Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
Functional dyspepsia also known as non-ulcer dyspepsia is an extremely common digestive condition. Patients suffer from symptoms like fullness and bloating after eating, early satiety and pain or burning in upper abdomen upon eating.
Is It Leaky Gut or Leaky Gut Syndrome?
The causative factors have not clearly been established and theories abound. Upper GI scope is usually normal as is the small intestine seen during the endoscopy or on biopsies.
Dr. Vanheel and colleagues from the Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders, KU Leuven, , Leuven, Belgium theorized that abnormal intestinal barrier or leaky gut is involved causing low grade inflammation which results in the symptoms and their persistence.
Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
Study design
- 15 subject with diagnosis of functional dyspepsia and 15 age-matched healthy subjects
- Biopsies from the duodenum (first part of small intestine) were done during upper GI scope.
- Intestinal permeability or leakiness of gut barrier was assessed.
Results
- Subjects with functional dyspepsia demonstrated impaired intestinal barrier with increased passage between the cells of the intestine
- Proteins of tight junctions between the cells of intestinal barrier were abnormal in patients with functional dyspepsia
- Low levels of inflammation was seen in patients and not in controls
- The severity of leakiness of the gut barrier correlated with the severity of inflammation.
Conclusions
Results suggest that leaky gut is involved in pathogenesis of functional dyspepsia. Strategies to strengthen intestinal barrier may be a therapeutic option.
Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
