When you consume food, your digestive tract comes into action that breaks down your food & nutrients are absorbed. Your digestive system acts as a protective zone for your body. The intestinal walls acts as a barrier that controls what enters into your bloodstream to be transported to body organs. Intestinal walls have tight junctions which allows water & nutrients to pass through them & enter the bloodstream, thereby allowing your body to absorb nutrients. These tight junctions prevents harmful substances & toxins from entering your bloodstream. However, when these tight junctions become loose, the gut becomes more permeable that allows bacteria & toxins to pass to bloodstream. This is called leaky gut. When this happens & all toxic substances enter the bloodstream, it causes inflammation & triggers response from immune system.
Some symptoms of leaky gut syndrome include digestive issues, bloating, skin problems, fatigue & food in-sensitivities. These are possible causes of a lot of medical conditions such as migraine, autism, brain disorders, thyroid abnormalities & mood swings.
So what causes leaky gut? A protein called Zonulin. When activated, it can lead to leaky gut. Bacteria in intestine & gluten( a protein found in wheat & other grains are said to be two possible factors for release of Zonulin. In some cases such as people with irritable bowel syndrome & Celiac disease, gluten increases intestinal permeability leading to leaky gut. Some of the other factors that causes leaky gut include:
- High sugar intake particularly through fructose harms the barrier created by intestinal wall
- Excessive alcohol intake may increase intestinal permeability.
- Vitamin A & Vitamin D deficiency has been a reason for causing increase in intestinal permeability
- Inflammation through the body can cause leaky gut.
- Chronic stress is the reason for lot of gastrointestinal diseases including leaky gut.
- Yeast is said to found in the gut however overgrowth of yeast may lead to leaky gut.
So what diseases are associated with leaky gut?
- Celiac disease: This is an auto-immune disease which is characterized by sensitivity to gluten. Intestinal permeability is said to be high with those suffering from Celiac disease
- Diabetes: It is nothing but destruction of autoimmune insulin producing beta cells in the Pancreas. This is often caused by an influx of foreign substances coming through leaky gut.
- Crohn’s disease: This is generally caused by inflammation of the intestinal tract which is a result of increase in intestinal permeability.
- Irritable bowel syndrome: This is caused majorly due to constipation & diarrhea & is said to primary reason for increase in intestinal permeability.
- Food allergies: A leaky gut allows food protein to cross intestinal tract trigger an immune response. Such an action causes food allergy.
How do you improve your gut health?
Focus on consuming the following to have healthy gut:
- Reduce carbs intake: Sugar is said to be carry lot of harmful bacteria. Excessive intake of sugar is said to harm gut barrier function.
- Consume probiotic supplements: Probiotic are healthy bacteria that can improve your gut health.
- Eat fermented foods such as plain yogurt & Kimchi is said to improve your gut health
- Eat soluble high fibre foods such as fruits & vegetables that brings healthy bacteria & are said to improve gut health.
