What is leaky gut syndrome?
You may have come across the term "leaky gut syndrome" and wondered what it actually is and whether you have it too. The term "leaky gut" comes from the English language and means permeable bowel. People who suffer from leaky gut syndrome have a permeable intestinal membrane, which allows harmful substances (toxins) to enter the bloodstream. The damaged intestinal mucosa causes symptoms such as inflammatory diseases. The problem with leaky gut syndrome is that everything that is normally rejected (e.g. toxins, metabolic products and malignant bacteria) can slip through the holes and enter the body directly, causing a wide range of symptoms.
Triggers of leaky gut include stress, an unhealthy diet, infections and antibiotic therapy. The disease generally has a good chance of being cured.
To understand: Intestinal flora in a healthy gut
The intestine is one of the largest organs in the human body and a complex system that performs a number of important functions in the body. Your intestine digests the food you eat and eliminates toxic substances in the process. The intestinal mucosa plays an important role here, forming a barrier so that harmful substances of any kind cannot penetrate. If something does get through to the cells that has no business being there, further defense mechanisms are set in motion. A kind of net is stretched between the cells that functions like a barrier. Only substances with the right passport can get through. Everything else is sent away again or eliminated directly.
The intestinal flora must be intact for the intestinal mucosa to be able to fulfill this important task. If the balance of the intestinal flora, i.e. the entirety of the bacteria, is disturbed, inflammation of the intestinal mucosa occurs as harmful microorganisms spread. The inflammation causes gaps to form, making the gut permeable and resulting in leaky gut syndrome.
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The triggers of leaky gut
Intestinal flora and intestinal mucosa can be disturbed by a variety of factors. Certain food components often cause the balance of bacteria to fluctuate and allow harmful bacteria to colonize. These include gluten, preservatives, food additives, alcohol, coffee, sugar and fermented foods such as vinegar, wine or tofu.
In addition to an unhealthy diet, other triggers include chronic intestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, medication such as repeated antibiotic therapies or painkillers, as well as smoking or exposure to heavy metals (e.g. amalgam fillings). These factors disrupt the sensitive lines of defense.
Too much stress also causes the intestinal cells to swell and the mesh between the cells tears, to put it simply. Naturally, anything can slip through these holes and enter the bloodstream. The immune system then sounds the alarm, leading to allergies, inflammation and more. Fungal diseases, operations and radiotherapy can also be associated with leaky gut syndrome.
Symptoms of leaky gut
Leaky gut syndrome can cause various symptoms. Diarrhea, flatulence and constipation are common. A foggy feeling in the head can also be a symptom. Because the intestines can no longer do their job properly, not enough minerals, vitamins and other important nutrients can be absorbed and you suddenly suffer from weakness, cramps or women no longer get their periods.
However, the inflammation "behind" the intestines can also lead to completely different diseases that you would not initially associate with the intestines. A lot of research has shown that a leaky gut also leads to considerable symptoms in rheumatism, type 1 diabetes, neurodermatitis, psoriasis, headaches and migraines, MS, chronic fatigue syndrome or autism, or even appears to be partly the cause.
Whether you also suffer from a leaky gut cannot really be seen in a colonoscopy, as the holes are very small. However, it can be determined via laboratory tests such as zonulin, alpha 1 antitrypsin, sIgA and a flora analysis (e.g. a microbiome analysis).
Therapy
The treatment of leaky gut can take time, but is curable. The disease cannot be treated with medication. Instead, it is up to those affected to make changes to their lifestyle and diet to ensure an improvement. As the exposure to the triggers has usually lasted for years, the holes in the intestinal mucosa are unfortunately not filled within a few days. It is important to persevere, because it can take up to two years before everything is whole again. Your gut and your health will thank you for it.
The first step is to avoid factors that trigger leaky gut. Depending on what caused the "leaky gut syndrome", it should be remedied. In other words: if you have amalgam, have it professionally (!) removed. If you regularly consume gluten, animal dairy products, sugar, alcohol or nicotine, cut them out of your life for a few months. If you are on medication or have a chronic illness, contact your trusted therapist for advice with him on how you can best proceed. For a first impression of what can help you and how best to proceed, I recommend our blog article Chronic diseases and nutrition.
Gut rehabilitation for leaky gut
At the same time, it is advisable to rehabilitate the gut. The best way to start is with a fasting cure.
A lecturer of mine once vividly explained: imagine you have a flower that has almost completely withered and is standing in absolutely depleted, muddy soil. If you pour fertilizer in there, it won't help the flower much either. So take the flower out of its pot, wash its roots carefully under water and plant it in fresh soil. Then you can fertilize it and it will probably recover. Provided you look after it regularly.
It's the same with your intestines. First cleanse by fasting. Possibly additionally with enemas and with zeolite, healing clay or humic acids. These bind the toxic substances and help to cleanse the intestines better. You have to choose how you fast. There are various methods. It's hard at first, but it gets better every time. I do it at least once a year and notice how good it does me every time.
The next step is to build up healthy intestinal flora. We have put together a product benefit package for this, our Leaky Gut 6-month cure. It contains, among other things:
- Bacteria that strengthen the acid flora and expel harmful bacteria from the gut
- Acacia fibers, the favorite food of some important bacteria, so that they can settle there again and form an important symbiosis.
- Important amino acidswhich have a calming effect on inflammation - especially glutamine and the all-round talent colostrum.
The right diet for leaky gut
It is also important that you work on your diet and give your gut "good things". Linseed, chia seeds and psyllium husks help to support the mucous membrane. It is best to soak them in water, almond or coconut milk some time beforehand and then mix them into a delicious homemade muesli with nuts.
In general, you should aim for an alkaline, high-fibre diet in the long term. But don't overdo it. If you have hardly eaten any fiber and whole foods your whole life, it can lead to bloating, especially at the beginning, and make your symptoms worse. You should therefore change your diet slowly so as not to overtax your body.
A diet with fresh, natural foods, plenty of vegetables and a little fruit is generally beneficial.and good proteins and high-quality fats, which largely avoids industrially manufactured products, sugar, white flour and additives. In the case of leaky gut, it is highly recommended to completely avoid dairy products and cereals containing gluten for a while. The use of probiotics, e.g. fermented foods, has proven to be useful for building up healthy intestinal flora. Once the intestinal mucosa has fully regenerated, those affected can enjoy previously intolerable foods again.
What else is important?
Chew, chew, chew. The more you break down your food, the easier it will be for your intestines later on. And don't forget to drink all that food. Water, of course ;-) And generally ensure moderate but regular exercise and little stress. Then you will soon feel a significant relief from your bowel problems. And other physical problems will probably improve as well.
Now, of course, I'm interested: What are your experiences with leaky gut? Or do you have any questions? Then feel free to write to me in the comments!
