Leaky Gut

The leaky gut story begins in a very important organ: your small intestine. The small intestine is so important because most of the vitamins and minerals in the foods you eat are absorbed there. In order for the vitamins and minerals to be absorbed, the small intestine contains microscopic pores so the nutrients can be transferred into the bloodstream. Once transferred, the nutrients are then shuttled and deposited all around the body by the blood. The wall of the intestine is considered a semipermeable. This means the pores only allow certain things to enter the bloodstream and block other things from entering the bloodstream. For instance, specific molecules and nutrients are allowed to pass through but toxins and large undigested food particles are blocked. The problem with leaky gut is it causes the pores in your intestine to widen. When this happens, the undigested food particles and toxins that are supposed to be blocked are allowed make their way into the bloodstream. Because these items are not supposed to be in the blood, they cause the immune to go into attack mode, which can often lead to allergies. To give you an example, imagine you have leaky gut and eat an apple. When it makes its way into your small intestine, bits of undigested apple that should stay in the small intestine will slip through the large pores directly into your blood. Because these particles are not supposed to be in your bloodstream, the immune system identifies them as dangerous invaders. Basically, the immune system says, “Hey, this particle shouldn’t be here, so we need to attack it with an immune response and build up antibodies to protect ourselves from it.” The problem is the immune system doesn’t just build up antibodies to the food particles; it attacks your healthy cells, too. This is one of the ways food allergies and autoimmune disorders develop.