Fwd: The Leaky Gut Connection

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GettingWell

Sun, 30 Nov 2003 10:28:17 -0500

[sSRI-Research] The Detox - Leaky Gut Connection

 

The Detox - Leaky Gut Connection

http://forums.delphiforums.com/HOPEISALIVE/messages/?msg=06.1

 

Newsweek focused on an article recently, called " Gut Reactions " , in which

they reported that tiny leaks in the lining of small intestine may play a

role in diseases as diverse as asthma and arthritis (Newsweek, November 17,

1997. P. 95-99). What is happening is a new awareness of one of the oldest

immune weapons we have - our own gut lining! The lining of our intestine is

meant not only to absorb food, but to act as a barrier to keep out invading

pathogens. Newsweek calls it, " Intestinal Fortitude " , where the mucosal

layer of a healthy gut filters out microorganisms and undigested proteins.

When this lining gets battered, by things like aspirin, bacteria, or even

the pesticides sprayed on our food, the lining loses its integrity. This is

when the door is open to let in the bacteria, the viruses, the parasites -

(even undigested food molecules!) which can activate the immune system (and

also the autoimmune system). We refer to this loss of integrity as " the

leaky gut syndrome " .

 

In the Mar-Apr 1996 issue of the Nutri-Notes, we reported on the leaky gut

syndrome and its connection to disease. Various toxins can make their way

through the barrier of the intestinal lining when it is permeable. Those

toxins travel to the liver where they are detoxified. The liver has phases

of detoxification to deal with eliminating foreign substances (phase I and

II), but when the detoxification processes of the liver are impeded, it

results in manifestation of disease, depending on where the toxins exert

their effect. If the liver is overloaded and can1t remove the toxins, they

can recirculate or deposit in the body. Either way, they will upset the

apple cart of balance. The toxins can recirculate to the intestinal area

where they increase the permeability of the intestinal lining even more. The

relation to toxic overload on the liver and leaky gut is cyclical: A leaky

gut will allow more toxins to enter the system, and, conversely, toxic

overload of the liver increases leaky gut.

 

We are exposed to an amazing load of toxins in our everyday encounters, from

environmental poisons to metabolic wastes that are not efficiently

eliminated. As we are exposed to more and more toxic insults, we are losing

the ability to ward off disease-causing agents. The body has no recourse but

to malfunction and lose cell-to-cell communication. Zane Gard remarked that,

" Although the human mechanism is known to be an accommodating species,

ecological alterations are now occurring at a faster rate than our bodies

are able to adapt. There is perhaps no single contributing factor, which has

accelerated these environmental transformations more than that of our

current widespread uses of harmful chemical substances " (Gard, Zane R et

al., Explore for the Professional. 1995;6(4):39-45). This issue of the

newsletter deals with positive solutions for a) protecting the immune

barrier of the gut, and b) providing optimal detoxification aid for waste

removal.

 

 

" The immunological mechanisms of rheumatoid arthritis probably begin when

antigens cross an excessively permeable intestinal mucosa " Carli P et al.

Presse Med 1995;24:606-610.

 

 

Disruption of the Barrier

 

The gastrointestinal lining is supposed to absorb our nutrients, and at the

same time act as a barrier to toxins. Aside from the physical barrier to

invading pathogens, the GI lining makes up a major part of our immune system

by furnishing secretory IgA and white blood cells to attack foreign

invaders. Some of the things which can disrupt that barrier, however,

include:

 

* bacteria, virus, protozoa

* NSAIDS, alcohol

* free radicals

* endotoxins, environmental toxins, cytotoxic drugs

* inflammation (ie lectin binding)

 

The inflammation that is caused by food allergies can increase the

permeability of the intestinal lining even further. The process of food

allergens being absorbed from gastrointestinal tract and initiating an

immunological reaction is described in Gastroenterology by Walker &

Isselbacher (Gastroenterology 1974;67:531-50). Even in people who do not

have excessive permeability, we know that the low grade absorption of

undergraded protein into the blood occurs regularly in healthy adults,

varying from 2% upward depending on the degree of " leakiness " of their gut

(Husby S. et al. Scand J Immunol 1985;22:83-92).

 

When we stop to consider the damage that can be done by a leaky gut, it1s

not surprising that many diseases are associated with leaky gut. These

diseases include: Celiac disease, food allergy, asthma, eczema, dermatitis

herpetiformis, psoriasis, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory

bowel disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, pancreatic insufficiency,

environmental illness, multiple chemical sensitivity, and various others.

Even when the leaky gut does not directly cause the disease, the resulting

leakiness exacerbates the disease. Symptoms of leaky gut can include:

fatigue, arthralgia, myalgia, fever, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, skin

rashes, toxic feelings, memory deficit, and shortness of breath, among

others.

 

The leaky gut is also highly implicated in autoimmune diseases. Some people

have more of a genetic tendency than others to activate normal resting T

cells, which then attack cells. These cells are supposed to be foreign

invaders, but sometimes T cells are activated against the body1s own

tissues, as in autoimmune disease. J. Hoofar implicated the leaky gut and

undigested proteins in this T cell attack when he said, " It is thought that

some dietary proteins escape the enzymatic digestion in the gastrointestinal

tract and could possibly launch a polyclonal activation of the resting T

lymphocytes in susceptible individuals " (Hoorfar J et al., Diabetes

Research. 1992;20:33-41, p. 38).

 

A prominent researcher in the field of diabetes, F.W. Scott linked the leaky

gut to type I diabetes and proposed it as a possible trigger in development

of the disease. He said that post-weaning time is a crucial time, because

these proteins pass the gastrointestinal barrier and initiate the process of

destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas (Scott FW et al. Diabetes Res,

1988;7:153-157). It is important to keep in mind that this is not the only

trigger for diseases such as diabetes, however it looks as though it may be

an important one. One of the proteins leaking through the gut barrier to

initiate diabetes is suspected to be the beta casein protein in cow1s milk.

Antibodies to the milk protein are thought to cross react with beta cell

proteins in the body and destroy them (Cavallo et al. The Lancet

1996;348:926-928).