WHY LEAKY GUT CAN LEAD TO ACNE

In millions of people today the gut is disrupted by increased intestinal permeability, which fuels a constant state of low-grade inflammation. In other words, this inflammation and gut dysbiosis is called Leaky Gut.

This inflammation can affect everything from your digestion, body odour, brain health and ultimately the look and feel of your skin. 

WHAT IS LEAKY GUT IN DETAIL

Your gastronomical tract is lined with a single layer of epithelial cells. This cellular layer represents a critical interface between you and your environment - on the inside and outside.

In fact all of the body's mucosal surfaces are a large point of entry for various pathogens including the eyes, nose, throat and gastronomical tract.

The Gut, or more specifically intestinal lining, is the largest mucosal surface and it has 3 main functions:

1. It serves as a vehicle or mechanism by which you obtain nutrients from foods you eat.

2. It blocks the entrance into the bloodstream of potentially harmful particles, chemicals, bacteria and other organisms that can post a threat to your health.

3. It contains chemicals called immunoglobulins that bind to bacteria and foreign proteins to prevent them from attaching to your gut's lining. These chemicals are antibodies that are secreted from immune system cells on the other side of the gut lining and that are transported into the gut via the intestinal wall. This ultimately allows pathogenic organisms and proteins to move on and be excreted (i.e. pooped out).

There are 2 pathways the body uses to absorb nutrients from the gut. Using the trans cellular pathway, nutrients move through the epithelial cells and using the paracellular pathway, nutrients pass between the epithelial cells. The connection between cells, called a tight junction, is an intricate and highly regulated affair. 

If these junctions aren't working properly, they fail to control what should be allowed to pass (nutrients) or should be kept out (pathogens). These permeability issues are otherwise known as leaky gut

These junctions determine, to a large extent, the set-point of inflammation - i.e. your body's baseline level of inflammation at any given time.

It is well documented in scientific research that when your intestinal barrier is compromised (i.e. you have leaky gut) you are susceptible through increased inflammation to a spectrum of health challenges. Some examples of conditions that can be aggravated by, or stem from leaky gut include rheumatoid arthritis, food allergies, asthma, eczema, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, HIV, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, autism, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

There is a study done by Dr Alessio Fasano (Harvard) identifying the relationship among gluten consumption, increased gut permeability, and wide-spread inflammation throughout the body. There is also new science now coming out suggesting that leaky gut can even have an effect on our brain. 

WHAT CAN HELP HEAL LEAKY GUT?

1. Limit Exposure to substances that kill or adversely change the composition of the bacterial colonies: environmental chemicals, certain ingredients in food (e.g. sugar, gluten), water (e.g.chlorine), and drugs like antibiotics

2. Increase the consumption of nutrients that support healthy, diverse tribes of bacteria and instead favour bad bacteria. 

3. Stress Less + Sleep Quality - both hugely anti-inflammatory exercises.