difficult to measure the strength of a persons gut barrier, so you cant know for certain when leaky gut is really present, or what influence it may have elsewhere in the body, says Dr. Fasano.
Is There A Test For Leaky Gut
While diagnosis is incredibly difficult as mentioned, there is one specific test that some physicians will use in order to test intestinal permeability. The test is called the mannitol and lactulose test. Both of these are water-soluble molecules that the body cannot use. Mannitol is easily absorbed by people with healthy intestinal linings, whereas lactulose is a larger molecule, and thus is only slightly absorbed. A person is instructed to drink a solution containing both of these molecules, and then their urine is collected for six hours. The amount present in the urine reflects how much was absorbed by the body a healthy test will display high levels of mannitol, and low levels of lactulose. If high levels of both are found, it indicates increased intestinal permeability. If low levels of both are found, it indicates general poor absorption of all nutrients .
It is important to note that this test is an indicator of small intestine permeability, and cannot definitively diagnose leaky gut with full certainty. Most physicians steer clear of this test, as they do not believe it is very reliable. Additionally, since increased intestinal permeability is a symptom of many other diseases, it should not be used to necessarily diagnose leaky gut syndrome, as this could prevent a patient from receiving treatment for a more serious condition they may have. Seeking the advice of a gastroenterologist is recommended, as they specialize in digestive health and the GI tract.
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My Experiential Evidence With Leaky Gut
I had leaky gut which caused a whole bunch of really unpleasant symptoms that made me feel really unwell for a really long time. These symptoms included:
- reflux
- allergies
- recurrent sinusitis
I felt so awful and so frustrated that the doctors were unable to help me that I took matters into my own hands and started to do my own research. I suspected the problem was with my digestion, so I searched and researched to try and find out which foods I reacted to and why.
I started to remove certain foods from my diet to see if it had any effect on my symptoms. It was only when I starting avoiding gluten, and all my other food allergens and began taking supplements that have been demonstrated to support the healing of leaky gut that it all came together. I truly started feeling better. No more reflux, no more canker sores, no more stomach upsets, headaches, allergies, or sinusitis! The absence of all these horrible symptoms improved the quality of my life immensely.
From my own experienceand extensive experience with patients with similar symptoms, I devised a program to help everyone with leaky gut uncover the causes and find their own route to health.
Natural Steps To Help Heal A Leaky Gut
So aside from maintaining a TRUE gluten free diet, what do we do to overcome this problem? Here is a list of the top 10 To do steps to naturally get your gut and health back on track:
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Lifestyle Was Not Factored In
Even though its discussed in the book, I have found that people will avoid the lifestyle part and write it off as not important. Tough love here. Its very, very important. And if youre doing all the other things, this might be your golden ticket to healing. Oftentimes, you cant diet harder. Think about the primary foods. Im serious. Stop right now and really think about them. BTW the number one tool you can have for this;entire list, troubleshooting, and your journey is the 90-day gut healing journal.
What Is The Best Supplement For Leaky Gut
Proven Ingredients: One of the most powerful ingredients that supports leaky gut repair is L-glutamine. In fact, multiple studies have confirmed that this compound can repair and restore intestinal and overall gut health. Because of this, supplements that contain L-glutamine were given the highest ratings.
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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:
Are There Specific Foods To Avoid With Leaky Gut
As we have seen in much of the preceding information, the foods that trigger an inflammatory response in people can vary drastically.
The most important foods for everyone with leaky gut to avoid are the following. Everyone pursuing a clean gut diet should opt out of the following foods.
- Grains and legumes
- Excessive amounts of carbohydrates
- Processed oils such as corn, soybean, and vegetable oil
Further adjustments can be tweaked along the way that will allow for even better results to be accomplished, but those will vary considerably from person to person.
Additionally, you may find that you will be able to add certain foods back into your diet once your gut has been healed properly.
However, dont do this too soon or you will hinder your progress. As always, strive to keep your diet as clean as possible to continue seeing the kind of results you are looking for long-term.
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So What Can Go Wrong With The Digestive System
Unfortunately, the modern lifestyle can easily interfere with good digestive function, leading to a range of symptoms including constipation, bloating, food allergies, leaky gut and candida overgrowth.
Almost everything about the modern lifestyle tends to upset the delicate balance in the gut, from sugar and smoking to stress, alcohol, antibiotics and lack of sleep. The refined foods we eat are particularly damaging to the gut, as they lack fibre to feed the good bacteria and are high in sugar and damaged fats to promote inflammation.
Over time, this can lead to the development of leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome describes a situation whereby the cells of the intestinal wall have become damaged and more porous, allowing things that normally shouldnt pass through to enter the blood stream. The presence of these food particles and pathogens in the bloodstream creates an inflammatory and immune reaction, leading to allergies, poor immunity and a range of other conditions. Although the problem is centred in the gut, leaky gut syndrome may present with no digestive symptoms at all.
Experiencing unpleasant gut symptoms? Heres our easy guide to correct them.
How Alcohol Affects The Gut
The gut contains more than 100 trillion bacteria, and this bacterial population is collectively referred to as the microbiome. Without a healthy gut, numerous other areas of our health will suffer, including but not limited to:
Do you struggle with bloating, gas, constipation, or other digestive issues? Weve created a FREE guide to healing your gut naturally.
- Digestion and elimination
- Stress hormones and adrenal gland problems
Countless diet and lifestyle factors can positively and negatively impact gut health and, often, we only give thought to it when were noticing life-altering symptoms. Hundreds of different varieties of bacteria live in the gut, some of them good and some of them bad, with the bad bacteria having a hand in many unpleasant symptoms, side effects, and chronic conditions.
When the bad bacteria outnumber the good, this is referred to as dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria symmetry. We need more good bacteria to flourish than bad bacteria. Drinking alcohol can have a profound effect on the gut and can influence what kind and how many bacteria live there.
Drinking alcohol can have a profound effect on the gut and can influence what kind and how many bacteria live there. Even a single episode of drinking can damage the gut wall and can also lead to malabsorption of essential vitamins and minerals.
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Improved Detox And Liver Function
Alcohol is well-known for its damaging effects on the liver, but only in people who are alcoholics for a long time. However, you dont have to be a lifelong alcoholic to experience liver problems from alcohol intake. Alcohols impact on gut bacteria can allow damaging bacteria to thrive, including types that can actually hurt the liver itself.
An inefficient, inflamed, or damaged liver puts the whole body at risk of further health problems since toxins that arent removed by the liver remain in circulation throughout the bloodstream, with the potential to ignite chronic health issues and even cancer. Without alcohol for the liver to metabolize, your liver can efficiently do its job of collecting and removing toxins from the body.
Bottom line: While alcohol isnt all bad, it can have a devastating effect on gut health, which in turn, can take its toll on the entire body. Sensitive individuals can benefit from strict moderation and even avoidance of alcohol, as well as living a gut-friendly lifestyle, to ensure that their microbiome is stocked with more good bacteria than bad.
Identify The Foods You Should Avoid:
While you take the time to consume the right kind of food, it is equally important to avoid eating certain foods to improve your gut health. Some foods come with higher possibilities of causing inflammation in the body. Such foods can also negatively affect healthy bacteria while promoting the growth of unhealthy gut bacteria responsible for many chronic health conditions. In order to ensure that this does not happen, it is vital to avoid consuming excess junk food, foods containing artificial sweeteners, refined oils, sugary beverages, processed food, and alcohol. All these foods can harm healthy gut bacteria and compromise the guts protective lining. It is also vital to stay away from wheat-based products like wheat flour, cereals, pasta, and bread, which can also trigger symptoms of an unhealthy gut. Also avoid eating foods such as oats, triticale, seitan, bulgur, rye, and barley frequently. Eating a lot of grain foods that contain gluten is very problematic as well.
In addition to that, it is best also to stay away from processed foods, processed meat, baked foods, and snacks. Processed meat foods include hot dogs, bacon, deli meats, and cold cuts. Baked goods include pizza, pastries, pies, cookies, muffins, and cakes. Snack foods to stay away from consist of the following; pretzels, popcorn, muesli bars, and crackers. Sauces like salad dressings, teriyaki, soy, and hoisin sauce ideally have to be avoided as well.
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Bonus Strategy: Address Nerve Health In The Gut
The gut has a vast nerve network known as the enteric nervous system. Irritation or altered nerve firing patterns are related to GI dysfunction. These nerves also regulate the gut mucosa.
Manage & Reduce Stress
The first step in addressing the enteric nervous system is to manage & reduce stress.
This will calm the “fight or flight” nervous system, and help recover & strengthen “rest & digest” functions.
Cortisol is your primary stress hormone. It acts as a natural anti-inflammatory & steroid-like compound in the body. Excess cortisol degrades the gut lining & suppresses the immune system.This is why you can “give yourself an ulcer” when stressed out. Stress thins out the mucosa & suppresses the immune system – ulcers develop at unprotected sites.
Stress can be approached by many directions, with or without supplements, yet many will turn to adaptogens for good reason. These herbs have a dual-effect to help your body “adapt”. They help support a stress response when it is down, and help calm a stress response when it is elevated.
I like HPA Adapt to support energy, Cortisol Manager and/or Lavela for calming support, &Mycobotanicals Stress Decompress for a little bit of everything.
The Gut as the Second Brain
Since all of Host Defense’s mushrooms are grown in-house, you will not find a better cost for potency either.
Vagus Nerve – the Master Controller of the Gut
The vagus nerve is also subject to attack from infections like those discussed above.
Conditions Associated With Leaky Gut
The idea that leaky gut or general gastrointestinal conditions are the root cause of many diseases and conditions is not proven by science. It is difficult to prove whether leaky gut is a cause or effect.
However, the condition is still thought to have links with a variety of different chronic conditions, and there is evidence to support that leaky gut is present in people with certain chronic diseases. These include:
- Celiac disease
- Food allergies
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What Is The Best L
Well, the first thing to look for in a L-Glutamine supplement for intestinal health is the form it comes in, i.e. capsules v powder.
Because if you are going to be taking high doses of glutamine you do not want to buy it in capsule form. After all, who would want to swallow 30 pills of glutamine a day?!
So pure powder is undoubtedly the best way to go. Especially since it is also going to be easier for your body to digest. Which is particularly important if your digestive system is already in poor health.
Correlation Between Gut Health And Mental Health:
Similarly, there is a strong correlation between gut health and mental health. The vagus nerve runs from stomach to brain stem, so if something is wonky with your digestive system, you may also experience anxiety and/or depression.
I wouldnt consider myself to be a Type A individual or to be particularly particular, but when my gut symptoms were at their worst, I felt anxiety daily, had a bleak outlook on life, and also had obsessive compulsive behavior. It took healing my gut to calm my nervous system and to cease the obsessive behaviors to which I had grown accustomed.
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