RN Advice: My Guts are Leaking?

Leaky gut is a fairly new identified phenomenon that was discovered in the late 1990’s by Dr. Alessio Fasano.  All of the 80+ autoimmune disorders, as well as multiple cancers and neurological conditions must have 3 components to develop the disease; an environmental trigger, a genetic disposition and a leaky gut.  While the pathology of leaky gut includes a complex knowledge of zonulin release, macronutrients, b and t cells, it really is quite simple to understand.

Our intestines are ~20ft long with a single layer of cells that are like tiles held together by grout; Think of a medieval city with fortress walls to protect the city.  The soldiers (walls/cells of intestines) protecting the city must decide whenever anyone approaches whether to let them in or fight them off. Sometimes they let in a ‘friend’ and then must fight them off inside of the city.  That is exactly what happens in our gut.   When the intestines have become diseased or injured by drugs, bacterial toxins, infections, yeast, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or even by consumption of wheat, the gut allows food and other particles to pass through the walls (grout of the tile) into the body.  This sets off an army of defense called the inflammation response to fight off these invading molecules.  When the body is fighting on a constant basis – the genetic disposed disease(s) sets in. 

With this new understanding to the trilogy and the cause of a multitude of disease, we now have the ability to intervene in the process.  While we have no control over our genetic disposition, we do know that wheat, sugar, other processed foods as well as stress and other environmental factors are triggers to the body as well as triggers to creating an unhealthy gut – leading to leaky gut.  Removal of the triggers and feeding our body healthy whole nutrient foods will aid in the healing of the gut, the removal of disease and restoration to health.