Gut health refers to the balance and function of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which includes the stomach, intestines, and microbiome (the trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes living in your gut). A healthy gut plays a crucial role in digestion, immune function, mental health, and even chronic disease prevention.
The term leaky gut is often talked about in association with health conditions such as:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
- Celiac Disease
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) – Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis
- Eczema
- Obesity & Metabolic Diseases
- Autoimmune Diseases
What is leaky gut and what causes it? Leaky gut refers to increased intestinal permeability, where the lining of the small intestine becomes compromised. The intestinal lining is a single layer of epithelial cells held together by tight junctions, which regulate the passage of nutrients like amino acids, fatty acids, and simple sugars into the bloodstream. When these tight junctions are functioning properly, they prevent larger, potentially harmful substances from passing through.
Leaky gut occurs when inflammation damages the intestinal lining, causing the tight junctions to loosen. This allows larger, partially digested food particles, toxins, and microbes to enter the bloodstream. Since the body does not recognize these substances as safe, it triggers an immune response. Over time, chronic immune activation can contribute to systemic inflammation, increasing the risk of autoimmune diseases and other health conditions.
What is causing inflammation affecting the small intestine lining? There is seldom just one root cause. More likely it is a combination of many factors that could include:
Physical stressors like lack of movement, subluxations, sitting too much, or carrying excessive weight.
Toxins within the environment or toxins entering the body via foods. Gluten intolerance, eating processed foods and sugar, food allergies, alcohol, heavy metals, pesticides, MOLD, medications, or infections can all be contributors to toxins in the body.
Stress can become a factor because it causes the body to continually be in a fight or flight scenario. This constant situation can create chronic inflammation, impaired digestion and a compromised immune response to pathogens.
Let’s consider a few action steps you can take:
Avoid Inflammatory Foods
- Gluten, added sugars, processed foods, and other food allergies can compromise our Digestion and lead to symptoms
- Additionally, reducing or eliminating alcohol may offer benefit, which has been shown to cause damage to the gut lining
Focus on Whole Foods:
- A diet based on healthy proteins (grass-fed meats, wild caught fish, pasture-raised eggs if tolerated)
- Healthy fats (Avocados, coconut oil, nuts/seeds if tolerated)
- Eat plenty of fiber rich vegetable and prebiotic foods to support our gut bacteria
- Fermented foods (sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi) are great to support the GI lining
Our approach to wellness is from the Swiss Watch perspective – the body works as one unit to function properly. We seek to find the root causes that are creating inflammatory situations within the body. We commonly test for things like food allergies, possible gut infection, or yeast overgrow in the gut. Our practitioners work with patients to better understand nutrition and how whole foods and the right foods work within the body to promote wellness. Herbs and supplements are beneficial to promote wellness and work with a body to heal.
Are you ready to learn more? Contact us today to schedule a 15-minute discovery call and get started on your health journey.