What’s Leaking? 3 Nutrients That Aid Leaky Gut
* the opinions expressed are those of the author and not Nutrition Ink.
The Intestinal tract is one of the largest sites of exposure to the outside environment. Interestingly enough, our intestines have the ability to absorb the nutrients from the foods we eat and also to create a barrier that can block the entrance of harmful bacteria.
There is something called “Leaky Gut Syndrome” , which develops when bad bacteria and other unwanted products enter into our bloodstream.
What Are Some of The Causes of This Syndrome?
Leaky Gut Syndrome can be caused by multiple factors that have been well-studied over the last few years. Some of them include:
Antibiotic use: while antibiotics kill infection-causing microorganisms in the body, they also swipe off the “good” bacteria in our system. Therefore, the overuse of antibiotics can cause Leaky Gut Syndrome.
Poor Diet: sugar, refined carbohydrates, saturated fat, alcohol, food allergies can trigger inflammation in our bodies and can compromise our intestinal barrier against harmful particles.
Lack of Sleep and Stress: Many inflammatory responses are activated in our bodies when we don’t get enough sleep, or when we are stressed. During sleep, our bodies restore and calm down the immune system.
Can Leaky Gut Be Reversed?
Recent research has shown that by improving one’s diet and lifestyle , the syndrome can slowly be reverse. In addition, there are some compounds heavily supported by research that are effective at repairing the lining of our gut. Some of the ones most common include:
1. Gelatin: Gelatin possesses antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and protective properties for the gut. It is full of protein, with little to no animal fat and some tannic acid which is something known to help seal our intestines!
2. Probiotics: are live microorganisms that are well known for improving our digestive health for many years now. You can get probiotics from fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, tempeh, kimchi, miso, Kombucha, and many others. Providing our bodies with beneficial bacteria from probiotics can help to protect our intestinal barrier and also decrease microbial imbalances.
3. L-Glutamine: Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in our bodies. Many of our organs and tissues use this amino acid in large amounts, which makes it a very vital nutrient for our bodies. Glutamine has been shown to regulate inflammation and stress responses in our bodies. It also helps promote wound healing and it has been added to multiple medications/supplements and treatments for patients with complex gastrointestinal diseases!
Without an intact and properly functioning gut, many unwanted substances can penetrate our intestines, trigger inflammation and result in Leaky Gut Syndrome. Evidence supports that consuming the nutrients mentioned above ( Gelatin, Probiotics and L-Glutamine) have helped people maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract and help heal Leaky Gut Syndrome.
References
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2. Kim M, Kim H. The roles of glutamine in the intestine and its implication in intestinal diseases. International journal of molecular sciences. 2017;18(5):1051. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28498331. doi: 10.3390/ijms18051051.
3. Lopetuso L, Graziani C, Guarino A, Lamborghini A, Masi S, Stanghellini V. Gelatin tannate and tyndallized probiotics: A novel approach for treatment of diarrhea. European review for medical and pharmacological sciences.
2017;21(4):873. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28272692.
4. Perna S, Alalwan TA, Alaali Z, et al. The role of glutamine in the complex interaction between gut microbiota and health: A narrative review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2019;20(20):5232. https://search.proquest.com/docview/2309507240. doi: 10.3390/ijms20205232.
5. Obrenovich MEM. Leaky gut, leaky brain? Microorganisms. 2018;6(4):107. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30340384. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms6040107.
