Ep. 53 - What’s a Leaky Gut (& What Can I Do About It)?

Why Does Every Nutrition Pro Tell Me To “Heal My Leaky Gut” – How Can It Be Leaking?!   There’s a LOT of talk in the health world about gut health these days. You’ve probably even heard that the key to reversing a whole host of health issues, ranging from skin issues to serious autoimmune conditions, starts with healing your so-called leaky gut.   Afterall, Hippocrates is famously credited with stating that “all disease begins in the gut.”   But what the heck is a “leaky gut” – and how do I know if mine is actually leaking?   This refers to damage and/or thinning of the lining of the gastrointestinal tract (AKA your gut). Your gastrointestinal tract acts as the barrier between the outside world and the rest of your body – a pretty important job!     The gastrointestinal tract is sealed off from the rest of your body by a gut lining that only allows fully digested nutrients into the bloodstream. During the normal digestion process, the tight junctions (think of them as protective gates) in this lining stay closed, forcing all molecules to effectively be screened and only pass into the bloodstream through the mucosal cells when appropriate for nutrient absorption.   However, the integrity of this lining may become compromised due to inflammation, which could be caused by many different things: a poor diet, stress, medications, bacterial or viral infections, autoimmune disease, and more. When the lining becomes more permeable than it should, these tight junctions can “open,” allowing bacteria, toxins, incompletely digested proteins, fats, and waste into the bloodstream.   Once these toxins are in the blood, they flow throughout the body. The immune system then kicks into action, reacting to these foreign substances that have crossed the intestine as dangerous intruders.   This can trigger an autoimmune reaction as the body over-responds to these “invaders.” It’s a serious (although common) problem, and it can compromise health in many different ways, triggering, contributing to, or worsening a wide range of chronic diseases, including...   arthritis asthma autism autoimmune conditions chronic fatigue syndrome depression type I diabetes type II diabetes skin disorders <li style="font-weight: