The Importance of Your Gut Barrier for Metabolic Health

Dawn (00:00):

Hello and welcome to the Gastric Health Show. My name is Dawn Boxell, and this week’s topic is the importance of your gut barrier for metabolic health. And we have been discussing your me metabolic health over the last few weeks in different aspects and what influences it positively, negatively, and how you can improve it. I know many people find that in different seasons of life that their metabolic health shifts.

Dawn (00:35):

And I get that you can be doing so many things perfectly, but yet find yourself in a place where your metabolism has altered even like menopause, it just naturally alters your metabolism as you age your metabolism and your metabolic health shifts. So that’s where learning where to focus your efforts on different areas that can truly help you move through this and improve your metabolic health long term. So let’s get into this. The gut is often referred to as the second brain.

Dawn (01:16):

And I’m sure if you follow me long enough, you have heard me say this probably many times, and this is because of its tremendous influence on the body’s overall health. So our gut has the ability and the gut bacteria that reside in our intestines really have the ability to shift our health positively and negatively. And there are so many things that our gut bacteria do, and just the gut barrier has plays a role in that. You can’t ignore it. You have to consider this when it comes to metabolic health especially, but even your overall health now your gut converts food into nutrients and energy so that your body can function properly.

How increased intestinal permeability can lead to various health issues

Dawn (02:12):

So we are going to explore the importance of having a strong intestinal barrier for a healthy metabolism and how increased intestinal permeability can lead to various health issues. And I will say when you think about your gut barrier and intestinal permeability, many of you may have heard this referred to as leaky gut. And when it comes to the more accurate terms, your, it’s really your intestinal permeability and technically your intestines are supposed to be permeable. They’re like one cell thick, so they

Dawn (02:59):

To be permeable so that nutrients can flow through to your bloodstream. So you can see how easily things can get out of balance when things alter this per barrier protection. Now I have talked about intestinal permeability before in some of my previous posts. One is a surprising causes of weight gain after weight loss surgery, leaky gut, and is your gut lacking this after gastric sleeve and bypass? And I discuss intestinal permeability in detail.

What is the Gut Barrier?

Dawn (03:35):

So if you want to learn more about intestinal permeability, I will have discussed that in different avenues in those posts. Now, what is the gut barrier? Your gut barrier is really just the protective layer lining the inside of your intestines. And it has several components and there’s several layers of this barrier protection and it includes the intestinal epithelium. You have a mucus layer and a gut associated lymphoid tissue or G.

Dawn (04:17):

So these three things are what provide that protection from having a disruption in your permeability. The intestinal epithelium is, it acts as a barrier between the gut lumen and the bloodstream. And then the mucus layer, which is an additional layer of protection, is provided by the mucus and a thick gel-like substance that lines the intestinal epithelium. So you have on sitting on top is this mucus layer, and if that gets degraded, then you’re down to the intestinal epithelium, which makes it so much easier for things to permeate through that that shouldn’t be going through that, that are not nutrients, that are not health promoting.

Dawn (05:12):

And then the last is the G or the gut associated lymphoid tissue. And the G is a part of the immune system responsible for identifying and neutralizing harmful pathogens. So you have that in place so that you have protection. Your immune system knows when something moves through that barrier that shouldn’t and it’s ready to attack at any time to protect you. So that’s how your immune system functions in a positive way that can turn negative when you don’t have these layers of protection in place. So how does the gut barrier affect your metabolic health?

How the Gut Barrier Affects Your Metabolic Health

Dawn (06:01):

A compromised gut barrier can lead to various negative health effects, even your metabolism. And there are some ways that weaken your gut barrier that lead to problems with your metabolic health. And one is like digestive issues. The gut barrier regulates what enters your bloodstream. And when the barrier becomes compromised, large food particles and toxins can pass through which triggers your immune response leading to digestive issues like bloating, gas, and diarrhea.

Digestive Issues

Dawn (06:41):

So you may kind of notice some of these symptoms first because you, it may not realize until it’s been chronic, it’s been going on for a while. So just having it occur a few times is not probably detrimental, but it’s a red flag. If you start having all this heartburn, this bloating, this gas, constipation, diarrhea, all these digestive problems and they kind of hang around, they kind of stick. This is likely because those protective layer layers have been compromised and you need to start being progressive about rebuilding them.

Dawn (07:30):

So evidence suggests that increased intestinal permeability is associated with inflammatory bowel disease or I B D and irritable bowel syndrome or ibs. So if you’ve ever been given the diagnosis ibs, this is something to think about. You need to think about how healthy is my gut barrier and how is it contributing to any metabolic problems that I might be experiencing. A study found that gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain and altered bowel habits were associated with increased intestinal permeability. It was also suggested that targeting gut barrier function may be a potential therapeutic approach.

Dawn (08:18):

Another study published in clinical gastroenterology and hepatology in 2018 found the individuals with irritable bowel syndrome had increased intestinal permeability compared to the healthy controls. And it was also suggested that targeting the gut barrier function might be a potential treatment for ibs. When it comes to ibs, we do find not a hundred percent of the time, but a lot of the times that these individuals do experience SIBO or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and this is something that you have to correct, it’s not going away.

Blood Sugar and Insulin

Dawn (08:57):

Bacterial overgrowth is not an infection, it is literally what it means. It’s an overgrowth of too much bacteria in the wrong location, so you have to address it because otherwise it is not going to get better. The next one is, or number two is blood sugar and insulin. And the gut barrier is crucial for regulating your blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. And we recently talked about this in a post and YouTube and a podcast that I discussed about blood sugar balance. We’ve talked recently about insulin and why it’s important to have your insulin be sensitive.

Dawn (09:39):

Defected gut barriers can allow harmful bacteria and toxins to enter the bloodstream that cause inflammation, which then can cause insulin resistance because now your because of this inflammation, your blood sugars are elevated. So anytime you, you have an inflammatory response happening, blood sugar will increase. Matter of fact, I had somebody that was doing a CGM recently with me and they were like, okay, out of the blues, my blood sugars just jumped.

Dawn (10:16):

And I’m like, okay, let’s evaluate the simple stuff first. Any infections? Have you had anything feel, felt sick? Have you had anything big cut on your finger or anything? Nope. Nope. Can’t think of anything. And then ironically, the next day she woke up with a ST in her eye. So again, you just have to kind of peel back the layers of the onion and kind of start diving into what is happening, why am I having an elevated blood sugar?

Blood sugars rise

Dawn (10:51):

So again, and that’s only if you’re monitoring it with a glucometer or a cgm, that you would have that real time feedback to know that hey, something is up. Otherwise you may not necessarily feel the inflammation that’s going on. It doesn’t mean that you recognize it with symptoms or you correlate it with the symptoms. It’s just definitely something that occurs when inflammation is present.

Dawn (11:19):

Blood sugars rise, which means your pancreas is going to be releasing more and more insulin to help take the sugar into your cells. And then when it’s too much and too chronic and that inflammation stays and that blood sugar stays, then guess what? You become insulin resistant because it’s no longer going to be able to respond to these elevated blood sugars. And as a result of the insulin resistance, your body has a hard time maintaining these blood sugar levels, increasing your risk for developing type two diabetes.

Dawn (11:56):

So even if you’ve had bariatric surgery and let, you’re like, okay, my diabetes was managed, it was in remission, and now all of a sudden my blood sugars are rising, what is happening? And start peeling back the onion. What has changed? Have you had digestive symptoms pop up? Have you had inflammatory responses pop up? There are things you can do to check this and that’s why working with a provider like myself can help you accomplish ruling these things out quickly.

People with type two diabetes had a higher level of intestinal permeability than the healthy controls.

Dawn (12:31):

So one study found that people with type two diabetes had a higher level of intestinal permeability than the healthy controls. Additionally, the research has shown that antibiotic use can disrupt the gut microbiome and compromise the gut barrier, increasing the risk for type two diabetes. So again, minimize or limit or try to avoid antibiotic use if at all possible. If not, then when you start that antibiotic, you get on a probiotic that is able to be used during an antibiotic treatment so that it can help support you and minimize the loss of the good bacteria that you are that’s happening with this antibiotic.

Dawn (13:19):

Another study published in the nutrition journal, inflammatory markers and insulin resistance were higher in mice with compromised gut bacteria than those with healthy ones. Furthermore, insulin resistance improved in mice with compromised gut barriers when the barrier was strengthened. And then another study in the Journal of Nutrients found that high saturated fat and low fiber diets known to compromise the gut barrier led to insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance.

Dawn (13:54):

In mice. One of the key ways to strengthen your gut barrier is to focus on your blood sugar balance. And like I had mentioned, I recently covered this and why bariatric patients should care about blood sugar so that keeping your blood sugar levels stable can help improve your gut health and in turn your metabolic health. So it’s all connected. So you can’t can’t fix one and ignore the other. You want to kind of do ’em at the same time. You’ll want to be treating them both so that you get an improvement more quickly.

Weight Gain

Dawn (14:36):

Number three is weight gain. So studies have shown that increased intestinal permeability is associated with weight gain and obesity. Compromises in the gut barrier can allow harmful toxins and bad bacteria to enter the bloodstream and provoke inflammation resulting in weight gain. A compromised gut barrier can also cause food sensitivities leading to inflammation and weight gain.

Dawn (15:02):

One study on mice found that a high fat diet increased intestinal permeability resulting in weight gain and metabolic dysfunction. However, when the mice were treated with a substance that improved your gut barrier function, their weight gain was reduced and their metabolic health improved. And then a separate study on humans found an increase in intestinal permeability in obese individuals compared to healthy weight individuals. And lastly, the gut microbiome, which is closely linked to the gut barrier, also regulates body weight and they kind of work hand in glove.

Dawn (15:43):

So if your gut bacteria are out of balance or what we call dysbiosis, then guess what? It is going to contribute to an increase in intestinal permeability or disrupt that gut barrier lining. And this just adds to the increased ability for you to gain weight. Number four is food sensitivities. And food sensitivities occur when larger food particles can pass through the gut barrier and enter the bloodstream.

Eliminate foods that cause inflammation

Dawn (16:17):

And this can make it challenging to identify and eliminate foods that cause inflammation and other negative health effects. And this can cause inflammation, digestive issues and weight gain just from the food sensitivities. One study found that children with increased intestinal permeability were more likely to develop food sensitivities. And in another study showed that gluten consumption triggers celiac disease and autoimmune disorder caused by a DI disrupted gut bacteria.

Dawn (16:49):

So addressing food sensitivities in adopting an elimination diet can also be beneficial in improving intestinal permeability. You can restore your gut barrier function by removing these trigger foods from your diet and replacing them with nutrient dense options. But in some cases it is the nutrient dense foods that are contributing to this because your immune system doesn’t care or know the difference between nourishing beneficial foods and ultra processed foods. So it sometimes can be the healthy food it your body is responding and reacting and that you are more sensitive to.

Food Sensitivities

Dawn (17:33):

But I want to say this now, food sensitivity tests. I have a love-hate relationship with these tests. I’ve had way too many people come to me following these tests for a number of years, and I say years in a negative sense, no food sensitivity really is going to be a say it this way, A long list of food sensitivities should never last a lifetime. So you should never be removing all of these foods for the rest of your life.

Dawn (18:15):

These, for the most part, the majority of those foods that you are sensitive to should be reintroduced into your diet over the course of time. When you work with a registered dietician who is trained in elimination diets, not a nutritionist, not your trainer, not your doctor, not an NP or a pa, none of those should be guiding you on food reintroduction. This truly is the registered dietician’s role of improving your food tolerance.

Dawn (19:02):

And this is something that for me, my goal is to get back as many foods in your life as possible. I want you to consume a variety of foods. Now, it doesn’t mean I’m wanting you to go back and eat a bunch of junk and ultra processed foods. Nope, that’s not what I’m saying. So what I’m saying is I want you to learn how to have a good relationship with food where the majority of your diet consists of nourishing, beneficial foods that provide you with vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, all the phytonutrients, polyphenols, fibers, resistant, starch soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, all of these properties that your body needs to survive.

Ultra processed foods

Dawn (19:56):

Ultra processed foods really do not provide those in the levels consistently or in really in any way. So that does not mean you cannot consume those. That’s not what I’m saying. But what I’m saying is if the majority of your diet comprises of ultra processed foods, that’s where the problems arise.

Dawn (20:22):

So when it comes to food sensitivity tests, you truly need to work with a dietician who understands this. And then second, really first one, you’ve got to ask yourself, okay, why am I reacting to food? So you got to back this up and look at these things we’re talking about. Are we talking about blood sugar, insulin balance, inflammation? Are we talking about digestive issues? You experiencing these things and weight gain, all of these things? Is this the package that you’re experiencing?

Dawn (21:02):

So again, yes, okay, you may be sensitive to food and you may be reacting to many things or it feels like you are reacting to so many things because you have digestive issues after consuming food. And yes, that may be the case, but one, you have to work on healing that gut barrier lining. And if a practitioner does a food sensitivity test on you and that’s it, send you home and says, okay, remove these, but you can eat these, gives you kind of the, it’s the point system.

Food sensitivity testing is not allergy testing

Dawn (21:42):

Most tests are, there’s a few out there, so they are slightly different and know that food sensitivity testing is not allergy testing completely different. So these are IgG G reactions, not IgE reactions. So these are definitely not something you’re going to remove permanently. And again, these foods, for the majority of them, you should be able to bring them back into your life with working with a registered dietician and then also working with a dietician.

Dawn (22:18):

You can heal that gut barrier lining that can help improve the inflammation, your blood sugar and insulin balance, your weight loss, or maybe you’re having some weight loss resistance, all of that that goes together. So again, that’s my 2 cents on food sensitivity testing. One, it should never be thought of as an allergy test that you remove for life. It should never be something that you do for a lifetime.

How to reduce these foods

Dawn (22:50):

And if a practitioner does the test and does not instruct you how to reduce these foods, you get with a registered dietician like myself who can help you do this correctly and be able to tolerate a wide variety of foods. So that’s my rant on food sensitivity testing. I just struggle with them because I guess I’ve just had way too many people that look at them as they are true allergies and my body doesn’t react and my body doesn’t tolerate these.

Dawn (23:30):

And in that instance, that may very well be, but it’s because your body is reacting to a lot of things. Your immune system is reacting to a lot of things because that permeability has been compromised and you don’t have those tight junctions to protect. Or maybe you don’t have that mucin level or that mucus level which is mucin that layer above those epithelial cells.

Hormone Dysregulation

Dawn (23:59):

Maybe you don’t have that and that whole layer is missing and that’s why you’re reacting. So if you don’t spend any effort in rebuilding and rebalancing and repairing all of that, you’re likely going to struggle with digestive issues for a long time. Next, number five is hormone dysregulation. The gut barrier is vital for hormone regulation and an impaired barrier can cause hormone dysregulation. And there are several hormones that get impacted by this. And there’s several ways in which the gut barrier affects hormone balance as well. One is like inflammation.

Inflammation

Dawn (24:46):

When the gut barrier is compromise, inflammation can result from damage or infection, and then chronic inflammation can disrupt the balance of hormones in the body leading to hormone dysregulation. Studies have shown that gut inflammation increases the risk of developing hormone related conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome or P C O S. The second one is leptin and graylin, and these are our hunger in satiety hormones.

Leptin and Ghrelin

Dawn (25:16):

And these hormones regulate your appetite and your energy balance. Leptin signals the brain when your body has had enough energy stored while graylin stimulates your hunger. And a compromise. Gut barrier can increase graylin levels and decrease leptin levels. So creating this increased hunger out of nowhere essentially is really what it can feel like resulting in overeating and then weight gain. And then number three is estrogen. And the gut is responsible for eliminating excess estrogen from the body.

Estrogen

Dawn (25:58):

And in the absence of the gut barrier, estrogen is not eliminated leading to increased levels of circulating estrogen. This increase in estrogen can lead to hormone dysregulation, including conditions such as high estrogen. And then number four is cortisol. We’ve talked a lot about cortisol lately, our stress hormone and in its connection with your blood sugar and insulin and just your sleep, it really plays a criti critical role in our overall health.

Cortisol

Dawn (26:39):

And this hormone regulates your body’s response to stress. And a compromised gut barrier can affect cortisol production causing the body’s stress response to be dysregulated. Studies have shown that compromised gut barriers, increase cortisol levels, but then also decrease its clearance. So that means your cortisol level is going to stay elevated when maybe you aren’t experience experiencing physical or emotional stress. It maybe this is part of the piece. It is your gut barrier function that is making that cortisol level remain elevated. And number five, your thyroid hormones.

Thyroid hormones

Dawn (27:29):

The gut is crucial for converting inactive thyroid hormones into the active ones when the gut barrier is compromised. This conversion can be disrupted leading to dysregulation of thyroid hormone levels. And studies have shown that autoimmune thyroiditis in which the immune system attacks the thyroid is associated with increased intestinal permeability. Also, we call this Hashimotos. So if this is something that you have experienced in your life or you are experiencing these type of symptoms, again, that gut barrier needs to be addressed. You have to work on repairing, rebuilding, rebalancing that whole gut solutions. What are some solutions for improving your gut barrier function?

Solutions for Improving Gut Barrier Function

Dawn (28:23):

Fortunately, there are several ways to enhance gut barrier function and maintain a healthy gut microbiome. A study enhancing intestinal barrier efficiency. A nove metabolic diseases therapy provides various solutions for improving gut barrier function. And here are some of the key solutions that this study reported with evidence. One was probiotics consuming probiotics in adequate amounts can provide health benefits, and it has been shown that they modulate gut microbiotic composition, reduce inflammation and increase mucus production.

Dawn (29:04):

So that mucus layer that sits on top, probiotics can do this for you. One study found that people with irritable bowel syndrome or I B s who consumed a probiotic supplement containing lactobacillus planetarium and bifidobacterium lactose had improved gut barrier function and reduced inflammation markers. Another study found that probiotics improved gut barrier function and reduced leaky gut symptoms in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Consuming probiotics through foods like kafi, kimchi sauerkraut, yogurt can also be helpful in improving your gut barrier function.

Probiotics

Dawn (29:50):

Despite this, not all probiotics are equal and different effectiveness based on their specific strains and doses. So this is why it is important to work with a practitioner like myself who can help guide you on which probiotics could truly help improve your situation. If you’re having metabolic health issues and we are working on that gut lining, then we will want to focus on certain probiotics to help improve this. But just taking any probiotic over the counter is sometimes helpful.

Dawn (30:32):

But again, I think being more targeted and choosing the strains and species that actually have evidence towards that is super helpful. And I would say that is why our gastric health supplements really focus on this. And our probiotics are all about this. They work on that gut barrier in improving that gastrointestinal lining, strengthening it so that you have the defenses to fight against that permeability that can occur from so many things in life.

Prebiotics

Dawn (31:17):

So again, I would encourage you to work with someone. I would say these are things that like our membership is crucial for because we can truly walk you through what ones make the most sense. Number two is prebiotics. And I would say that this is equally if not more important than the probiotics. So prebiotics found in food are just non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth of the beneficial gut bacteria. In addition to improving the gut barrier function, they also reduce inflammation within the gut.

Dawn (32:01):

So increasing prebiotic rich foods, and usually you’re going to find most of them in the vegetable category, some in the fruits, but you can think of things like asparagus, leaks, garlic, onions, so many of the vegetables are super impactful to really improving that gut barrier function. So if you are not big into consuming vegetables or these types of foods consistently where you truly just, you might get it a few times a week or when you get it, it’s not very large volumes.

Prebiotic benefit

Dawn (32:52):

This is where I challenge you with soups and stews where you just chop up a whole bunch and put it in any and all soups and stews, also in smoothies where you just kind of add random things into that to get the prebiotic benefit. Now, food is definitely more powerful in the prebiotic category than a supplement, but I am not against supplements when it comes to the prebiotics.

Dawn (33:23):

I just strongly encourage you to work on learning how to consume these foods in your diet because they do a better job than the powdered formulas or the things that you find in probiotics or in just tubs that you add to things or that you take. So again, I’m not against using those and I recommend those to some of my patients. It’s just I really want them to learn how to do it with food first.

Dietary Changes

Dawn (33:54):

And if that is not happening, then we kind of go towards the supplement form. Number three is dietary changes with fiber rich foods or fiber filled carbohydrates. And I’ve talked about this before on the carbohydrate controversy after bariatric surgery and how so many people, not just bariatrics, but our population is so against carbohydrates and everyone feels that a ketogenic diet is truly how we should eat, and it just really is not true. It is not true for all of us.

Dawn (34:39):

There is genetically so many differences that yes, some people should follow a ketogenic diet and I have no problem with that, but the majority of us do not need to follow a ketogenic diet and need fiber filled carbohydrates. So this is part of it. If you really struggle to get your fiber in, this is where you might have to challenge yourself by consuming different foods so that you can up your fiber intake.

Fiber-rich foods

Dawn (35:13):

Now, certain dietary changes can help improve your gut barrier function. Fiber rich diet in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, increasing the mucus production. So that mucus layer, which think of that as just kind of that protective layer, that really helps protect that gut barrier and it reduces inflammation by promoting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.

Dawn (35:46):

So that is fuel fiber is fuel for the gut bacteria, which again, because they create short chain fatty acids and those short chain fatty acids strengthen that gut barrier lining, increase the thickness of that mucus layer that sits on top. Again, it all works together. And if you consume a low fiber diet, then you are going to struggle with gut barrier problems and potentially metabolic problems. A high fiber diet increases gut bacteria that produces the short chain fatty acid, which have been linked to improved gut barrier function and reduced inflammation.

Dawn (36:29):

Short chain fatty acids are produced when gut barrier, when gut bacteria ferment the dietary fiber. And as discussed in a previous post that I did call, it’s titled Three Ways Fiber supports your Weight Loss Journey about the benefits of fiber. Short chain fatty acids not only help maintain the integrity of the gut barrier, but also have anti-inflammatory effects which can further support metabolic health. Again, it all works together and focusing on one and ignoring the other is not how you’re going to get resolution.

Medications

Dawn (37:07):

Number four, medications. There are some medications that will increase your intestinal permeability or compromise that gut barrier, and these are things like NSAIDs. So think of ibuprofen ale, Motrin, these types of medications. And then lastly, proton pump inhibitors or PPIs, Omeprazole, Nexium Previ said those types of PPIs can compromise your gut barrier function. Minimizing the use of these medications or using alternative medications can help improve your gut barrier function.

Dawn (37:50):

I did a whole post on heartburn solutions because a lot of people are on PPIs for heartburn resolution and D G L is a great alternative. There are actually tons of them. If you find my article on heartburn considerations after bariatric surgery on our website, that is a great resource for all of the options alternatives. So even like melatonin can be used to help support that strengthens that lower esophageal sphincter that’s at the bottom of your esophagus so that it stays sealed tighter so it tightens that closure better.

So what I encourage people to do?

Dawn (38:37):

So again, there are so many options. So what I encourage people to do is have a conversation with your prescribing practitioner, and I do know how to help you get off of them. I just need your doctor’s approval first before I would ever take you off. I do not remove medications that has to come from your physician.

Dawn (39:00):

And because there may be medical reasons why you need to remain on this. So only if your prescribing provider approves getting off of this ppi, I can guide you through this, have done this many times with people. Usually it goes pretty quickly, but I do have some patients that have taken a little bit of time on and we just have to be patient with the process. But again, avoiding these minimizing, limiting, getting off of these types of medications are an important piece for making sure that your gut barrier is strong and healthy.

Anti-inflammatory diet

Dawn (39:42):

Number five is an anti-inflammatory diet. So avoiding the things that can increase your inflammatory responses. These are foods like whole unprocessed foods that are nutrient dense and they’re not super high in sugar or refined carbohydrates or saturated or trans fats. So think about the ultra processed foods. Those are things that can contribute to inflammation because those are the things that can easily turn into something that can penetrate through that intestinal barrier.

Sleep

Dawn (40:26):

So again, following more of an anti-inflammatory diet can help reduce inflammation and improve your gut barrier function. Number six, sleep. We’ve done several posts on the importance of sleep and your gut health and metabolism also depend on getting enough sleep. Sleep is when your body is repairing, restoring, rejuvenating, and if you are not getting good quality sleep, you are not getting in that restorative state and your gut is not going to get repaired. So again, sleep is super important.

Stress Reduction

Dawn (41:06):

You can’t ignore this piece and be staying up all hours of the night on your phone, scrolling or just not taking care of yourself and putting yourself to bed earlier and sleeping through the night. These are all important things that can influence intestinal permeability and metabolic dysfunction. Number seven is stress reduction. We’ve also talked about this frequently. And chronic stress can increase intestinal permeability and compromise your gut barrier function by increasing inflammation and disrupting the balance of the beneficial gut bacteria. And that’s why it’s so important to start a practice of stress. Reducing techniques such as meditation or yoga or just deep breathing can be utilized to help improve your gut barrier function.

Avoid Toxins

Dawn (41:46):

Number eight, avoid toxins. And these are things that we’re all exposed to. Here’s the thing, we’re never going to remove all the toxins that are around us. There have been, in my lifetime, 85,000 new chemicals approved that my ancestors were never exposed to. So we’re not getting away from the toxins.

Dawn (42:33):

So again, this is something that you have to just be smart with, try to minimize as much of it as possible and support your body and do the basics that make sense for your life. You don’t have to go crazy and replace everything and live this crazy, weird life. No, it’s just pick something and try to find a better alternative that don’t have thalates, that don’t have parabens, that don’t have all these BPAs that in plastics and stuff that truly do disrupt our hormones and our gut barrier and ours and endocrine disruptors.

Why are we still using these things?

Dawn (43:32):

This is real. This isn’t just some woowoo natural medicine, this is for real. You can find it on the N I H website and it just doesn’t get the limelight or the media coverage that it really should. And I guess it just boggles my mind that if we know that these things are problematic, why is it still allowed? Why are these things still being allowed in our food system, in our environment, in use? Why are we still using these things?

Dawn (44:12):

But of course, I’m sure there for every person who reads the research, there are people who read it and don’t believe it, so, and don’t want to be told what to do. So I guess that’s part of being in America. We deal with the consequences of those types of things. So do the best you can because they can actually disrupt your gut barrier lining and increase intestinal permeability.

Consider Supplementation

Dawn (44:45):

So do what makes sense for your life so that you can have a healthy metabolism and a healthy gut. Supplements, there are definitely supplements, and this is something that is core to me and core to my business and what I do with patients. I do utilize supplements that can heal your gut lining and improve your gut barrier function and truly help you with your metabolic health. And there are many supplements that I would use in this category dependent on the severity.

Dawn (45:25):

Sometimes I have to use multiple ones, sometimes I can get away with one. It truly just depends on the person and what is occurring and what they’re experiencing. But supplements truly can help heal your gut and strengthen that those tight junctions and strengthen that intestinal barrier, increase that mucus layer, that whole package. There are supplements that can do that. I don’t truly know of many medications that can do that, like prescription medications.

Dawn (46:04):

So again, it’s a combination of diet and supplements that can truly heal your gut barrier function. So let’s wrap this up. A strong intestinal barrier is essential for a health healthy metabolism. And a compromised barrier function can lead to a range of negative health problems. Yet several solutions are available to maintain a healthy gut barrier and metabolism. Taking probiotics, consuming a fi consuming fiber field, carbohydrates, prebiotics, just a high fiber diet and addressing underlying health issues are all effective ways to promote gut health.

Conclusion

Dawn (46:49):

There is, however, no doubt, the individual responses to gut health interventions can vary. And working with a healthcare professional like myself who can help you with a personalized plan. Can truly be life changing and turn things around. But overall, prioritizing gut health and taking steps to improve your gut barrier function can significantly impact your metabolic health and overall wellbeing.

Dawn (47:17):

So I hope this makes sense. I know I talk a lot about gut health and I truly believe that this is, especially in bariatric PA patients, this is something that is compromised compromise prior to having bariatric surgery and if not dealt with appropriately, is going to continue or even worsen with after surgery. So this is something that working with a professional like myself is a great way to get healing underway, and that’s where I’d encourage you to check out our gastric health membership where you have the autonomy to work through these strategies because these don’t change overnight.

Dawn (48:07):

Most typically, I need to work with somebody no less than three months. Rarely do I solve the problem in a month. For most people, it’s going to be closer to six months, to 12 months. And that truly gives us the time to repair, rebuild, rebalance, restore. All of that so that you no longer have those symptoms that you are struggling with. So you guys have a great week and we will see you next time. Bye-bye.

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References & Links:

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