You may have heard about the phenomena of ‘leaky gut’ since it has been gaining a lot more interest and research in recent years. Much of this attention has also been focused on the link between leaky gut and how that impacts on our brain health along with its potential links with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s as well as mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. The question is can a leaky gut lead to a leaky brain?
Firstly, the technical term for leaky gut is ‘increased intestinal permeability’ and whilst we need our gut barrier to be somewhat permeable we also need it to provide a protective defence. Fundamentally this relies on the integrity of ‘tight junctions’ that interconnect with intestinal cells which line our gut. Think of these tight junctions as the gate keepers that decide what can and cannot pass from our gut into the bloodstream. Along with mucosal tissue known as GALT, these tight junctions work to block out harmful molecules such as pathogens, bacteria, toxins and pro-inflammatory chemicals. However if this barrier becomes compromised it can result in a more permeable or ‘leaky’ gut as these same molecules move out of the gut. This ‘leaky’ situation creates havoc for our immune system and can trigger a cascade of inflammatory responses resulting in excessive secretion of cytokines – tiny pro-inflammatory molecules. If this continues it can set up a chronic state of inflammation which can have a negative widespread impact on the entire body, including the brain.
We also need to consider the pivotal role of the gut microbiome in this picture as our gut microbes help to protect and support the health of the gut barrier as well as well as producing key metabolites that have a positive signalling role and regulating immune responses. One of these metabolites is butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid, which is essential for both gut and brain barrier health. In addition, our gut microbiome has a critical role in the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports the health and growth of neurons and overall cognitive function. In fact, BDNF has found to be decreased in the brains, and blood, of patients with anxiety and Alzheimer’s. Therefore if we have an imbalanced gut microbiome this means we are less likely to be able to manage this process which also compromises the function of the gut barrier and may lead to increased systemic inflammation. It is also cyclical in that the more that inflammation ensues, the more this also disrupts the health of the gut microbiome itself which further feeds into this loop of increased gut permeability and inflammation.
In addition, this gut-to-brain inflammation can can also potentially compromise the health of the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) which is also part of the ‘leaky brain’ connection. This has been associated with certain neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and mood disorders like depression.
Of course there are many different factors that can compromise the the health of our gut and the gut barrier to include having a low amount and diversity of fibre in the diet, high intake of ultra-processed foods, excessive alcohol consumption, chronic stress, exposure to chemical toxins, genetic predispositions and certain medications to name a few. Gluten has also been implicated in activating the protein zonulin which causes the tight junctions in the gut to open more readily which may then contribute to a leaky gut. However, it does seem that this is more relevant to those who are coeliac (an allergy to gluten) and those with gluten sensitivity. We also need to understand that the possible association with gluten and leaky gut is a much more nuanced conversation as it fundamentally depends on the type and the amount of gluten consumed as well as our own individual response so it is definitely not a clear cut picture.
All things considered unless someone is coeliac the evidence points to having healthy whole grains including those with gluten in our diet to support an overall healthier gut microbiome.
More generally and typically with leaky gut it does tend to be a cumulative effect of myriad factors so whilst we can try to avoid as many of these as possible there are ways in which we can actively help to support and strengthen both our gut microbiome and barrier…
Eating whole foods in the majority and cooking from scratch as much as possible will naturally minimise our intake of ultra-processed foods which often contain chemicals and added sugars that are harmful to the microbiome and the gut barrier. Try to focus on aiming for 30 or more different plants per week as a recent study at The American Gut Project showed that people who consumed 30+ plants per week have a healthier microbiome than those who ate less than 10. This is because plants provide fibre to fuel the microbes in our gut and with diversity in our sources it means we can curate a more diverse, and ultimately stronger, gut microbiome.
TIP: Make up nut and seed mixes using 5-6 different types that you can use to sprinkle over salads, soups, vegetables and porridges. This will help to provide you with some easy variation and flavour! And if you want to make your own plant powered granola check out this base recipe https://evekalinik.com/granola/
Both prebiotic and fermented foods have important yet very different roles in supporting our gut health and we need include both of them regularly in our diet. Ideally daily. Prebiotics are specialised types of fibre that help to feed the good bugs in our gut which contributes to a healthier overall gut microbiome. We find prebiotics in foods such as garlic, onions, leeks, apples, oats, rye, spelt, cashews, pistachios and chicory root. Fermented foods on the other hand are food-based forms of ‘probiotics’. We ingest the beneficial microbes naturally present in fermented foods when we consume them which adds to our existing microbiome. We can find these in ‘live’ natural yogurts, traditional cheese, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh and miso.
TIP: Overnight oats served with chopped almonds and stewed apples (stewing releases more of the prebiotic pectin fibre) provides three different types of prebiotics. And if we add a generous couple of spoonfuls of live natural yogurt on top we have a veritable pre and probiotic feast!
Include vitamin C rich foods as this helps to promote our own production of collagen which is essential for supporting all connective tissue in the body, most notably the gut barrier. You can find this in broccoli, peppers (all types), kiwis, strawberries, cauliflower, spinach, kale, cabbage and citrus fruit. Vitamin C is also very sensitive to heat so the least cooked the better. Organic bone broth also provides a direct source of collagen which you can easily make at home or buy from a reputable brand.
And of course we can also look to nourish the gut on a truly foundational level by adding in ION* in our daily routine that works on supporting the gut barrier and maintaining tight junction integrity.
TIP: Make my belly and soul warming ‘Sesame and ginger chicken noodle soup’ that contains lots of gut-nourishing ingredients https://evekalinik.com/sesame-and-ginger-chicken-noodle-soup/
Chronic stress and the hormones we produce when we are stressed such as cortisol have a direct and negative effect on both the composition of the gut microbiome and the gut barrier. Acute stressors are something we are biologically preprogrammed to cope with but it is the chronic exposure to stress that is the most detrimental. With modern busy lifestyles we do need to actively counteract this with mindful practises such as meditation, gentle yoga or journaling. It is also cumulative in its effect so we do need to engage in these mindful practises regularly rather than sporadically. For most of us 5-10 mins every day is totally doable.
TIP: Simple breathing exercises can be super effective and really easy to implement. Box breathing, which is often referred to as square breathing, is a technique that slows the breath and gives a specific focus. This involves breathing in for a count of four, holding the air on full for four, breathing out gradually to a count of four and expanding the air on empty for four, and then starting the sequence again. This is something we can use at the end or beginning of our day to wind down or set the tone ahead and can even be used in a moment of heightened stress or anxiety.
References
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