Leaky gut syndrome

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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 (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" lies between conventional and alternative medicine, and includes other diagnoses such as small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome or small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and yeast syndrome or systemic candidiasis, and remains controversial and scientifically unsettled.^[4]

Leaky gut syndrome is believed to be a possible starting point or connection with many disorders such as asthma, diabetes, autoimmune diseases like lupus, diseases like scleroderma, internal colitis, long term disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, severe illnesses like multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue syndrome and Crohn's disease. ^[5]

A 2008 study found that children with autism had no more peptides in their urine than typical children, casting doubt on the proposed mechanism underlying the leaky-gut theory and autism.^[6]

[edit] References

^ ZP Rona,Altered Immunity & Leaky Gut Syndrome
^ S. Martin, Intestinal Permeability, BioMed Newsletter Issue No. 11, May 1995.
^ 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.
^ Pizzorno, JE, Murray, MT, (November 2005) Textbook of Natural Medicine, 3rd edition, Churchill Livingstone, pp 167, 584, 1527 ISBN 0-443-07300-7
^ Leaking Gut Syndrome
^ Cass H, Gringras P, March J et al. (2008). "Absence of urinary opioid peptides in children with autism". Arch Dis Child. doi:10.1136/adc.2006.114389. PMID 18337276. Lay summary – BBC News (2008-03-17).