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Note from Jim LaValle
In our last Metabolic Minute
I discussed how food allergies can lead you down the road to weight gain. If you suspect you have food allergies
(I am using this term broadly to cover the full array of immune reactions to
foods), the next thing you may be wondering is what to do about them. The first obvious step is to get tested
to see what foods are causing an immune response, and then eliminate those
foods from your diet.
But many people do not
realize there is another important step to properly address food
allergies. We need to address the
root causes, otherwise, you may go on to develop new food allergies.
If you are an LMI patient,
you may recall me harping on something called "gut health," and yes, you
guessed it, a healthy gut or lack of it is what either prevents or leads us
down the road to food allergies.
This is because the intestinal tract is the gatekeeper that should keep
unwanted microbes, pollutants and other such invaders out of our bodies. In
addition it is where a large portion of our immune system is housed. For good
protection, all parts of this system must be in tip-top shape.
Experts tell us that food
allergies are on the rise. While
they often struggle for explanations, I'm not surprised at all by the increases
because there are several modern day lifestyle factors that can influence the
integrity of our intestinal tissue and immunity, such as medications and
stress.
Our main article this month is a great starting point for understanding
the origin of food allergies and the measures that are needed to fix why they
occurred in the first place. If
you suspect food allergies may be a factor in your weight or your health in
general, you can't afford to miss the very important issues this article
discusses
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Food Allergies
How does your body become
over-sensitized to foods?
The first thing to keep in mind is that the human gastrointestinal tract
(the gut) houses almost 70% of your immune system, and remember, food allergies
are an immune reaction to foods.
So, food allergies start in the gut.(1)
Normally, many factors
temper the gut's immune system to prevent over-reaction to harmless substances
such as food particles,. However, if these factors aren't present, the immune
system can become over-reactive causing inflammation and food allergy symptoms
like chronic runny nose, fatigue, joint pain, headaches and many intestinal
issues.
One of the most important
players in the health of the intestines is whether or not a person has enough
beneficial bacteria like lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidum bacteria as part
of the gut flora. We obtain these
organisms initially from the vaginal tract during birth and we continue to
acquire them throughout life from food sources---we should, anyway.(2)
A major role of these bacteria
is to teach your immune system to differentiate between good and bad
substances. One way they do this
is by initiating the production of toll-like receptors and tight junction
proteins. Tight junction
proteins reside between intestinal cells and provide a physical barrier to keep
undigested food particles and other substances from having free-flow access to
your blood and lymph. Toll-like receptors identify bad bacteria and other
harmful substances and present them to your immune system. They sort the good from the bad and
teach the immune system what to respond to, in other words. So, if your gut is
lacking good bacteria, toll-like receptors are not produced and your immune
system may react to things it should not, like food and other potential allergens
like pollen, dust and animal dander.(3)
This might not matter except
that as immune cells become activated, they put out inflammatory substances
including histamines, cytokines and other chemicals, resulting in symptoms of
allergies like runny nose and watery eyes.(4) These symptoms are annoying, but they show the immune
system is overly active and that can become a problem.
One cytokine in
particular--IL-6--is released by activation of IgG antibodies (you may recall
from my last article that IgG antibodies play a key role in food allergies and
weight gain.(5) IgG
antibodies and the cytokines they produce can damage intestinal cells,
compromising gut integrity.
If this activation of IgG is severe enough, it can even contribute to
severe intestinal breakdown and pain, like that seen in inflammatory bowel
diseases--Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.
Under normal circumstances
your good bacteria should continue to flourish throughout life promoting a
"coat of armor" and a balanced immune response against outside invaders. Unfortunately
we have many lifestyle factors today that work against a healthy and
well-functioning intestinal tract.
Below I've listed them with a short explanation of each:
1. Antibiotics are probably the single most important factor in
breaking down the gut as they wipe out all gut flora--the good and the bad!(6) One dosage of antibiotics can wipe out
as much as 90% of your good bacteria.
This is a huge problem since good bacteria in the gut direct immune
function as discussed above. In
addition, they complete digestion of foods, neutralize toxins in the gut, and
produce vitamins and short chain fatty acids (SCFA's)---the major source of
fuel for intestinal cells, which keeps them alive and regenerating.
When we use antibiotics and
wipe out beneficial bacteria, it also allows the overgrowth of yeast organisms,
called candida albicans.(7)
These organisms are a natural part of intestinal flora, but when they
are not kept in check by beneficial flora, they overpopulate the intestines and
can create problems.
For example, yeast ferments
sugars and starches that we ingest, creating gas and bloating after meals. They also produce acetaldehyde which
can interfere with mood, mental clarity and can lead to chemical sensitivities. Mycotoxins are another yeast
by-product, some of which destroy
intestinal cells. These can also
dampen the immune response of T cells in the gut, preventing recognition of
normal food substances.
2. NSAID's, anti-inflammatory medications, like ibuprofen and naproxen. One of the known side effects with
longer term use of NSAIDS is they damage intestinal linings by disrupting
enzymes that help make the protective mucus layer in the stomach and
intestines.(8) NSAIDS,
therefore, can lower defenses against foreign invaders. An occasional pain reliever is not a
problem, but daily use can be.
3. Chronic stress.
Chronically high cortisol levels paired with excessive sympathetic
nervous system activity reduces IgA, a protective immunoglobulin that coats
bacteria or other potentially bad
substances, preventing them from adhering to the intestinal linings and
airways and causing allergic responses.(9)
So to summarize---loss of
protective bacteria due to antibiotic use, breakdown of the mucosal barrier due
to NSAIDs, inadequate beneficial bacteria and the loss of tight junction
proteins and overgrowth of yeast lead to a damaged and leaky gut lining that
cannot protect against foreign invaders such as food particles that are
normally harmless to the body. The
immune system goes on "red alert" putting out myriads of inflammatory
substances causing further damage to many tissues including the gut and airway
linings and making it difficult for the body to function.
One important way to break
out of this vicious cycle is to build up intestinal tissue by taking a
probiotic supplement.(10,11,12,13) Choose a pharmaceutical grade, shelf-stable, non-dairy based
probiotic (simply because dairy is a highly allergenic and difficult-to-digest
food) to help recolonize the gut with good bacteria. It is also important to carry products which have high
enough amounts of the probiotic bacteria to make a difference. We carry a
number of professional grade probiotic products, i.e. Vinco Probiotic and
Multi-Probiotic, or Dr. Ohhira's, which we find to be especially helpful in
more severe conditions like inflammatory bowel.
There are other supplements
we use at LMI to promote gut integrity. These support regeneration of the
mucosal lining, detoxification from yeast and other unwanted microbes, and help
rebuild a balanced immune system.
They include L-glutamine, IgG powder, grapefruit seed extract, cat's claw, vitamin D, High mucin sialic adic, zinc carnosine and Moducare.
Another important task is to
manage your stress. A stress
management program, i.e. relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation can
be very helpful in promoting healthy immunity. Or, use supplements like Rhodiola or Relora, which have been
shown to change the body's response to stressors.
Last but not least, the proper
diet is a huge piece of the gut health puzzle. Most importantly, ithe diet
should be based on whole foods and should be very low in refined sugars and
high carb foods which stress out the immune system by promoting yeast
overgrowth.
1.Savage, D.C. Annu. Rev. Med. 1977;31:107-133.
2.Huurre A, et al. Neonatology. 2008;93:236-240
3.Matsuzaki T. et al. J Nutr. Mar 2007;137(3 Suppl 2):798S-802S.
4.Stadnyk AW. Can J Gastroenterol. 2002;16(4):241-6.
5.Wilders-Trusching, M. et al. Exp Clin Endocrin
Diab 2008;116:241-45.
6.Nord CE, Edlund C. J Chemother. 1990;2:218-237.
7.Ewaschuk JB. et al. Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2006
8.[No authors listed]. Lancet. 1985 Jan 26;1(8422):218-9.
9.Stone, A. et al. J Personality and
Social Psych. May 1987;52(5):988-993.
10.
Dethelfesen L, et al. PLoS Biol. Nov 2008; 6(11): 2383-2400.
11.Pusztai A. et al. Br J Nutr. Jul 1993;70(1):313-1.
12. Jordinson, M, et al. Am J Physiol. Apr 1996;270(4 Pt 1): G653-59.
13. Ichikawa, H, et al. Digestive
Dis. and Sci. Oct 1999:44(10):2119-2123.
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Greetings!
Welcome. We hope you find our new newsletter a valuable source of information that will help you in your journey to improved health and well-being. For further information we invite you to visit the LaValle Metabolic Institute.
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The LaValle Metabolic Institute is an interdisciplinary healthcare facility utilizing expertise from an experienced staff of medical doctors, registered nurses, registered dieticians, and a clinical pharmacist that uncover metabolic disruptions and reccommend proven therapies which improve our patients' health and well-being.
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Nutrition for your "Healthstyle"®
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Low Carb Corned Beef and Cabbage
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3
pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet (preferable nitrate-free from
Trader Joe's or Whole Foods)
2
bags organic baby carrots
1 large or 2 medium heads organic cabbage, cut into small wedges
Directions:
1. Place
corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice
packet that came with the corned beef. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then
reduce to a simmer. Simmer approximately 50 minutes per pound or until tender.
2. Add
carrots, and cook until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook
for 15 more minutes. Remove meat and let rest 15 minutes before slicing. Slice
meat across the grain. Place vegetables in a bowl and cover with meat slices.
Add as much broth (cooking liquid reserved in the Dutch oven or large pot) as
you want. Nutrition:
Excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin,
fiber, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, vitamin K, zinc, manganese, selenium,
chromium,
339 calories 23 g protein 15 g carbohydrates 22 g fat 111 mg cholesterol 7 g saturated fat 10 g monounsaturated fat 1 g polyunsaturated fat 1357 mg sodium (probably due to the cured meat) 5 g fiber 8 g sugar
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