What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Because it connects apparently unrelated disorders, Leaky Gut Syndrome is one of the most misunderstood concepts in medicine today.
To begin with, Leaky Gut is not a single disease or syndrome; it's a pathological condition that occurs as part of many different diseases and syndromes. The term refers to an abnormal increase in the permeability of the small intestine. Increased intestinal permeability is a component of many different disorders.
Leaky Gut Syndrome is associated with:
- inflammatory and infectious bowel diseases
- several types of arthritis
- acne
- psoriasis,
- AIDS ,
- chronic liver disease
- pancreatic disease
- Eczema
as well as numerous conditions triggered by food allergy, including hives, and irritable bowel syndrome
Why is increased small intestinal permeability such a problem?
The small intestine is the largest organ in your body and two-thirds of your immune system lies within its walls. The small intestine continuously activates itself by sampling the molecules that pass through the intestinal lining.
Leaky Gut Syndrome is increased permeability of this lining, and it alters the molecules which prime your immune system for action by allowing molecules that don't ordinarily pass through the gut lining to get access to your immune system.
Sometimes, Leaky Gut Syndrome plays a primary role in the evolution of an illness.
Crohn's disease is a serious chronic intestinal disorder that effects almost a million people in the United States. People who develop Crohn's disease may have a genetically induced increase in intestinal permeability that creates the inflammation in the bowel. This predisposing leakiness can be found in close relatives of patients with Crohn's diseases, suggesting that it precedes the development of inflammation.
Leaky Gut Syndrome can occur as a result of another disease.
Celiac disease is an inherited intolerance to gluten, a group of proteins found in wheat, barley and rye. Celiac disease affects about one person in a hundred in North America and often goes undiagnosed, even when people have severe symptoms. The inflammation caused by active celiac disease causes the leaky gut, which in turn causes some of the complications associated with celiac disease.
Leaky Gut Syndrome can also be caused by the treatment for another disease.
In rheumatoid arthritis, for example, the drugs used to relieve pain and inflammation can damage the intestinal lining, leading to Leaky Gut Syndrome within two weeks. Leaky Gut Syndrome, in turn, is associated with aggravation of arthritis.
For most conditions, the precise role of Leaky Gut Syndrome remains unclear, but it seems to be part of a vicious cycle that makes the condition get worse over time. Allergic reactions to food, for example, cause a transient increase in intestinal permeability. If this happens frequently, it may increase the number or severity of food allergies.
In chronic fatigue syndrome and major depressive disorder, Leaky Gut Syndrome activates the intestinal immune system to produce chemicals called cytokines that spread inflammation through your body.
Inflammation is an important trigger for symptoms like fatigue, malaise, pain, and depression.
When should you suspect Leaky Gut Syndrome?
If you have:
- pain in multiple joints,
- a chronic skin condition,
- chronic diarrhea or abdominal pain,
- chronic fatigue,
- chronic depression,
- malaise,
- a feeling of being infected but your doctor can't find the infection,
or if you use aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs on a regular basis, or if you're a heavy drinker of alcohol.
Recent research in animals has indicated that Leaky Gut Syndrome may also be associated with difficulty losing or gaining weight, but its association with obesity is still under investigation .
There are tests available specifically for LGS but if you have an inflammatory bowel condition, eczema, psoriasis or auto immune problem it is a given that leaky gut coexists.
Please contact us anytime for help with this or any related disorder.
Best of Health!
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Naturopath
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Arlington Heights, IL
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