How Do We Heal a Dysfunctional Gut? Rebuilding the Gut System
Many people today are dealing with “leaky gut”, a condition in which the protective lining of the intestines is weakened. When the defense system fails, dangerous particles might enter the bloodstream where they do not belong. This breach can set off a chain reaction throughout the body, often resulting in chronic inflammation, persistent discomfort, and immunological responses.
According to Dr. Angelo Ippolito, the first step toward healing begins with removing the triggers that continually stress the gut. Gluten, alcohol, and NSAIDs are the most common offenders, while he cautions against extreme diets as well. High-fat or high-sugar diets can alter the chemistry of the gut microbiome, disturbing the balance that keeps bacteria in harmony.
Once the stressors are scaled back, attention turns to rebuilding the gut barrier. Nutrients like glutamine serve as a direct energy source for enterocytes, which helps repair the gut barrier. To help with tissue healing and inflammation reduction, supplements such as zinc carnosine, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D are advised.
The rehabilitation also includes repairing the microbiome, which involves reinstalling healthy bacteria through fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and classic brined pickles, as well as premium probiotics. Supplements, such as systemic enzymes or turmeric, are also recommended to reduce inflammation.
Ready to take control of your health? Listen to the full discussion about gut health and its impact on your body on Energize and Revitalize with Dr. Amy.
Full Transcript
Remove Gut Irritants 0:00
if we came up with a very basic gut health protocol. So the first thing, as you just said, remove the triggers, okay? Eat less gluten. Don't drink as much. Don't take NSAIDs. Believe it or not, another diet component which is fascinating is either a super high fat diet or a diet that's super high in sugar. And the fat, that caught my eye because there's a lot of keto people out there. Well, it turns out that if you're only eating that and you're subjecting your microbiome to too much fat or too much sugar, it alters their chemistry.
Repair the Gut Barrier 0:48
So at the end of the day, you need a balanced all carbohydrate, fat, protein, and we'll leave that there. The other thing you're gonna do is you're gonna repair the barrier. So glutamine is a very inexpensive, you can get it in powder form, five to 10 grams a day, it's tasteless. Interestingly that an enterocyte can use glutamine for fuel. So most cells use carbohydrates, fatty acids. The enterocyte can actually use glutamine to make energy. So you wanna do that. So you get a powdered source and you just kinda add it to.
Oh yeah, I drink it all day. Okay. Vitamin D, omega-3s, they're gonna also factor in. There's an interesting form of zinc called zincarnosine. And for some reason, that has an affinity for gut health. And then as you and I spoke during the break, there's a peptide out there, BPC157, that is supposedly phenomenal to heal the gut.
Probiotics and Fermented Foods 1:51
And no side effects. No side effects. It's a wonderful peptide. What else do we wanna do? Well, if we think that our microbiome is altered, you can get a good quality, and put a star next to that, because that's not easy to find, but a good quality probiotic that has a nice assortment of the lactobacillus and the bifidobacterium. What's your opinion on, does it need to be refrigerated or not? My opinion, and this is totally opinion, the better quality over the years that I've used need to be refrigerated.
Now, I'm sure there's a company out there that's going to tell me, well, no, we have some patent on that. Good. I feel better when it's in the fridge. Another way to get good quality bacteria back in the system, eat fermented foods. That's really big right now. And people are catching on.
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