A recently published,
small experimental study reveals new insights into the link between a
high-calorie processed diet pattern and leaky gut syndrome. It
revealed that when digestive enzymes leak into circulation, they rapidly break
down cellular insulin receptors. This in turn can contribute to the
development of impaired sugar regulation and type 2 diabetes.
Normally, the intestines
is lined with a cellular barrier one cell thick. This cell layer
functions to let dietary nutrients into the bloodstream while keeping almost
everything else out. The health and integrity of that intestinal barrier has
profound influences on diverse systems of the body, including the
cardiovascular, neurological and immune systems. When unwanted
molecules such as digestive enzymes pass through the gut lining and enter the
bloodstream, not only can enzymes auto digest important cellular components but
they also trigger an inflammatory response by the immune system that in turn
promotes chronic systemic inflammation. Unfortunately, research has
also demonstrated that the inflammatory response itself increases gut
permeability, creating a vicious cycle.
In this study researchers
examined the impact of consuming a McDonald’s breakfast that included an Egg
McMuffin, two hash browns, a glass of orange juice and a McCafe hot
chocolate. Participants were either healthy, pre-diabetic or
diabetic. A series of blood samples were taken before and after
consumption of the breakfast meals. When researchers compared gut
leakage among the three participant groups, they found that healthy people had
the lowest amount of digestive proteases in circulation and levels after the
meal returned to pre-meal levels more quickly than those with impaired sugar
regulation. Both before and after the meal, the highest blood levels of
proteases were found in the diabetics while pre-diabetics’ levels fell in the
middle.
That diabetics have
leakier guts than healthy persons has been previously
demonstrated. But, utilizing newly developed technologies, this
study was also able to demonstrate that unwanted digestive proteases in
circulation break down insulin receptors on the body’s
cells. Insulin is the chemical messenger that causes tissue to take
in and utilize sugars in circulation. Damage to insulin receptors
impairs the ability of the body to utilize the sugars released from
digestion. As a result insulin resistance increases and blood sugars
remain elevated.
What to do: There remains much to
elucidate in how gut leakage can impact health, but the dietary measures to
maintain a healthy gut are essentially the same as a heart healthy dietary
pattern and lifestyle. Try to mostly avoid highly processed foods, particularly
those with emulsifiers that are believed to be especially damaging to the gut
lining. Emphasize intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, whole
grains, fish while minimizing meat, sugar, and refined
flour. Healthy bacteria in the intestine also play an important role
in gut barrier health so be sure to include foods that especially support your
microbiome including yogurt, kefir, beans, oatmeal, barley, cooked root
vegetables, onions, garlic, beans, avocados, dark leafy greens, bananas
(especially green bananas), and asparagus.
Sources:
Guerreiro CS, Calado Â,
Sousa J, Fonseca JE. Diet, microbiota, and gut permeability—the
unknown triad in rheumatoid arthritis. Frontiers in Medicine. 2018;
5(349) 1-6. DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2018.00349
Lerner A & Matthias T.
Changes in intestinal tight junction permeability associated with industrial
food additives explain the rising incidence of autoimmune disease. Autoimmunity
Reviews. 2015; 14(6):479-89. DOI: 15.
10.1016/j.autrev.2015.01.009.
Modestino AE, Skowronski
EA, et al. Elevated resting and postprandial digestive
proteolytic activity in peripheral blood of individuals with type-2 diabetes
mellitus, with uncontrolled cleavage of insulin receptors. Journal of
the American College of Nutrition. Published online ahead of
publication. DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2018.1545611
Information adapted from
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