“A well functioning gut with healthy gut flora holds the roots of our health. And, just as a tree with sick roots is not going to thrive, the rest of the body cannot thrive without a well-functioning digestive system.”
– Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, Neurologist, Neurosurgeon, Nutritionist & Author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome
Accumulating research shows that there are many environmental factors that contribute to autoimmune conditions. The Top 6 Autoimmune Triggers You Can Control series helps simplify the seemingly endless potential triggers into 6 major autoimmune trigger categories I call F.I.G.H.T.S.™:
In this second post in the Top 6 Triggers series, I highlight leaky gut and imbalanced gut bacteria (dysbiosis) and the science that confirms their involvement in the development of autoimmune and other chronic disorders. Then I share steps to help you address gut health naturally and effectively so you can get on the path back to health.
Let’s start with the great news:
In 2012 Alessio Fasano, MD, Chief, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass Gen) & Director, Center for Celiac Research, and his team published their breakthrough research findings1, revealing the third element in the equation necessary for the development and perpetuation of most autoimmune disease: the loss of intestinal barrier function, a.k.a., “leaky gut syndrome,” or just “leaky gut” for short.
We now know that three conditions must be in place to cause and perpetuate virtually all autoimmune disorders:
This is fantastic news for anyone dealing with an autoimmune condition. Dr. Fasano sums up why:
“Once the autoimmune process is activated, it is not auto-perpetuating, rather [it] can be modulated or even reversed by preventing the continuous interplay between genes and environment.”2
— Alessio Fasano, MD
Thanks to Dr. Fasano’s findings we now have equations for both developing and reversing autoimmune conditions.
I suffered symptoms of numbness, tingling, pain, tightness, heaviness, blurred vision and fatigue due to flare-ups of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 26 years before identifying my lynchpin triggers. I had no idea that my chronic mild digestive discomfort had anything to do with the MS. I just thought that it was normal to feel some tummy rumbling after meals.
In 2010 I saw a Functional Medicine nutritionist who ran some tests. Functional Medicine is root cause medicine and it’s all about detecting imbalances as early as possible. In contrast to standard lab tests which help doctors decide which drugs to prescribe for symptoms of disease, Functional Medicine tests detect early disease markers, allowing for correcting and optimizing function at the root cause level as soon as possible.
My test results revealed that I had both non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and sensitivity to casein, an inflammatory protein found in animal dairy, especially A1 Holstein cows. A stool test revealed I had both dysbiosis (gut flora imbalance) and significantly low levels of immune-protective, secretory IgA (sIgA), which indicated lack of integrity of my intestinal mucosal lining. In other words, I had an imbalanced and leaky gut.
The nutritionist advised me to eliminate gluten and cow dairy from my diet and led me through a 30-day gut-healing protocol, including a comprehensive elimination diet and a leaky gut repair supplements. Within a week I stopped experiencing digestive distress following meals, and within a month I stopped having MS symptoms completely. To this day, twelve years later, I have never again experienced a single MS symptom. A blood test later confirmed that my antibody levels against myelin sheath (Cyrex Labs 7x) were completely in the normal range, which meant my immune system was no longer attacking my myelin sheath. I no longer had MS. To be clear, I will always have the genes for MS, but those genes don’t need to be EXPRESSED.
Sam, a 2½-year-old diagnosed with autism, was brought in to see functional medicine pioneer, Mark Hyman, MD. Sam had been happy and healthy until he had his measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination at 22 months. Dr. Hyman explains that some people are especially sensitive to the vaccine preservative, thimerosal (ethylmercury). Sam lost his language function, became detached and unable to relate to his parents and friends.
Dr. Hyman ordered functional tests and found that Sam had high levels of antibodies to gluten, dairy, eggs and soy — common autoimmune food triggers. Sam also had a leaky and inflamed gut. Dr. Hyman had Sam’s parents remove the triggering foods and add in gut healing supplements: digestive enzymes, probiotics, zinc, magnesium, folate, vitamins A, B6, B12, D3, and fish oil. According to Dr. Hyman, “After 10 months, Sam’s bowels were back to normal, he was verbally fluent, mainstreamed in school and he ‘lost’ his diagnosis of autism.”
Shoshana, a 40-year old patient of Raphael Kellman, MD, author of The Microbiome Diet, was afflicted with frequent insomnia, headaches, near-constant brain fog and a persistent extra 20 pounds. Dr. Kellman knew that Shoshana was almost certainly facing two problems: an imbalanced gut microbiome and a leaky gut. Both conditions set Shoshana up for chronic inflammation, an overactive immune system and a fat-storing metabolism. On the autoimmune spectrum, these symptoms are common with the autoimmune expression phase which precedes full-blown autoimmune disease.
Dr. Kellman had Shoshana follow a “4R Protocol” to 1. Remove the top triggering foods: eggs, dairy, soy, gluten, and grains; 2. Replace missing stomach acid and enzymes; 3. Reinoculate her microbiome with needed pre- and probiotics, and 4. Repair the leaky gut barrier with healing minerals, foods and anti-inflammatory supplements. By the time Shoshana completed the 4R gut-healing program, her symptoms disappeared along with her unwanted weight.
More than 2,500 years ago, Hippocrates observed that “all disease begins in the gut,” and science now confirms that there is a critical and delicate interplay between our intestinal integrity, our environment, and our health and wellbeing. When gut balance is disrupted and/or the intestinal barrier is compromised, health and wellbeing suffer.3
Leaky gut refers to a damaged or compromised intestinal lining (epithelium) and atrophied “microvilli.” When the intestinal lining is damaged due to any number of inflammatory substances — SAD or processed foods, toxins, stress, infections — the “shag carpeting” (microvilli) becomes worn down, resembling “Berber” carpeting, and the intestinal “tight junctions” loosen. The lining that normally functions like a fine sieve becomes more like a torn fishing net – allowing large, undigested particles — including bacteria, incompletely digested proteins and toxins — to pass through the gut lining and into the bloodstream, where they don’t belong.
When pathogenic (“bad”) bacteria outnumber the good, the gut lining can become inflamed and leaky. Nutrients are not properly absorbed, the creation of the feel-good neurotransmitter, serotonin, is disrupted, and a vicious cycle persists until the health of the gut lining and bacterial balance are restored.
Once the undigested foods and toxins enter the bloodstream, the immune system – just doing its job — tags those particles as “dangerous invaders” and creates antibodies (soldiers) to attack them. A cascade of immune reactions follows. Food sensitivities, malabsorption, nutrient deficiencies, systemic inflammation and even breaching of the blood-brain barrier become common. The immune system can become confused and attack the body’s own tissue — which is the initiation of autoimmune processes.4
If you have autoimmune issues or any of the symptoms below, chances are that you have gut issues too — and here’s the clincher: whether or not you feel gut symptoms:
The inflammation that leads to leaky gut can be caused by many factors, sometimes in isolation but often in combination. For me the inflammatory combo was sugar, gluten, dairy, Candida overgrowth, mercury toxicity from multiple fillings, and chronic stress. For other people it could be nuts and nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, white potatoes, eggplant, and peppers); or perhaps overuse of antibiotics and other prescriptions meds.
Disruption of the intestinal ecosystem balance, known as gut dysbiosis, is associated with many chronic conditions, including autoimmune disorders and allergic diseases.5
Chronic or acute stress adversely affects the balance of bacteria in the gut, and this has profound implications on our immunity. Stress can lead to changes in composition, diversity and number of gut microorganisms. 6
Increased intestinal permeability has been observed in animal models of Type 1 diabetes (T1D) as well as in humans with, or at increased-risk for, the disease. 7
Researchers found that microbial balance was disrupted in patients with Crohn’s disease, with beneficial microbes missing and pathogenic microbes flourishing.8
New evidence shows a correlation between the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the prevalence of a certain microbe—Prevotella copri. 9
If you are dealing with any of the symptoms above, and/or an autoimmune condition, chances are very good that you would benefit from a gut-repair “5R protocol” (see below). If you’d like more data consider getting a Leaky Gut blood test to confirm your suspicions. Vibrant Wellness’ Wheat Zoomer panel offers a comprehensive test that bundles in leaky gut markers, celiac risk and wheat and gluten antibodies.
Record what you eat at each meal (don’t forget snacks and beverages!) and keep a log of physical symptoms. Note that symptoms may be immediate or delayed and may include gut distress, brain fog, headaches, acid reflux, sleeping issues, joint pain, etc. Keep track for several weeks, then review your journal to see if you can identify patterns that might point to food sensitivities.
Regular consumption of cultured superfoods introduces beneficial microbes into the digestive tract to aid digestion and detoxification, provide enzymes, vitamins and minerals, and boost immunity. Fermented foods include sauerkraut, coconut kefir, and kimchi (Korean fermented vegetables).10
Remove gut-harming foods for good. Add the following gut-nourishing foods: Bone broth contains collagen and the amino acids proline and glycine; Grass fed ghee — clarified butter without the allergens casein, lactose and whey; Coconut products are made up of easy to digest medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which efficiently convert into energy and stimulate the body’s metabolism — think fat loss, not fat storage; Sprouted raw seeds like chia, flax and hemp are great sources of fiber that can help support the growth of beneficial bacteria.
Simple steps, but the devil’s in the details. What can you do to address your gut health? Consider one inflammatory thing to remove and one nourishing thing to add in today.
Take good care!
Image Credit: Ohmega1982/Shutterstock
This comprehensive book is the first to explore all six of the critical lifestyle factors that are the root causes of autoimmune conditions – and the sources of regaining health. Foreword by Mark Hyman, MD
Palmer is a certified Functional Medicine Health Coach who has helped thousands of people reverse autoimmune conditions based on her own two-decade battle to successfully beat multiple sclerosis (MS). She’s the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book, Beat Autoimmune, which has a powerful foreword by Functional Medicine pioneer, Mark Hyman, MD.
