The term gut rot or leaky gut is pretty spot-on, and yes, it does not sound pretty. When you have gut rot, the walls of your intestines get damaged, causing them to become chronically permeable.
Gut Rot, What Is It?
What is gut rot? It is a condition that results in “intestinal permeability.” This happens when toxic waste products, undigested food particles, and bacteria leak through the intestines into the bloodstream because of the small intestine’s damaged lining. It can become quite a problem since an autoimmune response can result from foreign substances entering the blood.
Also, enzymes that promote proper digestion don’t get produced when you have a leaky gut. This will lead to a weakened immune system and hormone imbalances since your body can’t absorb essential nutrients.
What Causes Gut Rot?
Foods with anti-nutrients, such as grains, are what usually cause gut rot or a leaky gut. It happens since the body can’t break down the anti-nutrients very well, resulting in them tearing holes in your intestinal lining. Other factors that promote gut rot include being chronically stressed out, drinking too much alcohol, taking several rounds of antibiotics, and consuming refined foods. The combination of all these things results in a leaky gut.
How To Test For Gut Rot?
There are specific tests that health professionals carry out to determine whether your problem is a leaky gut or something else. These specialized tests include food allergy tests, checking the blood for IgA or IgG antibodies, digestive analysis test, comprehensive stool tests, bacterial dysbiosis test, parasite test, and the lactose/mannitol urine test.
What Are The Signs Of Gut Rot?
Signs that you have gut rot or a leaky gut include ADHD, ADD, anxiety, depression, arthritis, and cravings for carbs or sugar. Gut rot also causes skin problems such as eczema, excessive fatigue, memory loss, brain fog, headaches, weak immune system, nutritional deficiencies, constipation, chronic diarrhea, and, of course, autoimmune diseases such as lupus, among others.
Here’s how to manage gut rot:
1. Lower Your Stress Levels
The gut is one of the areas of the body that gets most affected when you have chronic high levels of stress. You can lower your stress levels by having a pet, yoga, laughing, decreasing caffeine intake, diffusing essential oils, spending time with family and friends, getting a massage, walking, and meditation.
2. Avoid Eating Toxic Foods
Some of the foods that commonly mount an assault on the sensitive cell lining of your gut are alcohol, pesticide-treated foods, processed foods, sugar, dairy, and gluten. Cut these foods out from your diet for at least three months if you want your gut rot to heal. Once healed, start to avoid eating excess quantities of these foods, going forward.
3. Make Sure To Get Enough Sleep
Believe it or not, insufficient, or not enough good quality sleep can severely impact your gut health. In turn, it will contribute to even more issues with sleep. You must get uninterrupted sleep every night for at least seven to eight hours. If you experience trouble sleeping, don’t hesitate to reach out to your doctor for help.
4. Take Digestive Enzymes
Bacterial products and large proteins can also damage your gut’s lining. And if you want to break them down, it’s essential to take enzymes with meals regularly. Before eating fat-rich foods and protein, it would be best to take a broad-spectrum enzyme to prevent irritation of the intestinal lining and support digestion.
5. Stay Hydrated
The intestine’s mucosa lining can benefit from water, and it’s the reason why you always have to hydrate your body. It also has a beneficial effect on the gut’s good bacteria balance. If it’s a healthy gut that you want to achieve, one of the simplest ways to reach your goal is to drink plenty of water every day.
6. Consume More Healthy Fats
The cells that compose the lining of your gut need to be fed for them to heal, and a short-chain fatty acid called N-butyrate can help do that. If you eat more fruits and vegetables, you’ll obtain soluble fibers that your gut bacteria can feed on, triggering them to produce more n-butyrate in your body. Other sources of n-butyrate are Ghee, a clarified butter, as well as coconut oil that contains medium-chain fatty acids.
7. Add Supplements Like Probiotic Or Prebiotic To Your Diet
Taking probiotics or prebiotics can improve the health of your gut. How do prebiotics and probiotics make the situation better? Well, your gut has beneficial bacteria, and they grow better because of prebiotics. Probiotics, on the other hand, are good live bacteria that you can introduce to your body. Please take note, though, that you shouldn’t take probiotic supplements if you have a case of bacterial overgrowth.
It’s also essential to note that not all probiotic supplements provide benefits or are of high quality. That said, before choosing a probiotic or even prebiotic supplement, it would be best to consult a health provider.
8. Consume More Collagen
The lining of your gut can get repaired through hydroxyproline, proline, and glycine. These amino acids are what comprise collagen. So if you want to prevent or mend gut rot, you have to consume collagen powders, gelatin, bone broth, and other collagen-containing foods regularly. It would help your gut barrier to become less permeable and better at retaining nutrients from the food you eat.
The natural collagen production of the body may also get a boost if you eat foods like mushrooms, sunflower seeds, broccoli, citrus fruits, and eggs.
9. Perform Cardiovascular Exercises
The transport of oxygen within the body and through your digestive tract improves when you level up your cardio. It helps in promoting the diversity, presence, and activity of gut microbes, especially those that can produce the fatty acid n-butyrate that heals got rut or leaky gut.
Aim for at least a hundred and fifty minutes of physical activity that raises heart rate each week. It’s ideal for supporting improvements in cardiovascular as well as digestive health.
Conclusion
The health of your whole body is affected by your gut. It’s actually more complicated than what experts previously thought. Autoimmune diseases and cancers are some health issues that a healthy gut prevents from occurring in your body. It also contributes to effective digestion, healthy sleep, improved mood, brain and heart health, as well as a robust immune system.
All you need are some lifestyle changes to make your gut healthier. The advice mentioned above can help you manage gut rot and improve your overall health.