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Fortifying the Lining in Leaky Gut
by Leonard C. Giunta, DO, CMD Leaky Gut Syndrome is a diagnosis prevalent in various branches of alternative medicine. Its proponents hypothesize that damage to the bowel lining caused by antibiotics, toxins, poor diet, parasites, or infection with the yeast, Candida Albicans, can lead to increased permeability of the gut wall. Increased permeability means an increase in opportunities for toxins, microbes, undigested food, waste, or larger-than-normal macro-molecules to then move through the gut lining into the bloodstream, where the body has no natural way of dealing with them. These substances can affect the body directly or be the cause of issues, such as an immune reaction. The function of the gastrointestinal (or GI) tract is to break down the foods we eat so that they may be used by our bodies to produce energy. The small intestine part of the GI tract has the task of absorbing and transporting the vitamins and minerals from the foods we eat across the gut lining into the bloodstream. It also acts as a barrier to prevent the re-absorption of toxins and large molecules back into the blood. If the gut lining becomes inflamed or damaged, the body typically experiences gas, bloating, abdominal pain, indigestion, and alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea. These symptoms are often identified as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS); however, this may not be the only thing going on. Leaky Gut Syndrome is generally found to be associated with these and many other disorders, such as asthma, Diabetes Mellitis, colitis, Crohn's disease, and autism. Advanced symptoms of Leaky Gut include: chemical sensitivity, escalating food allergies, fibromyalgia, celiac disease, many dermatological conditions, and colitis. Leaky Gut is also believed to be the underlying factor for many autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and eczema. In addition to the disorders associated with Leaky Gut, it can also impair our ability to absorb vitamins, minerals, and other phytonutrients, thus opening the door to a number of nutritional deficiencies. Seacure® is a pre-digested fish protein concentrate that has been shown to help restore the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract. Laboratory studies performed on animals were able to prove this, while new studies are being conducted to prove the same efficacy in humans. In the laboratory, Seacure¨ was shown to stimulate the epithelialization (or growth of cells) that line the GI tract. When the body has a good source of protein - available in the form of peptides and polypeptides, the body will heal itself. With this mechanism in place, Seacure¨ may help the body repair the malfunctioning GI tract lining and prevent increased permeability of the gut to toxins, microbes, undigested food, and waste, and it may prevent increased permeability of the GI tract. In my practice, I have used Seacure® over the past five years for various disorders of the GI tract and the management of IBS, because of its effectiveness in helping to treat these patients. Other great assets of Seacure¨ are that it is free of side effects and that there are no interactions with any other medications, vitamins, or dietary supplements. As in most cases, however, I urge patients to inform their gastroenterologist of any supplements they are taking. |
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