A leaky gut is when the intestinal lining develops holes that allow harmful substances to leak into the bloodstream.
The intestinal lining has two main jobs. The first is to digest food to absorb nutrients and water into the bloodstream for distribution throughout the body.
The second job is to act as a barrier, restricting the entry of harmful substances. In fact, the gastrointestinal tract contains a huge number of immune system cells that act as a first line of defense against toxins and infections.
The intestinal epithelium of the small intestine (the tissue that lines the small intestine) is made up of finger-like projections called villi that are formed from a single layer of columnar cells called enterocytes. The surface of those enterocytes consists of even smaller finger-like projections called microvilli. The microvilli maximize the absorptive surface of the enterocytes. The majority of nutrient absorption occurs through the small intestinal villi and their many microvilli.
The enterocytes are almost like bricks in a wall. Between each enterocyte along the gut lining are a group of proteins that form a seal that holds adjacent cells tightly together. These are called tight junctions. Water and nutrients pass into the enterocytes through the microvilli, while the tight junctions act as physical and biological barriers that block large molecules and harmful substances from entering the body.
The intestinal lining functions well when the tight junctions between enterocytes are strong and intact. But if the tight junctions between cells are damaged, larger particles, toxins, and infections are able to pass between the enterocytes into the bloodstream.
It’s like the chicken-and-egg situation. Which came first, the symptom or the cause?
In conventional medicine, leaky gut, although real, is regarded as a symptom of various gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease.
From a holistic point of view, however, an impaired intestinal barrier allows toxins and harmful substances into the bloodstream, which then results in a cascade of inflammatory responses that can manifest as a wide range of disease states throughout the body.
Leaky gut can result from gut inflammation and an imbalance of the gut microbiome. Imbalance or overgrowth of the normal microbiome with pathogenic microorganisms is known as gut dysbiosis.
Gut dysbiosis contributes to leaky gut and the movement of pathogens and harmful metabolites into the bloodstream.
Main Causes of Leaky Gut
1. Glyphosate
Stephanie Seneff, a senior research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has researched how glyphosate disrupts the gut microbes. The most widely used herbicide in the world, glyphosate is both an herbicide and crop desiccant that’s used heavily in agriculture.Dietary exposure to glyphosate harms the gut and the gut microbiome. Glyphosate disrupts an important enzyme in the shikimate pathway, which is essential for the health of beneficial bacteria. Damage to this pathway also stops the good bacteria from making nutrients essential for health.
Glyphosate is also a very efficient mineral chelator and makes ingested minerals unavailable to the gut microbes. For the microbes to function properly, they rely on those minerals and the shikimate enzyme pathway.
Seneff has noted a strong correlation between the rise of gluten intolerance over time and the rise of glyphosate used on wheat as a desiccant prior to harvest. Chronic exposure to glyphosate disturbs the gut microbiome creating a starting point for many diseases, including arthritis and neurological diseases.
2. Gluten
The immune system responds to substances it considers harmful by causing an inflammatory reaction.Gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, can cause inflammation of the intestinal lining in susceptible individuals. This is diagnosed as gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.
3. Mold Toxins
Research indicates that mold toxins, also called mycotoxins, can induce leaky gut.Dietary toxic mold exposure may result in leaky gut through interactions between ingested mycotoxins, the gut microbiome, and the intestinal epithelium.
Mycotoxins from exposure to water-damaged buildings enter the body through the airways or through the skin. Some of the mycotoxins that enter the mouth and nose can be swallowed and contribute to leaky gut.
The gut microbiome helps to detoxify harmful substances. Certain beneficial bacteria protect the body by binding and metabolizing ingested mycotoxins.
Unfortunately, over time, or if dysbiosis is present, mycotoxins can alter the gut microbiome and reduce its detoxification capacity. This results in an accumulation of mycotoxins that disrupts the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier, which, in turn, contributes to the development of leaky gut.
Other Causes of Leaky Gut
There are many other causes of leaky gut. Toxins can disrupt the intestinal epithelial layer. Deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals can weaken the epithelial lining of the intestines. An imbalance or dysbiosis of the gut microbiome is a significant etiology of leaky gut. Other factors contributing to leaky gut include:A Low-Fiber Diet
Gastroenterologist and gut health expert Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, who wrote the best-selling diet and lifestyle book “Fiber Fueled,” describes the benefits of increasing fiber in the diet. Eating a broad range of fiber-rich foods found primarily in whole plant foods leads to billions of well-fed, high-functioning gut microbes. A low-fiber diet, on the other hand, starves out beneficial microbes. This creates dysbiosis by making room for pathogenic and harmful microbes.Unhealthy Diet
A diet based on highly processed foods, refined sugars, and unhealthy fat content can lead to increased intestinal permeability or leaky gut.Chronic Stress
Exposure to stress changes brain-gut interactions. This can lead to a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies, motility problems, and other digestive issues. Physiological effects of stress on the gut include negative effects on intestinal microbiota and an increase in intestinal permeability.Zinc Deficiency
Zinc positively influences the barrier function of the intestinal lining. There is evidence that zinc’s action on intestinal tight junctions and enterocyte barrier function makes the mineral a potential therapeutic agent to help to heal gastrointestinal dysfunction and leaky gut.Potentially Problematic Medications
Several medications can contribute to leaky gut:- Antibiotics kill both good and bad microorganisms, including those that inhabit the microbiome, which can lead to leaky gut.
- NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are disruptive to the intestinal barrier and can contribute to leaky gut.
- Steroids may suppress the immune system leading to leaky gut, which, in turn, leaves the body open to infection.
- Birth control pills contribute to excess estrogen which may lead to the overgrowth of Candida, a species of yeast that can cause leaky gut.
- Antacids suppress gastric acids and can alter the gut microbiome over time, causing an overgrowth of bacteria, which may lead to leaky gut.
Fixing Leaky Gut
There are many things you can do to help to improve any problems you’re experiencing with your gut.Avoid Glyphosate and Other Toxins
A recent article by Sherra Vorley and Dr. Ann Corson, “Glyphosate, Too Complex to Ignore,” discusses several ways of counteracting exposure to glyphosate. It recommends choosing high-nutrient organic foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes along with herbs and spices to help fight the effects of glyphosate. A lifestyle with special attention to digestive health along with optimized liver and kidney function will also help.Limit Gluten
Wheat, barley, and rye are the main grains that contain gluten. Those familiar with gluten sensitivity and celiac disease know just how challenging it can be to avoid gluten. Many beverages, snack foods, candy, and prepared foods have gluten hidden in their ingredients.Keeping to a whole-food diet is one way to limit exposure to wheat, barley, and rye. It’s also important to diligently search ingredient lists for the many possible sources of gluten such as wheat, barley, rye, spelt, bran, flour, modified food starch, natural flavors, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy sauce, malt vinegar, farina, durum, semolina, and barley enzymes.
While limiting exposure to gluten, support your digestive tract and microbiome with a healthy diet and dietary supplements such as zinc, L-glutamine, grass-fed collagen peptides, prebiotics, probiotics, and fiber.
Be Aware of Toxic Mold Exposure
Toxic molds can cause chronic illness and contribute to leaky gut syndrome.Unfortunately, such exposures can be quite common given the inadequacies of modern heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems and building designs that frequently lead to damp areas that give birth to toxic molds.
