LEAKY GUT?
The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, said it himself: "All disease begins in the gut".
Gut health has been on everyone’s radar for quite some time now. There are endless products that claim to ‘heal the gut’, shelves of different probiotics, and throw in glutamine and fibre/prebiotics in the mix! Not to mention products to “cleanse” the gut of bacteria, fungi/candida and parasites…
Where does one even start?
In this post I wanted to concentrate on a commonly ‘diagnosed’ gut issue, Leaky Gut, also known as increased intestinal permeability. Basically, it means that bacteria and toxins can "leak" through the intestinal wall, into the blood steam, instead of being contained in the gastrointestinal system and excreted safely. These toxins, including lipopolysaccharides (LPS; cell-wall fragments of pathogenic organisms) can cause widespread inflammation and trigger immune reactions, resulting in food intolerances and allergies, skin conditions and excessive mucous production in an attempt to “flush out” the foreign particles. These toxins can also cross the blood-brain barrier and affect mood and brain function.
The walls of the gastrointestinal tract are designs to act as a barrier (as well as allowing the absorption of essential nutrients), to control what enters the bloodstream. The lining of your gut is built of just a single layer of cells. If your gut is healthy, tiny holes in the lining allow nutrients to pass through, while blocking the passage of harmful substances. This is how your body absorbs vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients. Intestinal permeability refers to how easily substances pass through the intestinal wall. When there is an inflammation in the gastrointestinal mucosa, the intestinal wall becomes excessively permeable, and the tight junctions of the lining cells become more separated- ie. leaky gut.
Some of the common causes of both leaky gut and digestive dysfunction are:
Inflammation: Chronic inflammation throughout the body can contribute to leaky gut syndrome
Stress: Chronic stress is a contributing factor to many GI disorders, including leaky gut
The microbiome/ microbial balance: There are millions of bacteria in the gut, some beneficial and some harmful. When the balance between the two is disrupted, it can affect the barrier function of the intestinal wall, this includes yeasts such as candida
Nutritional Deficiencies: such as vitamin A, vitamin D and zinc
Excessive sugar intake: An unhealthy diet high in sugar may harm the barrier function of the intestinal wall, and feed opportunistic bacteria, yeasts and parasites.
Excessive alcohol intake
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Parasites: Parasites can cause extensive damage and can produce symptoms like allergies, constipation, diarrhoea, wind, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, joint and muscle aches, anaemia, skin problems, sleep disturbances, chronic fatigue, and gradual immune dysfunction. Parasites release toxins that damage tissues, resulting in pain and inflammation, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract and they can depress, the immune system.
Many studies have connected increased intestinal permeability with multiple chronic diseases like celiac disease, Crohn’s Disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and food allergies and intolerances. Others include skin conditions, autoimmune diseases, lethargy, sinus congestion, and brain fog.
Two important concepts in Ayurveda that help to understand improving gut health are Ama and Agni.
Ama is the sticky waste-product of incomplete digestion that builds up in the digestive tract when your digestion is either weak or overloaded with the wrong foods. Ama can be thought of as the ultimate result of a disrupted microbiome and injured gut lining, allowing undigested food, bacteria, or environmental toxins to enter the bloodstream. Ama is a precursor to disease.
When our gut bacteria are disrupted, the gut wall becomes more vulnerable. Antibiotics, poor food choices, and other factors can then lead to damage in the gut wall, which results in increased intestinal permeability and leaky gut syndrome. What this means is that undigested or semi-digested food, harmful bacteria, and environmental toxins are able to enter our bloodstream.
In Ayurveda, Agni means the fire of digestion, which can be translated as the digestive enzymes that break down different foods. This definition can be extended to include the digestive power of the bacteria in our lower gut. The combination of specific bacteria with the sensitivity of our gut determines how much gas we produce and whether we experience bloating, pain, constipation, diarrhea, or comfort and ease.
We aim to reduce Ama and enhance Agni for improved gut health, and to help repair leaky gut.
There are steps you can take to improve your gut health. Here are a few strategies:
Remove food triggers: this is probably not forever, just for some time, so the gut lining has time to heal and rejuvenate. These can include wheat/ gluten, processed meats, nitrates and sulphates, artifical colours, flavours, sugars and preservatives, sugar and processed carbohydrates, dairy, alcohol, and for some, corn, other grains or eggs.
Reduce inflammation: herbs like turmeric, slippery elm, marshmallow root, aloe vera or licorice root can be commonly used.
Support liver detoxification.
Healthy diet with anti-inflammatory, and healing / nourishing foods. This includes prebiotic fibres to feed the beneficial bacterial balance.
Restore longevity by improving gut flora for better gut health with supplements, which can include probiotics, specialized gut powders (including glutamine, slippery elm, aloe, turmeric, zinc carnosine and collagen) and prebiotics. Always choose your brand and sources carefully. Speak to your practitioner to assess which ones are suited to your individual symptoms and requirements.
I am a big fan of healing herbs for daily use, including teas and as an addition to meals, such as ginger, cardamom, cumin, fennel, coriander, turmeric, parsley, coriander, thyme, oregano, basil, black pepper.