Has the link to the leaky gut and autoimmune disease become more
clear? I believe it has and researchers from Canada have helped by a
nice review on intestinal permeability in the British journal Gut.
Dr.
J. B. Medding and his colleagues in Edmonton, Alberta Canada (Arrieta,
Gut, 2006) describe how the intestine serves as a barrier when normal
but becomes a source of the genesis of autoimmune diseases when it
becomes abnormally permeable. That is, when your gut becomes leaky ("the
leaky gut syndrome") several autoimmune diseases are known to occur.
Intestinal
permeability (how leaky the gut has become) can be evaluated in a
manner specific to various sites in the gut. That is, the different
areas of the gut, from stomach to large intestine, can be evaluated by
specific tests for leakiness and related to damage and disease in those
areas. Areas of leaky gut can be observed prior to the onset of disease
and appear to be involved in the development of disease, especially
autoimmune diseases like Celiac disease, diabetes, Crohn's disease, as
well as skin diseases like atopic dermatitis, rheumatologic conditions,
and even irritable bowel syndrome.
The authors propose a new paradigm consisting of "three main features...
(1)
A genetically susceptible immune system (the mucosal immune system),
that allows the host to react abnormally to an environmental antigen.
(2) An environmental product that triggers the disease process.
(3)
The ability for the environmental agent to interact with the mucosal
immune system. Since the purpose of the epithelial barrier is to keep
these two factors separate, and we measure this function of the barrier
by permeability, the corollary of this is that an increase in
permeability is a requirement for disease expression."
What does
this mean in lay terms and in relationship to the concept of the leaky
gut syndrome? The gut or intestine is supposed to be a barrier to
foreign proteins like foods and bacteria. If your immune system is
genetically predisposed to react adversely to a certain food proteins
and/or bacteria in your gut (or nerves, skin or joints) you may react
with activation of damaging chemicals intended to protect you from
foreign invaders that instead damage your gut making it more leaky and
more vulnerable as well as your nerves, skin, and joints.
Leaky
gut begets leaky gut. What results is more damage to your gut. Food and
bacterial proteins can act together to damage the gut and allow toxic
protein complexes to get through the gut that is normally supposed to be
resistant to such a breach. Once in your blood stream, foreign proteins
may initiate abnormal reactions that cause irritation to your brain,
nerves, skin and/or joints.
What many of you and I experience then
are symptoms such as abdominal pain and bloating, gas, diarrhea,
headaches, nerve pain, skin rashes and joint aches. The diagnoses that
result are Celiac disease, Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome,
multiple sclerosis, migraines, attention deficit, autism, depression,
eczema, acne, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, chronic
fatigue etc. etc.
What really concerns some of us with personal
and professional experience with this and who are passionately
interested in this area is that there is an explosion of autoimmune
diseases occurring right under our nose yet most doctors and lay public
are missing the connection. Many people are being diagnosed with
multiple conditions without anyone making the connection of the overload
of our gut with certain foods that may be causing much of these
illnesses. All of the problem foods have specific food proteins or
lectins that are difficult to digest and potentially toxic to the gut.
In particular if the food has been genetically engineered or modified
their lectins may be more toxic to humans. Stay tuned for more on this
exciting area, as I continue writing on the relationship of food, gut
and disease. As your food doctor, the food doc, I hope to help you find
the information you need to eat right to feel right even if your doctors
are not making the connection.By
Dr. Scot Lewey