Food Hypersensitivities and Intestinal Permeability

What is Food Hypersensitivity?

Did you know that about 70% of your immune system resides in your gut? Like the security line at the airport, everything you swallow gets inspected by your immune system. If the immune system recognizes it as a food, it ‘clears security’, produces antibodies called IgA, and passes through your digestive tract without any problems. If it is not recognized as harmless, your immune system sends alert signals to react to protect the body.

Food hypersensitivities is a condition in which your immune system misidentifies certain foods as harmful. This sets off a chain of reactions that produce biochemicals called cytokines that cause inflammation and produce IgG instead of IgA antibodies. These reactions may cause symptoms that you are familiar with days after the exposure: diarrhea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal discomfort, achy joints, headaches, brain fog, etc. Eating foods to which you are hypersensitive can also cause impaired intestinal permeability, which may increase discomfort and lead to illness.

What is Intestinal Permeability?

Your digestive tract is a long tube that runs from your mouth to your colon. Each part of that tube is specialized to perform certain processes so that by the time food particles reach the colon, all the nutrition has been absorbed though the walls of the tube and anything your immune system deems dangerous (toxic) has been neutralized and/or not allowed into the rest of the body. While this sounds simple, this is a very complex process!

The inside of the intestinal tube is lined with cells called enterocytes that are covered in several other protective layers like mucus, digestive enzymes, antibodies, and the gut microbiome.

Collectively, this is called the intestinal barrier. The intestinal barrier selectively allows nutrients to pass through and enter the bloodstream, but prevents toxins, bacteria, viruses, or any other substance that might cause harm from passing through. The space between enterocytes that allows passage of nutrients is called a tight junction. The absorption of nutrients and exclusion of harmful substances is called normal intestinal permeability (seen in the diagram as ‘Healthy tight junction’). Anything that disrupts a part of the intestinal barrier (i.e. gut microbiome, mucus layer, enterocytes, etc.) can alter intestinal permeability.

During a food hypersensitivity reaction, the inflammation in the intestinal tube can breakdown the tight junctions between the enterocytes and even damage the enterocytes themselves. In other words, the intestinal barrier that protects us from toxins, bacteria and viruses becomes holey. This is called impaired intestinal permeability (seen in diagram as ‘Faulty tight junction’) or commonly known as ‘leaky gut’. Impaired intestinal permeability allows any particles small enough to fit through the tight junctions to pass into the bloodstream. In this way, anything that causes impaired intestinal permeability breaks down our defenses and provides a passage through which undesirable bugs and toxins can get into our body that may cause further damage.

What to do if you have Impaired Intestinal Permeability?

Following the 5R program to modify diet and lifestyle factors can improve impaired intestinal permeability. The first step is to remove foods that trigger hypersensitivity for a minimum of 21-28 days. An elimination diet can help you determine to which foods you are sensitive (see a practitioner at Upstream Wellness for more information). Next, you need to replace any nutrients that you are deficient in because these can also contribute to dysfunction in the gut. Additionally, discuss your eating pattern with your practitioner and consider adding a multi-vitamin/mineral, and optimizing your omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin A and D. It is also important to restore balance to the beneficial bacteria. For example, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Lactobacillus plantarum MB452 are supplemental probiotics shown to improve intestinal permeability, however it is important to work with a trained practitioner to determine the status of your microbiome before supplementing. Ensure you are eating sufficient fiber because this is what feeds and multiplies your beneficial bacteria. To repair damage to your enterocytes and calm the inflammation, supplements like L-glutamine, zinc carnosine and deglycyrrhizinated licorice can help. Finally, it is essential to rebalance your lifestyle to assure you are getting optimal sleep and exercise and practicing healthy stress management to reduce further inflammation. Furthermore, avoid NSAIDs, proton-pump inhibitors and other pharmaceuticals or toxins that may damage your intestinal barrier also.

Following these steps will set you on your way to a healthy gut!

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