13/07/2022
What is Leaky Gut & What Causes it?
Leaky gut
Have you heard the term leaky gut? Are you wondering what on earth it means?
Well, it actually means pretty much what it sounds like. Kinda gross, huh?
Basically, it’s the root cause of nearly every modern, chronic, inflammatory disease.
The gut wall
Just as a medieval city would need a fortified wall to protect its citizens from invaders… your body needs a similar wall to protect you from toxins.
Your digestive tract is a long tube that begins at your mouth and ends… well, at your back side. Anything that goes into this tube is actually OUTSIDE, not inside your body. Funny, huh? I’ve got a little guy who sucks his thumb. Pretty cute, kinda gross… luckily that germ covered thumb, even when it’s inside his mouth, is still outside his body! Phew!
This entire tube is protected by a wall called (in plain English) the “gut lining.” And just like a city wouldn’t expect an unfortified wall to keep out an aggressive enemy, neither does God leave us without soldiers to guard our gut wall. These soldiers are the multitude of beneficial bacteria that populate the gut wall. Their job is to defend the wall against any enemies of state… err.. I mean enemies of health.
These beneficial bacteria guard the gut wall carefully, making sure to only allow safe, fully digested food molecules (nutrients) to be absorbed into the bloodstream, while toxins continue on their way through the tube and back out where they can do no harm to the hard-working, peace-loving citizens inside the wall.
What is Leaky Gut?
Leaky gut (also called “intestinal permeability”) is a term used to describe what happens when the gut lining is compromised or deteriorated, leaving holes or gaps through which undigested food particles, bacteria, fungi, viruses, heavy metals, pesticides and other unwelcome substances begin to leak directly into the BLOODSTREAM, causing all manner of chronic illness.
When the beneficial bacteria that guard our gut wall are destroyed (by several things, which I’ll list for you shortly) the gut wall is left unguarded and vulnerable to opportunistic bacteria. You see, all healthy people have harmful bacteria in their bodies AT ALL TIMES. This is not a problem as long as your beneficial bacteria are strong enough to keep the harmful bacteria under control. We call the harmful bacteria “opportunistic” because they are literally waiting, biding their time, until the beneficial bacteria are down and opportunity arises! When this happens, they multiply and very quickly take over.
These bad guys produce toxins called “endotoxins” which damage healthy cells and literally eat away at the gut wall. Now if your city is under seige and you’ve not only lost your guards, but now have holes in the wall… it’s only a matter of time before the enemy outside the wall becomes the enemy inside the wall. All of those pathogens, viruses, heavy metals, and undigested food particles that should be on their way out of your body, begin to “leak” directly into the bloodstream. This is not good!
The Overactive Immune System
While the beneficial bacteria are like soldiers guarding the wall, your blood also has something like its own military force. The immune cells in your blood are powerful and they are SERIOUS about tracking down and destroying any foreign substances that might be found “inside the walls” of your body.
If your immune system finds undigested bits of dairy or gluten and declares them “enemy of the state,” it will now attack at full force anytime it finds even a hint of these foods in your blood. (Meaning the development of food sensitivities.)
And while your poor, confused immune system is busy fighting like mad to destroy these rogue gluten and dairy molecules, it’s being forced to ignore a whole host of viruses and other pathogens that are also being leaked into the bloodstream, and which totally overwhelm your liver. (Meaning increased illness, recurring infections, and hormone imbalances.)
To make matters worse, this process creates enormous amounts of inflammation, which further deteriorates the gut wall. (Meaning the development of inflammatory conditions such as, eczema, psoriasis, arthritis, asthma, etc…)
And as if that weren’t bad enough, if left uncorrected, this zealous immune system may even begin to attack the cells of your own body! (Meaning autoimmune disease.)
Now inflammation isn’t always a bad thing.
It’s your body’s way of protecting you from foreign invaders. Chronic inflammation, however, is the cause of a whole host of modern health conditions: allergies, asthma, eczema, psoriasis, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, thyroid disease, Parkinson’s, anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities, and the list goes on and on…
Each person’s body responds uniquely to this invasion. Some people may have inflammation in their joints, while others show inflammation in their skin, but the root cause is the same.
Hippocrates knew this over two thousand years ago…
Nutritional Deficiencies
On top of all of this trouble, the immune system of a person with leaky gut is even further compromised by nutritional deficiencies. The gut wall is lined with enterocyte cells. These cells are covered with tiny, hairlike substance called “villi” that are responsible for absorbing nutrients from the food we eat. Unfortunately, without the help of beneficial bacteria to protect them, these villi are easily damaged and no longer preform this important function, leaving the body further depleted and even more prone to disease.
Bron: copyright nourishinggoodness
