Ill Digestion, Leaky Gut, and Deteriorating Effects of Anti-Nutrients

Mar 11

In post #1, we discussed dysfunctional digestion and possible causation. In this “Part 2” on digestion, I would like to look at “leaky gut” and foods that might be exacerbating symptoms of your condition(s). To help understand, I’d like to start with an anatomy and physiology lesson.

LEAKY GUT

Intestinal permeability—also known as “leaky gut”, or the abnormal gut flora and permeable intestinal membrane—is something that I’ll refer to periodically in our discussion today and in posts going forward. I’d like to explain it so that we’re both on the same page.

As food moves out of the stomach, it passes through the pyloric sphincter (the “doorway”) into the first section of our small intestine (the duodenum). For a more detailed step-by-step outline of digestion, you can review the process HERE. The duodenum is responsible for most food absorption in the GI system. Contrary to popular belief, the stomach and large intestine actually absorb very minute amounts of food nutrients. For this reason, the small intestine is crucial; without it, we couldn’t assimilate vitamins, fats, proteins, or carbohydrates! We see the condition of malabsorption arise when it has suffered damage. Malabsorption is the inability to absorb nutrients efficiently. We also see mood dysfunction like depression and anxiety arise with malabsorption, as we are unable to make “good mood” neurotransmitters like serotonin.

Our small intestines are made of pleated, folded structures known as villi. These appendages are used to increase the surface area of the small intestine to maximize contact with food. Columnar epithelial cells line the villi, where their main purpose is to absorb. These epithelial cells are lined with tiny hair-like structures known as microvilli. Each microvillus has a feed-in artery and vein to support absorption the assimilation of nutrients into the bloodstream, and a little tendon to support the movement. Because of these structures, it’s estimated the surface area within your intestines is a whopping 400 square meters! I found this fact pretty neat.

Here we see the anatomy of the inside of the small intestine, and the structures of the villi, microvilli, and epithelial cells.

When conceptualizing the epithelial cells of the small intestine, think of the game “Red Rover”. These cells have tightly bound junctions—literally known as “tight junctions”—in between them, where they sit squashed together. They’re your last line of defense between your intestinal tract and the bloodstream. If breached, antigens like food particles, bad bacteria, heavy metals, or endotoxin can make their way into circulation. We can liken this in our game analogy to that kid who looked like a fifteen-year-old fifth grader being “sent over” and breaking your clasped hands with the kid next to you. We want these junctions to hold on tight!

Your epithelial cells diffuse the nutrients that pass overtop your small intestine into the bloodstream. They also secrete things like mucus to keep food from sticking and to provide a barrier from potential antigens. You can think of this mucous as a raincoat for the body. On top of this mucosa layer, we see the growth of the good and bad bacteria. Don’t fret—we all have both! These microbes feed on the transient foodstuffs. The good bacteria can ferment and produce nutrients from this matter while breaking it down. The bad bacterium can proliferate from feasting off undigested foods. They can also release endotoxins that make you sick. When out of balance, too many toxins can be produced and absorbed.

As we discussed in the first post, indigestion of macronutrients can be from a lack of hydrochloric acid. This undigested food passes into the small intestine and sits on the intestinal lining like a stick in the mud. This ain’t good, friends! Why?

1) Remember that intestinal bacterium we mentioned? Well, the opportunity is about to come to a’knockin’, and that bad bacteria is going to take its chance. With this stagnant (putrefying) food, the bad bacteria can proliferate and overtake the good. This can lead to bacterial or fungal overgrowth and a plethora of digestive issues.

2) That food shouldn’t be there, and it begins to inflame and irritate the villi and microvilli. Over time, this makes the barrier of epithelial cells weak and more prone to permeability and scarring. Those epithelial cells won’t produce as much protective mucus over time, nor will they absorb foodstuffs as efficiently. Think of it this way: you’re re-roofing your house. First, you have to put down the waterproofing layer so water doesn’t seep through under the shingles. Your roofer screws up and forgets to put it down. It hails. Your shingles get damaged. It then pours for “40 days and 40 nights...” what do you think happens? Leaky roof. What happens with your intestines? Leaky gut!

So at this point, your mucosa membrane and villi are compromised. This is an important portion of your immune system’s defense in the GI tract, and it’s failing. “Red Rover, Red Rover…” yeah, that bacteria and food is about to come right on over and through your tight junctions, and into your bloodstream!

Keep in mind that the body’s immune system is in circulation AT ALL TIMES looking for antigens. Once foodstuffs find their way into the bloodstream from breaching these tight gap junctions, they can be recognized as antigens. The immune system mounts its attack. Defending cells rush to the site, and inflammation ensues. As the adaptive immune system is in place because of its ability to remember, foods that constantly go undigested and are absorbed into the bloodstream are easily recognized by the immune system. If you’ve ever heard of a food sensitivity… voila! This is how it’s born.

Now that we understand a bit about leaky gut, we can talk about negative responses to different odd food categories. Its explanation earlier will help what we discuss today.

LECTINS

In this animation, we can see how lectins can make it through gut junctions and into your bloodstream. From here, the immune system can become activated, and an inflammatory response results.

What is a lectin? A lectin is a protein. In this case, they’re found in plants. They’re known to bind to carbohydrates—specifically sugars. That sounds like no problem, right? Wrong. These nasty little things are a plant’s defense system. “But plants don’t have consciousness, Alex…” well, actually that’s subject to debate… and a topic for another day. BUT: they are live creatures! The work of researcher Monica Gagliano says plants produce these compounds to keep foragers like us from eating them. If something were to eat them, how would their seeds spread? A mother’s main purpose is to protect her babies, and this goes for all species. For more on her work, you can check it out HERE. But anyway, let’s stay on topic: lectins are compounds produced as a defense mechanism by plants. OK. As the lectin “King” describes it, Dr. Steven Gundry speaks about how animals avoid lectin-containing foods as they learn from the pain they feel upon consumption. For example, animals sense bitterness or spiciness and let go. Humans, on the other hand, go for that second bite of poison. So, how are they so harmful?

OK, so food can make its way into the bloodstream via a “leaky gut” as we learned about earlier. Let’s run through a hypothetical situation: the food you chose to eat today is a lectin-containing food. You’re feeling gutsy, and treat yourself with some fresh grape tomatoes from the garden. Your gut is leaky, and you have rheumatoid arthritis. Well, a few hours go by and this tomato moves into your small intestine. Some poorly digested particles find their way through your leaky gut wall and into your bloodstream. Your immune system—which is ALWAYS playing security guard—recognizes the tomato. These recognizing substances of the immune system known as complement proteins “tag” the tomato to be annihilated by the immune system, alerting it that something is here that shouldn’t be. This begins an inflammatory response. The immune system goes on high alert to destroy anything that resembles the tomato, thinking it’s a pathogen.

As far as protein structure goes, lectins also look pretty darn similar to several body tissues: the thyroid, myelin sheath, and synovial tissue…among others. This is known as molecular mimicry. These lectins are perceived by the immune system as pathogenic. Unfortunately, they appear as your own tissues to the immune system, and your body’s confusion pushes it to turn on itself. You’re left with crippling joint pain and swollen joints. If you’re dealing with an autoimmune condition, this could further exacerbate the problem. No bueno!

Symptoms

Symptoms of lectin sensitivity can include: joint pain, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, more frequent and unexplained “flares” of autoimmune symptoms, nausea, diarrhea, depression, anxiety, and noticeable inflammation around times of consumption (from right after, to several days after). It takes a while for the immune system to relax.

The work of Dr. Gundry has related high levels of the hormone adiponectin and high TNF (tumor necrosis factor) levels with sensitivities to lectins. These, he says, can indicate permeable gut junctions. The blood markers for IL-6 and IL-17—potent indicators of inflammation—have also been shown to lessen with lowered lectin consumption. Those with inflammatory conditions (i.e. autoimmune) have been shown to see symptoms and inflammatory markers decrease with a lectin-free diet.

Possible Solution(s)?

So how can we eliminate lectin-containing foods? Unfortunately, wheat and gluten really need to go; their form of lectins cannot be destroyed. It’s possible to reduce lectin content in other foods, though. Soaking beans and legumes in baking soda can eliminate some lectins (but not all… beans are a tough one, too). Heard of an Instantpot? Pressure cooking lectin-rich foods further reduce their content. It’s also important to remove the seeds and skins on many of these vegetables, as this is where the largest concentration of lectins sits.

Foods typically high in lectins include:

Squashes: zucchini, acorn, butternut, other winter squashes
Nightshades: tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, hot peppers, goji berries
Corn, corn-derived products, corn-consuming products
Beans, legumes, lentils, peas, soybeans, peanuts, cashews
Corn, Corn-fed (conventionally raised) meats, poultry, and fish (read more about the differences HERE)
Grains (highest): oats, wheat, barley, quinoa, rice
Vegetable oils: corn, sunflower, safflower, soy
Dairy: A1 cows are high in lectins; A2 (Jersey cows) are not.

Those super sensitive might not be able to handle lectin-containing foods at all, but over time might see change as the gut heals. Everyone is different! You can try reintroducing lectin foods over time and monitoring your symptoms if you’re hellbent on having them back. All is possible with a healed gut, right? If you tolerate them now, make sure you’re not over-consuming them and are properly preparing them to avoid issues with them in the future.

If you’re looking to try a lectin-free lifestyle and are curious about some recipes, my girl Gina over at Lectin-Free Creations has some good stuff for you! You can find her HERE.

OXALATES

Calcium Oxalate crystals resemble sharp glass-like structures.

The next possible food “group” I want to discuss is foods high in oxalates (also known as oxalic acid). What is an oxalate? Oxalate is an organic compound that can be produced by plants. These molecules are kind of funky! I won’t get too wacky with chemistry, but within their structure sits two hydrogen atoms. Sometimes, they lose one of these hydrogens, turning them into something called an anion (a molecule with a negative charge). Sometimes they lose both and have an even stronger negative charge. They’re like magnets: they have an affinity for something with an opposing charge.

So these freely-floating oxalates are moving through your bloodstream looking for their other half. When they’re flying solo, they can move pretty easily throughout your body. Remember how we said that they can have a -1 or -2 charge? This means they’re searching on the mineral version of match.com for an oppositely charged molecule. Because there’s a greater chance it’ll end up with a +2 charge (stronger pull), let’s focus on why this could be bad.

Oxalates can bond with +2 minerals like Sodium, Magnesium, Calcium, or Iron. Like oxalic acids, they move pretty freely throughout your body when unbound. However, when opposites attract, they become not-so-mobile and form crystal-like substances that resemble glass. They’re like the body’s version of snowflakes, except painful as all can be (just see the picture!). Under normal conditions, oxalates are excreted in waste via the GI system when paired with mineral-like calcium if not in excessive amounts. If too many oxalates are present, however, the body moves to store them in tissues. Accumulations can form in brain tissue, the GI system, endocrine glands, skin, joints, and muscles. This is known as oxalosis. When oxalates bind to these minerals, it’s also important to realize they’re not able to be used by the body. This can cause problems elsewhere. For example, iron is pretty crucial in the formation of red blood cells. Deficiency can lead to anemia.

If you have a toxic metal presence—like Mercury or Lead—they can bind to oxalates, too. These make for an extremely toxic, painful combination as they’re far more insoluble (a harder bond to break apart, and harder for the body to break down). The body tightens down the hatches, and “saves them for a rainy day”—AKA, throws them in your joints to poke, grind, and cause you some discomfort!

Origins of Oxalosis

How do we get excess oxalates? Well, a few factors:

Diet is one possible cause. If you’re eating a ton of high-oxalate foods, this could be worsening your condition. This can happen if you’ve cut out something like gluten and are over-consume something like greens as a substitute. Take a look HERE for a full list of oxalate-rich foods. That big ol’ green smoothie you drink daily might actually be hurting you, so take a step back and analyze if you have symptoms!
Overgrowth of a bacteria, fungus, or parasite could be a factor. Candida is a yeast that exists within the body. When dysbiosis occurs, it can become overgrown and pathogenic. Candida gives off wastes that have to go through the same “trash system” that oxalates do. If it’s burdened with Candida’s waste, it can’t handle the oxalates. We also can see oxalates being produced in excess if we have mold living inside of us (yes, this can happen), like Aspergillus. One of its byproducts is oxalates. Similarly, infestations and infections of amoebas, giardia, and parasites can also contribute to oxalate excess.
Deficiencies in the vitamins B1, B6, and the mineral zinc could contribute to oxalate overload, as it’s used in their metabolization.
Heavy metal toxicity could play into oxalosis, as they’re known to bind to oxalates and root themselves in tissues.
Too much Vitamin C can be converted into oxalic acid.
Genetic conditions can inhibit the processing of oxalates. They can be particularly severe, like in primary hyperoxaluria.

Symptoms

So what are some symptoms of oxalate intolerance? Joint pain, fibromyalgia, kidney stones, pain while urinating, eye pain, and vulvar pain—especially around the time of a yeast infection in females—can be indicators. This is from the storage of the sharp little knife-like compounds in tissues.

Possible Solution(s)?

“Can I ever eat oxalates again?! How can I get my kale? Don’t take away my green smoothies!” Yeah, okay… I don’t really hear that too often. It may be helpful to cut back... at least in the short run. It’s important to determine whether or not you have an overgrowth of some sort and to address it if so. If not, we can look at trying to boost nutrient levels, check your genes, and look to see if you need to enter Green Smoothie-holics’ Anonymous. It’s important minerals like calcium are especially sufficient to bind and excrete to oxalates.

Oxalates are fine in moderation—I’m not here to demonize foods! But if you’re excessively consuming these foods, it: best to have other options. You might not have issues now, but you can damn well create them! Cooking and soaking oxalate-rich foods can reduce their content, but will not eliminate them in total. Taking a calcium supplement with a meal, or eating greens with cream can also help to reduce them. Again—I like to think that this is only a temporary situation until the cause of the dysfunction is addressed, and once it resolves you’ll be able to—IN MODERATION—eat oxalate foods again. Some genetic conditions will not allow it depending on their extent, but otherwise... I’m hopeful for you. Like anything, moderation is key.

PHYTATES

You know the commercial for Sour Patch Kids where they’re “sour on the outside, sweet on the inside”? Phytates are definitely the “sour” part that chops your hair off when you’re sleeping. Phytates, or phytic acid, is the stored form of phosphorus in plants. Yes—you need phosphorus to have strong bones—but this form of phosphorus is an “anti-nutrient” that has a weird attraction to necessary minerals like zinc, magnesium, calcium, manganese, and iron (much like oxalates). As phytates latch onto these minerals, they can block absorption and prompt deficiencies over time.

Vegans and vegetarians are inherently reliant on foods containing phytates. Many have zinc deficiencies which lead to too low stomach acid, poor hormone status, and low immunity. Magnesium deficiencies (poor mood and adrenal health), calcium deficiencies (poor bone health), manganese deficiencies (hormone health), and iron deficiencies (anemia, low energy) are also common.

Phytates actually have some positive benefits, too: metals like Mercury and Lead have +2 charges, which phytates have an affinity for. They can find themselves bound to them, increasing their excretion. A little consumption of phytates definitely has a benefit, but too much comes with consequences! Are you seeing this recurrent theme of everything in moderation?

So what foods are they found in? Well, typically the highest concentrations are found in the shells, hulls, and brans of nuts; seeds, beans, legumes, and grains. Unfortunately, they’re mostly found in the layer of beans containing the protein-making them hard to avoid. Some root vegetables, tubers, and other vegetables contain them as well but levels are relatively low in comparison.

Symptoms

Symptoms of phytate sensitivity are indigestion, pain upon consumption, mineral deficiencies, depression, and anxiety from the chronic breakdown of the gut lining leading to amino acid malabsorption.

Possible Solution(s)?

Phytic Acid can be destroyed with several methods, so you don’t have to give them up in total! Heating phytate foods can help to minimize their anti-nutrients, much like with lectins and oxalates. Traditional methods of soaking, sprouting, and fermenting can also help to eliminate the harmful bran. Ironically, purchasing and consuming the “processed” forms of these foods lessens the phytate content, too (i.e. purchase of white rice over brown, as it removes the hull).

Phytates have pros and cons. But if you’re finding yourself on a diet that’s heavily reliant on them (veganism, vegetarianism… phytatism?), you might want to consider adding in other foods to alleviate the burden. Upping animal protein (rich in zinc, iron, and copper) can help to overcome potential mineral deficiencies. Consuming vitamin C-rich foods with phytate foods can also overcome their damage given its role as an antioxidant.

THIOLS (SULFUR)

Thiol is an organosulfur molecule. It’s the stuff that makes rotten eggs smell like rotten eggs! Sulfur is an essential mineral that your body needs for things like detoxification. However, if your body is running on less than eight cylinders, you might be in need of a “low-sulfur” diet for a bit. Today, I’m not really going to discuss sensitivities to sulfide, sulfite, sulfate, or sulfa drugs, but sulfur is found naturally in foods.

Your body has all sorts of amino acids within the body that contain sulfur: taurine, cysteine, homocysteine, and methionine (among others). These are key for the body to do all of the things like metabolism, detoxification, oxidation, and immune system maintenance. Sulfur is crucial for A LOT. It’s needed in the infamous “phase II” of liver detoxification, or where toxins are conjugated and eliminated. If you don’t have adequate sulfur, you’re not eliminating toxic wastes. Sulfur is also needed to maintain copper levels and to make glutathione, the body’s biggest antioxidant.

So sulfur sounds really good… why might some people be intolerant? Well, there are a couple of reasons…

The CBS Mutation hinders the body’s ability to metabolize sulfur when under stress. Just because you have the mutation doesn’t mean it’s active. You can read a bit about how mutations actually become a factor, HERE. Other mutations like MTHFR can slow down the metabolization of sulfur, too.
SIBO/overgrowth: some of the byproducts produced by certain strains of bacteria overgrown in the gut are sulfurous. This means the body has excess sulfur to rid itself of. If you’re eating a lot of sulfur-rich foods, have a mutation, and have overgrowth, you’re pushing the limits of “too much” sulfur. A stool test can help identify if there is a presence of SIBO or another overgrowth.
Heavy Metal Toxicities: Sulfur molecules have an affinity to bind to heavy metals, specifically mercury. If you’re starting to consume thiol-containing foods and notice a reaction, you could be experiencing detoxification.
Methylation Issues: So the body does this process known as “methylation” which is—in short—responsible for an array of things from metabolism to detox. It uses those amino acids we talked about earlier: methionine, cysteine, homocysteine, and taurine. Sometimes the body has issues with this process and can’t do one of the conversions needed. In this case, you get a backup and overflow. Kind of like trying to shove too many things down the garbage disposal!
Environmental and Chemical Excesses: There are many toxins that the body has to deal with on a daily basis. However, a large amount of them requires the liver’s phase II detoxification pathway. Think back to the overflow of the garbage disposal—if you’re throwing too much down that sink, you’re gonna need a plunger. Look at your toxic load of chemicals (skincare, pesticides, cleaning products, air pollutants, etc), and look to see what might be throwing you over the edge!
Eating too many sulfurous foods typically isn’t enough to make you symptomatic alone. Often, it’s paired with one (or several) of the above.

Foods containing sulfur include animal proteins (eggs, poultry, beef, organ meats, and fish) cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower), alliums (garlic, onion, leeks, chives), cheese, beans, quinoa, and pumpkin seeds. Sulfur can also be found in some well waters. A full list of foods can be found HERE.

Unfortunately, you can’t destroy thiols. It’s important in this case to find the root of the problem, and begin addressing it. If you have SIBO, it’s time to find someone to help you manage it. If it’s genetics or methylation, find what your stressor(s) are that causing epigenetics to take over and malfunction. If it’s metals or environmental toxins, you might have to support your body to lessen its toxic burden. If it’s too much broccoli, chill out and eat something else…

AN OVERVIEW SOLUTION

This obviously isn’t true for severe cases or genetic insufficiencies, but the best way to moderate and be able to consume all of these foods overall is to moderate your intake of all of them! This makes sense. If you’re not consuming a group of foods—say, lectins—you’re inherently more focused on more oxalate-containing foods. If your gut is healed and sealed, don’t avoid something just out of fear! You’ll be on water and air before you know it, and we all can’t filter-feed like Spongebob. However, if you’re showing indications of sensitivities, your avoidance is precedented.

If you’re showing distinct sensitivities to a food “group” listed above, take it as a red flag that some of the underlying root causes could be at play. Look at where your symptoms start (i.e. thiol intolerance) and look backward at what could be behind it (i.e. a mutation, heavy metal toxicity, etc.).

Not to single out any group, but vegan and vegetarian diets also tend to be more of a detriment in situations like this. They (obviously) focus on plant matter—which isn’t a bad thing—but this excess plant matter can be inflammatory in more ways than not and can wreak havoc on the gut. Excess fiber can expedite the process of gastrointestinal breakdown, causing the gut to get extra leaky. Once your gut is leaky, you’re more prone to develop food sensitivities across the board. Then you’re really in trouble! Abstaining from animal protein also keeps you from getting key minerals, fats, and complete proteins. So eat well, and eat everything (if you can).

I hope this post was informative and helped me understand some potentially new information. I try and take topics that not only took me a while to come across but were also difficult to understand and break them down to be more digestible (kind of like food). Think of me as your digestive support! ;)

SOURCES:

https://www.britannica.com/science/villus

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.mindbodygreen.com/articles/foods-high-in-lectins

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/selfhacked-radio/id993500721?i=1000384673682

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindbodygreen-podcast/id1246494475?i=1000445934048

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/9014318/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5632806/#!po=0.757576

https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1002793

https://www.sinobiological.com/complement-activation-lectin-pathway-lgf.html

Weatherby, Dicken. Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective.

https://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/webinars/2017/6/13/oxalate-toxicity-what-you-need-to-know

http://lowoxalateinfo.com/what-is-oxalate/