Leaky Gut: What It Is and What You Can Do About It

Leaky gut is being talked about everywhere you turn—and rightfully so. Playing a role in autoimmune disease, inflammation, joint pain, food intolerances, sinus congestion, gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, brain fog, eczema and other rashes, and more, leaky gut is nothing to scoff at. Confused about what the term "leaky gut" even means? You're not alone. Our intestines are made up of cells with junctions between them—tight junctions—which play an important role, letting vital nutrients pass through and get into our blood stream where they can travel to cells that need them, but at the same time preventing unwanted particles, bacterias and viruses from escaping the inside of the intestinal tract. In leaky gut, these junctions become loose or leaky, and, as a result, all kinds of particles that should not make it into our bloodstream do, causing disruptive inflammation and a host of other symptoms that stem from it. 

WHAT CAUSES LEAKY GUT?
While there are a variety of factors that may contribute to leaky gut, there are a few factors that have a significant effect. Certain foods, stress, environmental toxins and dysbiosis all set the stage for leaky gut to appear. 

1. Food Triggers: Gluten, grains, dairy and sugar are all foods that can exacerbate or trigger leaky gut. Grains contain lectins which can cause the junctions between cells to become more permeable while gluten contains zonulin which can have a similar effect. The casein in dairy can wreck havoc on the integrity of your digestive tract while sugar can feed candida and pathogenic bacteria exacerbating dysbiosis and, in turn, leaky gut. 
2. Stress: Stress hormones and pre-hormones such as corticotropin releasing hormone and cortisol have been shown to increase intestinal cell permeability. Stress also weakens our immune system which reduces our ability to fight off foreign invaders which may lead to dysbiosis as well as inflammation and therefore leaky gut. 
3. Toxins and Medications: Antibiotics, pesticides, tap water, NSAIDs and asprin all contribute to leaky gut via various mechanisms. Avoidance of these substances is one of the best ways to prevent and treat intestinal permeability.
4. Gut Bacteria: Probiotics—beneficial gut bacteria—form a physical and chemical shield that decreases the permeability of the intestines. If there is no or little beneficial bacteria present or an increased number of pathogenic bacteria present, this affects the integrity of the "shield." Likewise, viruses and parasites can also contribute to dysbiosis and the formation of leaky gut.

TESTING FOR LEAKY GUT
If you're concerned you may have leaky gut, there are several ways to test for it, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Urine and blood tests are more common. Consult a health care practitioner well versed in leaky gut to discover which form of testing may be right for you.

TREATING LEAKY GUT
Treating leaky gut requires a multi-pronged approach and can take time and patient to fully resolve. That being said, below are a few of our favorite treatments to restore the intestinal lining:

1. Healing Foods: Bone broth, collagen powder, fermented foods, coconut-containing foods, and sprouted seeds and grains can all be beneficial to healing the intestinal lining. The collagen, proline and glycine in bone broth can be very beneficial as can the fiber in sprouted grains which is a major fuel source for beneficial bacteria in the intestines.
2. Lower Stress: Because of the relationship between stress and leaky gut discussed above, it's essential to lower stress and increase relaxation to repair your intestinal lining. Consider mind-body techniques such as guided meditation, pranayama (breathing practices) or visualization to reduce stress. Moderate exercise, spending time with friends, of a warm bath can also all be great relaxation-enhancers. 
3. Glutamine: Glutamine, a conditionally essential amino acid, is an excellent fuel source for our intestinal cells and helps maintain gut barrier functions. Five grams of glutamine daily is the ideal amount for intestinal repair. You can purchase our favorite high quality glutamine here. 
4. Probiotics: As discussed above, probiotics play an important role in maintaining our intestinal shield. To repair a leaky gut, we recommend up to 225 billion CFUs of probiotic daily. You can purchase our favorite probiotic for healing leaky gut at our online store. 
5. GI Revive: GI Revive is an excellent product that contains two essential nutrients for healing leaky gut: DGL and quercetin. DGL is beneficial for the adrenal glands and lowers stress while also helping to maintain the mucosal lining. Quercetin is a powerful anti-inflammatory and also stimulates the body to produce the proteins involved in maintaining tight junctions. To learn more about GI Revive, visit click here. 

Drawing courtesy of SaraSevenSeas.