Leaky Gut / Intestinal Permeability and Enzymes
last updated 8.25.05
- What is Leaky Gut
- What Causes Leaky Gut
- Problems of Having Leaky Gut
- Fixing the Holes in the Boat
- Is Malabsorption the Same as Leaky Gut
- Link to Research
The largest part of the immune system in our body is in the mucosal lining in the gut. The immune system makes sure all those undesirable elements do not get across into the bloodstream to begin with. The intestines are permeable to a certain degree so the proper nutrients get through. Spots in the gut wall open and close selectively to admit the good stuff as the contents of the intestines pass by. Normally, only certain nutrients are absorbed if they are sufficiently broken-down and in the right form. Everything else is selectively blocked out. But when the pores are too big or the screening process breaks down, the intestines become hyperpermeable (overly permeable). Leaky gut syndrome is a term used when the intestines become damaged, more openings develop in the gut wall, and the wall becomes more ‘porous’ to the extent that some of the contents passing through the intestines are allowed to get into the bloodstream when they should be kept out.
Not just food particles slip through. Pathogens, toxins, and other types of ‘waste’ get through that should normally be screened out. Insufficiently broken-down food particles or toxins may cause the liver to work much harder trying to clean everything out. The liver may not be able to keep up with all the detoxification demands sent its way and the toxin load starts building up in the body.
When the gut becomes hyperpermeable, all sorts of gunk can get through and run loose in the body. When this happens, the immune system kicks into gear to stop these invaders. Typically the immune system escorts the invaded out of the body quickly. However, this task often falls to the liver, which may be quite overworked and not able to do this immediately. If not removed right away, the troublesome particles and complexes can migrate through the body and settle in any of the different tissues they pass by. This leads to inflammation in whatever part of the body they settle.
Now we have a new problem: inflammation. This puts even more pressure on the immune system to cover even more ground in defending the body. With the immune system running on ‘high’ on a regular basis, it may be spread thin over a wide array of territory defending the gut, cleaning the blood, fighting inflammation, warding off pathogens, and so on. Many autoimmune conditions start this way. Which type of autoimmune condition a person ends up with may depend on which part of the body the immune complexes settle into.
see Autoimmune / Neuro Conditions
If you are having food sensitivities to more than a dozen foods, you may very likely have a leaky gut. When the gut is injured in this way, any food eaten may be a candidate to be insufficiently digested and absorbed leading to food intolerances. If you find you are sensitive to a few foods, remove those, then later notice some previously tolerated foods are now causeing problems, consider a leaky gut. The core issue may not be the foods you are eating, but simply that digestion is poor and the gut injured, so anything eaten (and eaten frequently) may become problematic.
