Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut.”
I have a theory as to why the juicing and diet helped heal my cancer. Of course we know that nutritious foods are good for the body, but it’s always interesting to me to know how it all works. I operated on the idea that I was going to ‘overdose on nutrition’ through juicing. Juicing removes the fiber from the produce so that you can pack more of the vitamins and minerals into a serving than by having to eat that much produce. You could eat a pound of carrots, or just drink 8 ounces of carrot juice. Fiber is beneficial too, so I would include a salad or smoothie with every meal as well. But I find it interesting that the Gerson Therapy, which was the catalyst for my jump into holistic healing, is based mostly on carrot juice. But first let’s talk about the gut.
The intestinal lining consists of several different cell types that have different functions. The enterocytes are the most common cells and they are the ones that provide the barrier between the digesting food and the rest of the body. They also control what is absorbed into the body. Goblet cells secrete mucus that provides a protective layer over the lining of the intestines. Enteroendocrine cells release GI hormones, peptides, and neurotransmitters that aid in digestion. Paneth cells produce antimicrobial compounds that aid in immunity. 1
The cells that make up the intestinal lining regenerate every 5-7 days 2, so when it is damaged, it shouldn’t take more than a week to repair itself. That can only happen if the building blocks to repair itself are readily available. And that is why our diet is so essential to gut health.
There are certain vitamins and amino acids that are necessary to the production and health of the intestinal lining. Vitamins A and D are particularly useful, as well as the amino acid, glutamine, and short chain fatty acids. 2
Vitamin A, also referred to as retoinic acid and retinol, directly affects the tight junctions of the intestinal lining. A lack of vitamin A can cause these tight junctions to open up and let inflammatory molecules cross over into the body. More specifically, Vitamin A helps the cells to regenerate and helps to produce the protective mucus layer that covers the intestinal lining. Studies also show that vitamin A works with the beneficial flora (microbiome) of the intestines to support the immune system. 3 And interestingly, carrots are very high in vitamin A.
Vitamin D has also been shown to maintain the tight junctions of the intestinal lining. It also assists with immune functions provided by the Paneth cells. Studies also show that vitamin D has an effect on the resident bacteria in the microbiome. The presence of vitamin D supports the beneficial bacteria and helps restrict the growth of harmful microbes. 4
Leaky gut refers to increased intestinal permeability. This means that the intestinal walls become compromised so more molecules are able to cross from the intestines into the bloodstream. The intestinal lining is made up of a tight junction of cells, but this layer is only one cell thick. When there is damage to the intestinal lining, the tight junctions between cells loosen and create gaps where microbes, antigens, toxins, and food molecules that are not fully broken down can cross over into the blood and activate the immune response to substances it does not recognize.
Leaky gut, although not officially recognized as a medical diagnosis, is addressed in many medical journals and research studies. Leaky gut, or increased intestinal permeability, has been associated with several medical conditions, especially autoimmune diseases. Other symptoms related to leaky gut are: skin issues like eczema or acne; asthma and seasonal allergies; food sensitivities, allergies, or intolerance; chronic pain like arthritis or fibromyalgia; chronic illnesses like depression and anxiety; poor immune system; obesity-related metabolic conditions like heart disease, fatty liver, and type II diabetes; chronic fatigue syndrome; and thyroid diseases. 5
Certain foods have been shown to loosen the tight junctions between the cells of the intestinal lining leading to a leaky gut. Some of these foods include processed foods, sugary foods, alcohol, and gluten. In fact, there is a newly discovered protein, zonulin, made in the intestines and liver that increases in response to gluten. Zonulin increases gut permeability, allowing unwanted molecules to cross the intestinal barrier. High levels of zonulin have been found in people with celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, and other autoimmune diseases. 6
Obviously, a leaky gut is not a good thing. It is something we want to minimize. We all have some level of increased intestinal permeability. The purpose of the intestines are to absorb nutrients and secrete them into the bloodstream. But we only want the molecules that will benefit the body. The question is, how do we maintain optimal intestinal integrity? First we have to “heal” the gut, then we have to “seal” it.
Healing involves removing the offending foods for a time and saturating our body with the building blocks it needs to repair itself. Diets high in vitamin A, vitamin D, glutamine, and dietary fibers are key. Glutamine is an essential amino acid made by the muscles. It has shown to be beneficial in strengthening the immune system and protecting the gastrointestinal mucosa. 7 Dietary fiber aids in feeding the beneficial bacteria found in the intestines. It is a ‘prebiotic’ for the microbiome.
Once the gut is healed, we need to “seal” it to protect it from further damage. The best way to do this is to create a healthy microbiome. The microbiome is the collection of microorganisms that live in or on the body. These include beneficial and harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. The harmful microorganisms can secrete endotoxins and other harmful substances that damage the lining of the intestines. Whereas the beneficial bacteria help to break down food and fiber into compounds that are easier to absorb. A healthy microbiome has many other benefits as well. “ The human microbiome has extensive functions such as development of immunity, defence against pathogens, host nutrition including production of short-chain fatty acids important in host energy metabolism, synthesis of vitamins and fat storage as well as an influence on human behaviour, making it an essential organ of the body without which we would not function correctly.” 8
Maintenance of a healthy microbiome includes dietary factors as well as lifestyle patterns. Adequate sleep, decreased stress, and avoidance of antibiotics if possible. Antibiotics don’t selectively destroy only the harmful bacteria. They decrease the entire bacterial population in the intestines which allows yeast, like Candida, to grow. Sugar, processed foods, alcohol, and gluten have been shown to increase the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. As stated before, gluten stimulates the production of zonulin which decreases the integrity of the tight junctions in the intestines. 5
In addition to avoiding sugar, processed foods, alcohol, and gluten, a healthy microbiome is benefited by continually adding beneficial organisms to the diet in the form of probiotics and the addition of prebiotics, which the microorganisms feed on. Probiotics can be taken in a supplement form or in the form of cultured foods. Cultured foods include yogurt, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, kombucha, water and milk kefir, kimchi, natto, and other cultured foods. I have even used unflavored water kefir to make cultured salsa. Many cultured foods have natural preservatives and can last for months and even years in the refrigerator.
Prebiotics are the foods that the beneficial microorganisms in the lower intestines feed on and are foods that our bodies can’t digest on their own. Prebiotics are plant fibers found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. The probiotic organisms feed on the prebiotic fiber to break it down into short chain fatty acids which can then be absorbed by the intestinal lining. These short chain fatty acids have shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-tumorigenic properties. 9
When choosing a probiotic supplement, look at the colony-forming units (CFUs) when purchasing. Higher numbers are intended for specific conditions whereas lower numbers are intended for health maintenance. 10 If in doubt, consult with your health care provider. If you are a beginner with probiotics, start with small doses and slowly increase. As the probiotic population increases in the gut, a by-product is gas. So you want to monitor your body’s tolerance to the probiotics.
Once the gut is “sealed” with a healthy microbiome, all that is required is maintenance. This is accomplished through a balanced diet and regular ingestion of probiotics to provide a continuous replenishment of microorganisms to the healthy microbiome.
It makes more sense to me now that the diet I adopted worked so well. I went on a restrictive diet that removed sugar, meat, dairy, and pesticides from my diet. This removed all possible food sensitivities and foods that would feed the pathogenic bacteria in my microbiome. I juiced lots of vegetables, mostly carrots, to add essential vitamins to my diet to provide the building blocks for the intestinal lining to regenerate more efficiently. And I ate lots of salad, whole grains, legumes, and produce in its raw form to provide the fiber and food for the beneficial flora to feed on. I began to add meat , eggs, and other foods back into my diet after 6 months, one at a time to pay attention to how my body responded. After a year, I began to experiment with cultured foods and added those to my diet. I didn’t understand the “heal and seal” method until I had accomplished it unintentionally. But it’s fascinating to understand better how it works.
References
- Farré, R., Fiorani, M., Abdu Rahiman, S., & Matteoli, G. (2020). Intestinal Permeability, Inflammation and the Role of Nutrients. Nutrients, 12(4), 1185. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12041185.
- Barbuzano, J. (2017, July 14). Understanding how the intestine replaces and repairs itself. The Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/07/understanding-how-the-intestine-replaces-and-repairs-itself/#:~:text=The%20inner%20lining%20of%20the,cells%20to%20maintain%20the%20tissue
- Mansfield, T. (2018, December 5). Vitamin A, Leaky Gut and the Immune System. https://www.byronherbalist.com.au/gut-health/vitamin-a-leaky-gut/
- Yamamoto, E. A., & Jørgensen, T. N. (2020). Relationships Between Vitamin D, Gut Microbiome, and Systemic Autoimmunity. Frontiers in immunology, 10, 3141. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.03141
How to heal a leaky gut. (2020, August 19). Boston Direct Health. https://bostondirecthealth.com/primary-care-blog/how-to-heal-a-leaky-gut