Did you know that your digestive tract isn't technically considered the inside of your body?
That might sound weird, but think of it this way: your digestive tract, or gut, is a barrier, like an impenetrable castle wall, to your body (the castle). As substances like food pass through it, your gut lets some things into your body and keeps others out. This is how your gut protects you from dangerous toxins while also extracting the nutrients you need to survive and be healthy.
However, this barrier to your body does not only consist of a castle wall, but of vital soldiers: good bacteria.
The good bacteria that lines your digestive tract keep toxins, parasites, and other unwanted invaders out of your castle. The good bacteria are a vital part of your immune system and keep the "bad" bacteria in your digestive tract from growing too numerous.
Unfortunately, for the vast majority of us, the toxins we've been exposed to generationally, environmentally, and medically, have decimated our soldiers of good bacteria.
GMO foods, depleted soil, antibiotics, air pollution, and poor diets are just a few reasons for our decimated bacterial armies.
As the good bacteria is depleted, the bad bacteria flourish, wrecking havoc. Meanwhile, the castle walls are left unmanned so undigested food, toxins, viruses, yeast, fungus, and parasites are able to storm the castle. This is commonly called leaky gut. You may have heard of this term, as many in the health industry are exploring and researching this developing area of understanding. Leaky gut may be responsible for causing and contributing to many different health issues.
"We already know that increased intestinal permeability plays a role in certain gastrointestinal conditions such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. The biggest question is whether or not a leaky gut may cause problems elsewhere in the body. Some studies show that leaky gut may be associated with other autoimmune diseases (lupus, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis), chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, arthritis, allergies, asthma, acne, obesity, and even mental illness. However, we do not yet have clinical studies in humans showing such a cause and effect... Controversy still exists on whether leaky gut causes the development of diseases outside the gastrointestinal tract in humans. However, it is always a good idea to eat a nutritious, unprocessed diet that includes foods that help quell inflammation (and avoids foods known to trigger inflammation), which may, at least in theory, help to rebuild the gut lining and bring more balance to the gut flora."
- Marcelo Campos, MD
Hippocrates may have been onto something. If we want to be healthy, we need a healthy gut. Thankfully, there are ways that we can care for and heal our gut and our good bacteria.
Some Common Recommendations to Support Gut Health
The following are some common recommendations to support gut health and are not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider to determine what is best for your unique health situation.
Eat organic, non-GMO foods as much as possible.
Take Vitamin D (recognized as an intestinal permeability protector).
Increase fiber intake (low fiber may trigger expansion of mucus-degrading bacteria).
Take probiotics daily (especially if taking antibiotics, which can decimate good bacteria).
Reduce alcohol consumption.
Reduce sugar consumption.
Consider consulting a naturopathic doctor or nutritionist competent in gut health.
"It has been noticed that animals when offered GMO or non-GMO foods avoid the GMO one." - Dr. Joseph Mercola
"The microbiome has an important role in human health. Changes in the microbiota can confer resistance to or promote infection by pathogenic bacteria. Antibiotics have a profound impact on the microbiota that alters the nutritional landscape of the gut and can lead to the expansion of pathogenic populations. Pathogenic bacteria exploit microbiota-derived sources of carbon and nitrogen as nutrients and regulatory signals to promote their own growth and virulence. By eliciting inflammation, these bacteria alter the intestinal environment and use unique systems for respiration and metal acquisition to drive their expansion." - Bäumler & Sperandio
REFERENCES
Bäumler, A., Sperandio, V. Interactions between the microbiota and pathogenic bacteria in the gut. Nature 535, 85–93 (2016) doi:10.1038/nature18849
Campos, M. (2019, October 24). Leaky gut: What is it, and what does it mean for you? Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/
leaky-gut-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-for-you-2017092212451.
Mu, Q., Kirby, J., Reilly, C. M., & Luo, X. M. (2017). Leaky Gut As a Danger Signal for Autoimmune Diseases. Frontiers in immunology, 8, 598. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2017.00598
Photo by Frank Flores on Unsplash
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