When the integrity of the gut barrier is compromised, it can lead to something called leaky gut. Allowing toxins to enter the bloodstream, leaky gut can lead to chronic inflammation and pain.
A way to support a healthy gut balance is to eat the right foods, avoid gluten and limit alcohol intake…Eat food, not too much and mostly plants. DR. CHAD LARSON
In episode 45 of his Keep It Real video series, Dr. Larson discusses leaky gut & the following tips:
Your GI Tract is a tube that goes from your mouth all the way through the intestinal tract, and if you take a segment of the wall barrier and you study it, it looks like a structure with little fingers on top.
Food is absorbed on the top layer, which is only one layer thick, and then they are broken down by enzymes. The top layer is only one cell layer thick, and it is bound together by strong proteins that tie epithelial cells together, so that only the things that are supposed to be absorbed, get through. Just below that top layer is your circulatory system, where the red blood cells are located that carry nutrients from food or supplements to supply the body.
There are times when things can go wrong, such as having too much bad bacteria. As a matter of fact, the average person has about five to seven pounds of bacteria in their gut, which is normal, but there has to be a balance between the good bacteria and the bad. If there is an imbalance, then it is called dysbiosis, and once these bad bacteria build up, it is possible for them to break through the integrity of the gut wall which leads to something called a leaky gut.
If you have a leaky gut, then things that are not supposed to cross the barrier now can, and it can lead to inflammation throughout the entire body.
What Causes Leaky Gut?
- One insult to the gut can be foods that contain gluten like wheat, rye, and barley
- Alcohol is another substance that can hurt the integrity of the gut barrier wall
- One binge drinking session is only four drinks, and it is enough to hurt the integrity of your gut barrier
- Alcoholism is definitely a risk for a leaky gut
- Other things that can be an insult to the gut’s health are ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin and stress
- When there are combinations of any of them, it increases the risk of creating an imbalance leading to leaky gut
What Are The Symptoms Of Leaky Gut?
- The inflammation that you get with leaky gut can lead to a feeling that everything hurts
- Other symptoms are chronic muscle tightness, headaches, and elevated blood markers, which can indicate that you have leaky gut from barrier breakdown
What Can I Do To Fix Leaky Gut?
- A way to support a healthy gut balance is to eat the right foods, avoid gluten and limit alcohol intake
- You can also support gut health by eating foods that are rich in L-glutamine, Vitamin D, Fish Oil, Vitamin A and Zinc
- Nutrients can help to repair the gut barrier and to balance the bacteria in the gut to repair its integrity
- “Eat food, not too much and mostly plants” – Michael Pollan
- Foods that promote good gut health are fruits, vegetables, and greens, because they supply you with enough fiber and micronutrients to repair your gut integrity
- For good gut health avoid gluten, alcohol and other insults and seek out foods and nutrients to keep your balance healthy
