good article on leaky gut..a mainstream doc

[quan_daniel]

http://arthritis.about.com/od/diet/a/leaky...terms=leaky+gut

 

What Causes Leaky-Gut Syndrome?

 

In some people the wall of the gut seems to have been breached. Researchers are unsure how these microscopic breaches occur but possible causes include:

 

# food allergies

# excessive amounts of aspirin or ibuprofen

# certain antibiotics

# excessive drinking

# compromised immune systems

# parasitic infections

 

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Leaky-Gut Syndrome?

 

Leaky-gut syndrome is not a disease itself but is thought to play a role in other diseases. Allowing undigested food or bacteria into the bloodstream causes the immune system to react. As this occurs the body reacts in a number of ways such as:

# rash

# diarrhea

# migraines

# joint pain

# psychological symptoms

 

These problems can add up to a disorder which has no obvious relation to the original cause.

 

Until a few decades ago, the theory was that unless a medical problem directly affected the gut, it worked normally. Now physicians know that trauma to other parts of the body causes the gut to react. One researcher, Leo Galland M.D., estimates that leaky-syndrome plays a role in 70 percent of people with chronic fatigue syndrome, eight out of 10 aspirin or ibuprofen users, most alcoholics, and anyone who is hospitalized. Galland also believes parasites that can lead to leaky-gut syndrome may lurk in most municipal water systems.

 

How Is Leaky-Gut Syndrome Treated?

 

One common prescription for leaky-gut syndrome is an elimination diet. A series of urine and blood tests is used to assess food allergies. Based on the results of the tests, whole categories of food such as dairy products or wheat products, are eliminated and added back over time as the patient is monitored for reactions. Strict elimination diets should be used only under close medical supervision, otherwise malnutrition can result.

 

The nutritional mainstay, fiber, may also play a role in healing problems of the gut. A National Institute of Health funded study from Louisiana State University indicated that rats who ate no fiber had abnormal intestinal linings. Other research shows that glutamine, a nonessential amino acid, also plays a role in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal wall.

 

Leaky-Gut Syndrome: Conclusion

 

To conclude from available research that leaky-gut syndrome is widespread, treatable, and the cause of all sorts of problems is a jump scientists and most doctors are unwilling to make. The gut and glutamine are definitely hot areas of current and ongoing research. It is recognized though that care and maintenance of the gut makes sense in any case.

 

More Information:

See our Section: Arthritis Diet And Prevention

See our Section: Arthritis Research

See our Article: Diet And Arthritis: The Link Is Complex

Take the: Arthritis And Diet Quiz

 

Reference:

Gut Reactions, by Wendy Marston, NEWSWEEK