Leaky gut syndrome

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Leaky gut syndrome is a diagnostic entity popular in various branches of alternative medicine. Its proponents hypothesize that damage to the bowel lining, caused by antibiotics, toxins, poor diet, parasites or infection (e.g. with the yeast Candida albicans) ^[1] can lead to increased permeability of the gut wall to toxins, microbes, undigested food, waste or larger than normal macromolecules.^[2] Some versions posit that these substances affect the body directly, while others postulate an immune reaction to these substances.^[3] While many practitioners maintain that leaky gut syndrome is a bona fide medical condition, the area of "gut problems" between conventional medicine and alternative medicine, including other diagnostic titles such as Small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome or small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and "yeast syndrome" or systemic candidiasis, remains controversial and scientifically unsettled.^[4]

The concept of increased gut permeability itself is well recognised in various conditions, such as hepatic encephalopathy. It has been discovered that Zonulin regulates intestinal permeability.

[edit] External links

• What is Leaky Gut Syndrome, Reprinted from AIA Newsletter No.18 (Summer 1997)
• Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Leo Galland, M.D.
• Alba Therapeutics

[edit] References

1. ^ ZP Rona,Altered Immunity & Leaky Gut Syndrome
2. ^ S. Martin, Intestinal Permeability, BioMed Newsletter Issue No. 11, May 1995.
3. ^ Kiefer D, Ali-Akbarian L. A brief evidence-based review of two gastrointestinal illnesses: irritable bowel and leaky gut syndromes. Altern Ther Health Med 2004;10:22-30. PMID 15154150.
4. ^ Pizzorno, JE, Murray, MT, (November 2005) Textbook of Natural Medicine, 3rd edition, Churchill Livingstone, pp 167, 584, 1527 ISBN 0-443-07300-7