Unmasking Leaky Gut: 9 Effective Keys to Healing from the Inside Out

Leaky gut, or intestinal permeability, occurs when the intestinal lining is damaged, allowing toxins to enter the bloodstream and potentially leading to various health issues.

Of all the wonders of nature, the intestines are one of the most wonderful – meaning “full of wonder. All the biochemical processes of the body require a constant supply of nutrients, which come through the intestines. The intestines are the interface between the body and the world. We take things into our mouths so we can get the nutrients needed for us to live, work, think, create, and love. It could be said that either we live to eat, or we eat to live – either way this is a very important part of our existence.

While we may say that we take food into our bodies, that is only partially true. You can think of the body like a tube, the body is the wall of the tube, and both the inside and outside of the tube are not part of the body. Thus, everything in your intestines is outside your body. There is no blood, no circulation, no genes, or metabolism happening in the intestines. Everything in there is protected from getting inside your body by epithelial (skin) cells.

There are a lot of these cells that line the small intestine, but they are only one cell layer thick.[i] Compare that to other parts of your body where there is skin. The back of your hand may have about twenty layers of cells protecting your body from all the junk you put your hands into. The soles of your feet may have hundreds of layers of cells to give more protection.

The intestines, however, only have one layer of cells, but there are billions of them. If you were to spread out the entire lining of your intestines that is only one cell thick, it would be about 50’ x 50’ (2,500 square feet). Now consider that plate of dinner you ate last night, spread the whole thing out to an area the size of a tennis court – it would be very thin indeed! That is how your intestines can get to all the nutrients in your food.

This single cell layer is important. More layers of cells would make the absorption more difficult. The single cell can bring nutrients directly into the blood. It is very efficient. But, what happens if a cell is lost? It leaves a hole – and this is what creates “leaky gut.”[ii]

In medical speak, leaky gut is called intestinal permeability.[iii] It refers to the inability for the intestinal lining to keep toxins out of the body, or blood, and the inability to keep nutrients in. There are lots of toxins in foods that should not go into the body, but if there are holes in the intestinal lining, they can go right in. Intestinal permeability is real. If you go to your gastroenterologist, you may find they don’t believe, or even have heard about “leaky gut.”  It is not considered a medical diagnosis, but it still is real.

That single layer of cells that lines the digestive tract is easily disrupted, and cells die. The process of digesting food is hard on them. The food itself may contain toxins and materials such as plant lectins that block cell growth. When there are holes in the protective layer, the things you eat that you don’t want to get into your blood will be absorbed into the blood. Your intestines are amazingly adept at making new cells. When your intestine is quiet, and there is no digestion happening, the lost cells are all replaced and the lining is intact – no more leaky gut!

How do you know if you have leaky gut?

This is not easy to answer because any intestinal problem such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or cramping can be associated with it. However, there are some symptoms that can show up that are not in the intestines:

• Brain fog, or concentration difficulties
• Fatigue
• Body aches, joint pain, and headaches
• Skin rashes
• Chemical and food sensitivities
• Allergies
• Anxiety and depression

Toxins and inflammation from the intestines can affect every tissue in your body. The immune system is trained in the gut so there are lots of autoimmune diseases that are associated with leaky gut, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and celiac disease.

As you can imagine, this is a very common condition. For people who have chronic diseases 60-80% also have leaky gut.[iv] Thus, it is important to check for it if you have any chronic illness. Often, all you need to do is fix the intestines and the other problems disappear!

What causes people to get a leaky gut?

If the cells are not replaced, or there is no time for the repairs to happen, then holes remain for the next meal, and toxins can enter the body. There are many reasons for the loss of cells.

Lectins are the immune system of the plant to protect them from fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other pests. All lectins are proteins that bind to carbohydrates (sugar), and many are toxic. Some lectins you may have heard of include:

• Solanine found in nightshades like potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant can cause leaky gut by binding to the glycoproteins on the cells that line the intestines, preventing them from reproducing and filling in the gaps.[v]
• Gliadin is a part of gluten that causes celiac disease, which is leaky gut.[vi]

But, to say that all lectins are all bad is like saying people are all bad. Every organism in the world has lectins. Lectins in food are important signaling proteins that tell your intestines how to digest and get the most nutrition out of your foods.

Some lectins are good in small amounts.[vii] Mushrooms are especially noted to have anti-cancer lectins.[viii]Low levels of toxic lectins may also have antioxidant effects, as well as stimulating growth of the intestinal lining.

Cooking inactivates lectins because they are proteins. Some lectins may survive, but most, if not all, are at least inactivated by high heat. This is important because slow-cooking beans on a low heat may not inactivate the lectins in the beans and cause food poisoning. The temperature needs to be boiling. (Beans that are canned or cooked in a pressure cooker use high heat that destroys lectins).

Food allergies produce a release of histamine causing swelling and irritation of the small bowel. This induces leaky gut.[ix] While actual food allergies are rare, food sensitivities may be very common.[x] Those who have true allergies may have immediate reactions such as itching, hives, rash, or asthma and difficulty breathing. On the other hand, food sensitivities generally produce symptoms in the stomach and intestines such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, acid reflux, constipation, or abdominal cramps. Either way, it is important to know what you react to and avoid those foods.

Toxins of many types that slow the growth of cells may prevent the lining of the intestines from being repaired. Cancer treatments with chemotherapy or radiation to the bowel can create leaky gut issues. Heavy metals can block energy causing cells to die. Mycotoxins from mold can affect repair of the intestinal lining.

Deficiencies of important nutrients, especially B-vitamins like vitamin B12 and folate, or iron deficiency anemia, will slow the process of repair for the lining of the intestines.

Inflammation in the bowel or the body slows the repair process. This inflammation can be from reactions, or from parasites or bacteria or viruses that affect the intestines.

Stress – Chronic stress changes your digestion and prevents the repair of the intestines.

Testing

The following methods may be used to test for leaky gut: [xi],[xii]

Urine test. This test involves drinking a solution with different sugars and measuring their levels in the urine. High levels of certain sugars indicate increased intestinal permeability.

Blood test for IgG antibodies to the foods you eat. The body only produces IgG antibodies when the proteins from the food get in the bloodstream, which happens with intestinal permeability.

Tissue biopsy. This test involves inserting an endoscope down your esophagus and through your stomach to the intestines and taking a sample of the intestinal tissue and examining it for signs of inflammation or damage. This has been used for celiac disease for many years.

Confocal endomicroscopy. This test involves the endoscope with a camera microscope inserted into the intestine and observing the structure and function of the intestinal wall so biopsies are not necessary.

Zonulin test (blood) Zonulin is a protein that regulates the tight junctions of the intestines. As the number goes up, it is likely that there is more leaky gut.

I use both the IgG antibody testing and the Zonulin blood test.  They give you clues, not definitive answers, but they are easy to do and cost a lot less. (The Zonulin stool test is not helpful according to studies[xiii]).  I don’t always test, if people have obvious intestinal problems, we are going to treat anyway so I just go to treatment.

TREATMENT 

The basic principles of gut health do not change. These are the same things that everyone should be doing, even if they don’t have leaky gut. Remember, everyone must replace all the cells in their small intestines every week![xiv]

• Probiotics: eat fermented foods that are not bottled, canned, or pasteurized. These make lots of substances that lower inflammation and heal the intestines.[xv] The best supplements are a lactobacillus/bifidobacterium combination, or a soil-based organism probiotic. Each of them should be about 5 billion CFU.
• Prebiotics: It isn’t necessary to take pills or powders, the best way to get fiber is from food.
• High-fiber diet: Eat lots of different kinds of fiber, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, salads, mushrooms, seaweed, and so forth. Aim for more than 40 grams per day.
• Avoid processed foods: just avoid anything with a list of ingredients. Eat whole foods.
• Avoid sugar and starch: don’t eat sweet things, except fruit, or white things like flour or rice.
• Avoid omega 6 oils: soy, sunflower, corn, safflower, and “vegetable oils” increase inflammation. Use butter or olive oil. Omega 3 oils (fish, flax seeds, chia seeds) suppress inflammation.
• Fasting: The lining of the intestines heals when you have an empty stomach. If you have stomach issues, keep your stomach empty as much as possible. Eat one or two meals per day, have at least five hours between meals. Avoid snacks. Don’t eat after 6pm. Eat breakfast, skip dinner. Give the intestines a rest so they can heal.
• L-Glutamine – take 2 grams twice per day with food. Glutamine is the primary energy source for the cells of the intestines.
• Stress reduction – Don’t forget that stress is a big part of leaky gut syndrome. It is essential to reduce stress: Skip dinner and sleep by 10pm. Wake up at 6am. Start meditation such as deep breathing, yoga, prayer, writing in a journal, or other meditation practice of forty minutes per day. Go out in the sunshine in the morning. Get grounded. Go out in nature. Connect with people. These are among the most important ways of fixing the intestines.

I have looked at many different programs, smoothies, supplements, herbs, and so forth for the repair of leaky gut, and I have found that a comprehensive program like this is going to give you much better results in the long run because it will no longer be a problem – it’s not going to return.  Moreover, all the other issues such as pain, brain fog, and autoimmune disease will go away.

 

 

 

 

Sources:

[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intestinal_mucosal_barrier

[ii] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6790068/

[iii] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8087346/

[iv] https://bmcgastroenterol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12876-014-0189-7

[v] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nightshade-vegetables#autoimmune-diseases

[vi] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3705319/

[vii] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16183566/

[viii] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27447602/

[ix] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9101724/

[x] https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/food-allergy-sensitivity-difference

[xi] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22724-leaky-gut-syndrome

[xii] https://drruscio.com/how-to-test-for-leaky-gut/

[xiii] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10165082/

[xiv] https://hsci.harvard.edu/news/understanding-how-intestine-replaces-and-repairs-itself#:~:text=The%20intestine%20is%20the%20most%20highly%20regenerative%20organ,called%20the%20epithelium%2C%20every%20five%20to%20seven%20days.

[xv] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10165082/