By Dr. Andrew Cummins

http://shalvaclinic.wpengine.com/andrew-cummins-nd/

Gut permeability better known as “leaky gut” can lead to many health problems, especially autoimmune disease. In our gut we have trillions of bacteria, good and bad. The good guys must outnumber the bad guys for us to be healthy.

Think of 3 layers:

1. The hollow tube which is where the food we consume passes through. This tube contains the food we eat, the good and bad bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and toxins. These three factors, among others such as stress and medications, determine if our gut lining is “leaky” or intact and tight.

2.  The gut lining which is only one cell layer thick. This layer separates the outside environment from the inside of our body. If this layer of cells becomes leaky then undigested food particles, pathogens, and toxins can pass through and stimulate our immune system. When our immune system which lies beneath this gut lining is activated by any of the above antigens, it can then attack any organ of the body. For example, the thyroid gland in Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis leading to hypothyroidism, the joints of our hands and feet in Rheumatoid Arthritis, the cells lining our digestive tract in Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Type 1 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and Ankylosing Spondylitis. Our immune system can also produce products that cross the blood-brain barrier leading to anxiety, depression, ticks, ADHD, and other neurological disorders.

3. The part of our Immune System that lies underneath this layer of cells lining our gut. When this part of our immune system is stimulated by undigested food particles, pathogens, and toxins it can lead to Autoimmune Disease. The picture below depicts these 3 layers.

“Leaky gut” is shown in the picture below.  Between each cell there are tight junctions that hold the cells of the gut together. When these tight junctions become leaky, antibodies to the tight junction proteins can become elevated. When the following antibodies are elevated this can indicate a leaky gut. Symptoms such as skin rashes, joint pain, allergies, insomnia, digestive problems, fatigue, and weight gain can also indicate a leaky gut.

Intestinal Antigenic Permeability Screen

Actomyosin IgA

Occludin/Zonulin IgG

Occludin/Zonulin IgA

Occludin/Zonulin IgM

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) IgG

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) IgA

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) IgM

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4253991/ Intestinal permeability – a new target for disease prevention and therapy Stephan C Bischoff, Giovanni Barbara, Wim Buurman, Theo Ockhuizen, Jörg-Dieter Schulzke, Matteo Serino, Herbert Tilg, Alastair Watson, and Jerry M Wells

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4638168/ The Role for Gut Permeability in the Pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes – A Solid or Leaky Concept? Xia Li1 and Mark A. Atkinson2,3

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4761565/   Gut Microbiota and Type 1 Diabetes Elke Gülden,1 F Susan Wong,2 and Li Wen1,*

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1856434/#ref74 Gut. 2006 Oct; 55(10): 1512–1520. doi:  10.1136/gut.2005.085373 Alterations in intestinal permeability M C Arrieta, L Bistritz, and J B Meddings

*Call (203) 916-4600 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Cummins*   http://shalvaclinic.wpengine.com/andrew-cummins-nd/

Shalva Clinic

8 Lincoln St. Westport, CT 06880