I recently watched the opening episode of Gaia’s Transcendence Series 1, “What’s in our food?”. It sheds light on the transformative journey of Novak Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked men’s tennis player. Djokovic spoke about growing up in Serbia and culturally how important bread was. Bread was such an integral part to his diet, that even when he ate pizza he would have a little bread on the side. Bread and refined sugar featured heavily in his diet. Turns out they were sapping his strength and stamina on court. That is until Dr Igor Cetojevic started working with Djokovic identifying a sensitivity to gluten, refined sugar and dairy and stripping them from his diet. The rest is history.
Dr William Davis, a Cardiologist, doesn’t mince his words. He asserts that modern wheat is a “perfect, chronic poison,” attributing the surge in autoimmune diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity to the biochemical changes in wheat over the past four decades.
Dr Mark Hyman shares Davis’s views on modern wheat, believing that the kind of wheat we are eating disrupts our gut lining. The culprit is the gluten protein in wheat and related grains which is believed to be behind the alarming rise in celiac disease – an autoimmune disorder where the body reacts abnormally to gluten. However, gluten is not the sole culprit; factors like antibiotics, environmental toxins, and chronic stress contribute to gut dysbiosis and inflammation.
Dr Tom O’Bryan a functional medicine and autoimmune specialist shares the same concerns. He points to the findings from a 2015 medical study by Dr Holland and Fasano at Harvard. The study looked at the impact of gluten on the intestine’s barrier functioning.
Its conclusion?
“gliadin [a protein in gluten] exposure induces an increase in intestinal permeability in all individuals, regardless of whether or not they have celiac disease.”
What does this mean ?
- Intestinal permeability – think of the movie Troy with the tanned and ripped Brad pit. Your intestines are like a well-guarded fortress, with sturdy walls keeping out unwanted invaders. But then gluten comes knocking. It’s like the Trojan horse able to sneak enemy intruders past the guards. The once impenetrable barrier turns into a leaky sieve, allowing all sorts of troublemakers in.
- Even if you don’t have celiac disease you need to be careful – gluten weakens ALL of our guts. Every time you eat modern wheat you are getting tears in the inside lining of the gut.
As if three authorities on gut health aren’t enough to convince you, Dr Josh Axe joins the party with his thoughts. Clinical research has proven beyond doubt that autoimmune disease begins in the gut – hypocrites knew it over 2000 years ago and nothing has changed.
Your gut lining is a permeable membrane comprising a single layer of cells with billions of tiny gaps or junctions between the cells. Over time these microscopic gaps or holes in your gut lining can open up due to inflammation. Undigested food particles, bad bacteria and toxins make their way through you gut lining into your bloodstream, triggering your body’s immune response. Autoimmune disease can often result.
Three related gut and immunity medical terms
Let’s take a look at three gut and immune related medical terms and their relationship; starting with some simple definitions:
Leaky gut syndrome – orincreased intestinal permeability, refers to a condition where the lining of your intestines is damaged, allowing toxins, bacteria, and undigested food particles to leak into the bloodstream. This breach in the gut triggers your immune response, leading to inflammation.
Autointoxication – a term which has been relegated to the history books along with floppy disks. It’s the idea that we could be “self-poisoning” by allowing waste matter to accumulate in the gut, overstaying its welcome and producing toxins. The result – various health issues.
Autoimmune Disease – a broad category of conditions where your immune system mistakenly attacks your body’s own tissues. Research suggests a strong link with gut health and intestinal permeability.
To me, leaky gut syndrome is simple a modern rebranding and slight variation of autointoxication. The idea that we could be “self-poisoning” from the food choices we make and poor gut habits seems spot on and agrees with what all the experts are saying. Understanding the interplay between leaky gut syndrome, autointoxication, and autoimmune disease empowers you to make informed choices for your gut health and overall well-being.
Did you know every three odd days the cells in your gut lining are replenished however that doesn’t mean you aren’t doing long term damage. So you eat a bagel loaded with gluten – the cells heal, a cookie – it heals, pizza – it heals, until one day the small tears don’t heal properly. Everyone’s tolerance is different so it’s impossible to predict but eventually the healing struggles and your gut is compromised.
So what should you do?
Get knowledgeable and ruthless!
- Read up on the subject of gut health and food. Read Dr Rupy Aujla’s – the Doctors Kitchen,
Dr Chris Tulleken’s Ultra Processed People or Dr Hymans – What the Heck Should I Cook - Remove harmful substances from your and your family’s diet
In terms of the main protagonists – Dr Hyman and Dr Axe recommend starting with gluten and refined sugar. Strip them out of your diet wherever you can. I’m not saying it’s easy but we are talking about serious long term health implications if you don’t.
Nowadays there are numerous healthy food alternatives, don’t be afraid to experiment and pick what works for you. Why not try buckwheat pancakes for breakfast. One of my tricks – add a squeeze of lemon to a cup or 2 of nut milk, leave it for 15 minutes, than use in the pancake mix for an added buttermilk flavour.
I didn’t realise how eating gluten over time can affect our gut lining by creating little tears. Thanks for the great book recommendations.