Leaky Bowel Syndrome

Leaky Gut Syndrome is a recently introduced term, but already particularly dear to many healthcare professionals, especially those who are more attentive to the diet-illness relationship and the possible remedies offered by food supplements and alternative medicines .

At the basis of this syndrome is the hypothesis that the origin of many food intolerances , allergies and autoimmune diseases depends on increased intestinal permeability . In practice, the intestine of these patients would not be able to adequately oppose the entry of food antigens , toxins and pathogens into the bloodstream. Like a broken tap that leaks water (hence the term Leaky Gut), breaches would therefore be created in the intestinal mucosa, through which proteins with strong antigenic potential, toxins and pathogens can penetrate the body.

All this would trigger an exaggerated immune response, responsible for the aforementioned diseases; in this regard, the more the professional differs – out of conviction or interest – from the so-called “official medicine”, the greater the number of disorders and pathologies that he will tend to attribute to leaky bowel syndrome. In fact, in addition to explaining with this hypothesis symptoms such as headaches , joint disorders, tiredness , dermatitis and digestive problems , some professionals even go so far as to attribute themimportant pathologies, such as systemic lupus erythematosus , inflammatory bowel disease , celiac disease , multiple sclerosis , autism , rheumatoid arthritis, gluten ataxia and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Intestinal barrier

The intestine has the main task of completing the digestion of food and absorbing the nutrients essential for health into the bloodstream .

Beyond this well-known digestive function , the intestine also represents a very important dividing line between the external and internal world, a sort of barrier entrusted with the task of distinguishing everything that is useful or harmless from what is dangerous. The intestine, in fact, must prevent pathogenic microorganisms , parasites , toxins and food antigens from entering the bloodstream.

The barrier function of the intestine is guaranteed by the presence of numerous defensive lines:

• intestinal mucosa: the intestinal epithelium is furrowed by numerous finger-shaped extrusions, known as intestinal villi , which are very important for increasing the absorbent surface of the organ. The cells that make up the intestinal villi are in turn equipped with digit-like projections called microvilli ; furthermore, which is very important to explain the leaky intestine syndrome, they are closely joined to each other by tight junctions and desmosomes, which have the purpose of sealing the intercellular space preventing the penetration of unwanted substances and the escape of useful ones that are just been absorbed;
• immune system: in addition to hosting more than half of the body’s immune cells, the intestine is equipped with a large number of lymph node stations;
• digestive enzymes: of intestinal or hepatic origin, they are important for digesting food proteins with potential allergenicity;
• natural antibiotics: such as defensins , they are poured into the intestinal lumen to fight a wide spectrum of bacteria , both Gram positive and negative;
• mucus: viscous substance capable of facilitating the progression of food and trapping pathogens, which will then be expelled through the feces thanks to peristaltic movements ;
• intestinal flora: under the strict surveillance of the immune system , saprophytic or symbiotic bacteriacompete with fungi and pathogenic bacteria for nourishment and adhesion sites to the intestinal mucosa.

Causes

The integrity of intestinal cells would be undermined by the persistence of a chronic inflammatory state , linked to poor digestion problems , high stress and many other factors.

Among the possible causes of leaky bowel syndrome there would be in particular: dietary excesses (with particular reference to the abuse of sugars , refined cereals and derivatives), food pollutants and toxins (e.g. mycotoxins ), prolonged stress, antibiotic or cortisone therapies prolonged periods, abuse of laxatives , dysbiosis and small bowel contamination syndrome .

Complications

The increase in intestinal permeability can have very important repercussions:

• the hyperactivation of the intestinal immune system fuels the local chronic inflammationwhich gave rise to the increased permeability; this creates a vicious circle that promotes a further worsening of the situation;
• the hyperactivation of the intestinal immune system can also have long-term repercussions, since the immune cells activated at the intestinal level migrate into the systemic circulation and reach other organs, where they can damage healthy tissues by promoting inflammatory and/or autoimmune phenomena;
• the entry into the bloodstream of immunogenic substances can trigger an immune response even in organs distant from the intestine, triggering inflammatory and/or autoimmune phenomena;
• if the immune system’s ability to distinguish harmful antigens from non-harmful ones is lost, the immune response could turn to harmless components of foodor “friendly” bacteria, triggering allergic phenomena or even chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases.

Symptoms

Typically, leaky bowel syndrome is attributed to symptoms such as depression , anxiety, hyperactivity syndrome , joint and muscle pain , headaches, chronic fatigue , intestinal disorders ( irritable bowel , constipation or diarrhea ) and thyroid changes ( hypothyroidism ).

Treatment

The treatment of leaky bowel syndrome is essentially based on dietary correction, possibly assisted by particular food supplements .

As anticipated, on the dietary front, particular emphasis is given to limiting the consumption of sugars and refined cereals, especially those containing gluten but not only. It is also necessary to limit the consumption of irritating substances , such as spices , alcohol or foods subjected to particularly long cooking and/or at high temperatures ( grilling , frying , roasts, sautés, etc.). Legumes are also often not recommended . Instead, the consumption of foods such as meat broth (particularly rich in collagen and its precursors), yogurt and fermented milks (such as kefir ), seeds and dried fruit is encouraged , while for fiber individual tolerance must be assessed .

On the food supplement front, glutamine has proven to be particularly useful , as it is capable of improving the functionality of the intestinal barrier and the immune system. Collagen supplements are also potentially useful , including precursor substances or substances that stimulate its synthesis (e.g. proline and glycine , vitamin C and natural extracts such as centella ).

Moving on to phytotherapy , extracts traditionally used for healing ulcers and wounds ( healing ), such as licorice root , aloe gel , echinacea and centella Asiatica , could be particularly useful . Extracts with anti-inflammatory action , such as those of Boswellia and Turmeric , are also potentially useful .

Finally, with regards to probiotics, it is also necessary to consider the risk that they may penetrate the bloodstream due to increased intestinal permeability.