What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?Leaky Gut Syndrome is the name given to a very com-mon health disorder in which the intestinal lining ismore permeable than normal. The abnormally largespaces present between the cells of the gut wall allowthe entry of toxic material into the bloodstream thatwould, in healthier circumstances, be repelled and elim-inated. The gut becomes “leaky” in the sense that bac-teria, viruses, fungi, parasites and their toxins,undigested foods such as proteins, nerve and connectivetissue, fat and waste normally not absorbed into thebloodstream in the healthy state, pass through a dam-aged, hyper-permeable, porous or “leaky” gut.Colostrum is the only substance that can close the holesin the intestinal lining.

When mammals are born, they have a “leaky gut” bydesign. The gut has not matured at birth, even if full-term, and complete development doesn’t occur until thegrowth factors and other components in colostrum areingested. Epithelial growth factor (EGF) is particularly im-portant in closing the holes in the gastrointestinal lining.However, before the holes are closed, larger proteins,such as the immunolglobulins, are able to easily enterthe body, thereby achieving passive immunity from themother.

How is Leaky Gut Syndrome diagnosed?Leaky Gut Syndrome can be verified by special gut per-meability urine tests, microscopic examination of the lin-ing of the intestinal wall as well as the bloodstream withphase contrast or dark field microscopy of living wholeblood, and food allergy testing. However, lifestyle exam-ination can provide a quicker and simpler diagnosis.Anyone who experiences food or airborne allergies; hasa gastro-intestinal condition such as Irritable Bowel Syn-drome, heartburn, Crohn’s disease; or has an auto im-mune disease such as fibromyalgia, asthma, arthritis,multiple sclerosis, etc., has Leaky Gut Syndrome.

What causes Leaky Gut Syndrome?Leaky Gut Syndrome is basically caused by inflammationof the gut lining. This inflammation is usually broughtabout by the following:• Antibiotics (lead to the overgrowth of abnormal florain the gastrointestinal tract - bacteria, parasites, can-dida, and fungi)

• NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) suchas aspirin, ibuprofen, Vicodin, and other prescriptionpain medications

• Alcohol and caffeine (strong gut irritants) • Gluten and other proteins from wheat• Mold and fungal mycotoxins in stored grains, fruit andrefined carbohydrates

• Foods and beverages contaminated by parasites like gi-ardia lamblia, cryptosporidium, blastocystis hominisand others

• Foods and beverages contaminated by bacteria suchas helicobacter pylori, klebsiella, citrobacter,pseudomonas and others

• Chemicals in fermented and processed food (dyes,preservatives, peroxidized fats)

• Enzyme deficiencies (e.g. celiac disease, lactase defi-ciency causing lactose intolerance)

• Prescription corticosteroids (e.g. prednisone)• Highly refined carbohydrate diet (e.g. candy bars,cookies, cake, soft drinks, white bread)

• Prescription hormones such as birth control pills

Broad spectrum prescription antibiotics are the primarycause of Leaky Gut Syndrome. Antibiotics wipe out allthe friendly gut bacteria that otherwise provide protec-tion against fungi and amoebic infections, help the bodybreak down complex foods, and synthesize vitaminssuch as B12 and biotin. Since this friendly bowel flora iskilled off, the body now has no local defense against theparasites or fungi that are normally held in check. Thisthen causes an inflammatory reaction leading to LeakyGut Syndrome. More recently, antibiotics in the food andwater supply have become a concern and a contributingfactor in bacteria-resistance (“super bugs”), particularlyin non-hospital acquired MRSA.

What does Leaky Gut Syndrome do to the body?Allergies & Autoimmune ConditionsLeaky Gut Syndrome is almost always associated withallergies and autoimmune conditions. Halting and re-versing autoimmune diseases depends on healing thelining of the gastrointestinal tract. Any other treatmentis just symptom suppression. An autoimmune disease isdefined as one in which the immune system makes anti-bodies against its own tissues. Diseases in this categoryinclude rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fa-tigue syndrome, diabetes, lupus, alopecia areata,polymyalgia rheumatica, multiple sclerosis, Sjogren’ssyndrome, scleroderma, vitiligo, thyroiditis, vasculitis,Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, urticaria (hives),Alzheimer’s and Reynaud’s disease. Physicians are in-creasingly recognizing the importance of the gastroin-

Leaky Gut Syndrome & Bovine Colostrum

Douglas A. Wyatt, Director of ResearchCenter for Nutritional Researchwww.centerfornutritionalresearch.org

testinal tract in the development of allergic or autoim-mune diseases. Understanding the leaky gut phenome-non not only helps explain how allergies andautoimmune diseases develop but also helps developsafe and effective therapies to bring the body back intobalance.

Due to the enlarged spaces or holes between thecells of the gut wall, larger than usual protein moleculesare absorbed before they have a chance to be com-pletely broken down, which otherwise occurs when theintestinal lining is intact. The immune system beginstreating the protein molecules as if they are foreign, in-vading substances which must be destroyed. Antibodiesare produced against these previously harmless foodsubstances.

Human tissues have antigenic sites very similar tothose on foods, bacteria, parasites, candida or fungi. Theantibodies created by the leaky gut phenomenon againstthese antigens can get into various tissues and trigger aninflammatory reaction when the corresponding food isconsumed or the microbe is encountered. Auto antibod-ies are thus created, and inflammation becomes chronic.If this inflammation occurs in a joint, autoimmune arthri-tis (rheumatoid arthritis) develops. If it occurs in thebrain, myalgic encephalomyelitis (a.k.a. chronic fatiguesyndrome) may be the result. If it occurs in the bloodvessels, vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) isthe resulting autoimmune problem. If the antibodiesend up attacking the lining of the gut itself, the resultmay be colitis or Crohn’s disease. If it occurs in the lungs,asthma is triggered on a delayed basis every time theindividual consumes the food which triggered the pro-duction of the antibodies in the first place. It is easy tosee that practically any organ or body tissue can becomeaffected by food allergies created by the leaky gut. Symp-toms, especially those seen in conditions such as chronicfatigue syndrome, can be multiple and severely debili-tating.

In addition to the creation of food allergies by theleaky gut, the bloodstream is invaded by bacteria, fungiand parasites that, in the healthy state, would not pene-trate the protective barrier of the gut. These microbesand their toxins, if present in large enough amounts, canoverwhelm the liver’s ability to detoxify. This results insymptoms such as confusion, memory loss, brain fog orfacial swelling when the individual Is exposed to a per-fume or to cigarette smoke that he or she had no adversereactions to prior to the development of Leaky Gut Syn-drome.

Nutrient DeficienciesLeaky Gut Syndrome also creates a long list of mineraldeficiencies because the various carrier proteins presentin the gastrointestinal tract that are needed to transportminerals from the intestine to the blood are damagedby the inflammation process. For example, magnesium

deficiency (low red blood cell magnesium) is quite acommon finding in conditions like fibromyalgia despitea high magnesium intake through the diet and supple-mentation. If the carrier protein for magnesium is dam-aged, magnesium deficiency develops as a result ofmal-absorption. Muscle pain and spasms can occur as aresult. Similarly, zinc deficiency due to mal-absorptioncan result in hair loss or baldness as occurs in alopeciaareata. Copper deficiency can occur in an identical wayleading to high blood cholesterol levels and osteoarthri-tis. Further, bone problems develop as a result of themal-absorption of calcium, boron, silicon and man-ganese.

Irritable Bowel SyndromeThe mainstream thinking on IBS is that it is caused bystress. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is the number one rea-son for general practitioner referrals to specialists. In wellover 80% of the cases, tests like the intestinal permeabil-ity test (a special urine test involving the determinationof absorption rates of two sugars called lactulose andmannitol), CDSA or live cell dark field microscopy revealthe presence of an overgrowth of fungi, parasites orpathogenic bacteria. The one-celled parasite, blastocystishominis and different species of candida are the mostcommon microbes seen in IBS. The only stress associ-ated with IBS is that which is generated by infection andthe Leaky Gut Syndrome. If allowed to persist withoutthe correct treatment, IBS can progress into more seri-ous disorders like the candidiasis syndrome, multiplechemical sensitivities, Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syn-drome, many autoimmune diseases and even cancer. Iftreated medically, IBS is rarely cured. To treat it correctly,natural treatments work best and must include the re-moval of the cause, improvement of gastrointestinalfunction and healing the lining of the gut.

Heart DiseaseThe inflammation that causes Leaky Gut Syndrome alsodamages the protective coating of antibodies of the im-munoglobulin IGG and IGA family normally present in ahealthy gut. Since immunoglobulins normally help wardoff infections, a leaky gut leads to less resistance againstviruses, bacteria, parasites and candida. These microbesare then able to invade the bloodstream and colonizealmost any body tissue or organ. When this occurs in thegums, periodontal disease results and heart disease fol-lows with infection of arterial walls. Gingivitis-causingbacteria “eats” holes in the arterial walls of the cardio-vascular system which are subsequently “patched” upwith cholesterol. An accumulation of cholesterolplaques leads to an increased risk of heart disease andstroke; arteries can become blocked which restrictsblood flow to vital organs, or pieces of plaque can breakoff and lodge in an artery, thereby completely blockingblood flow.

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Can Leaky Gut Syndrome be reversed?Band-aid treatments with corticosteroids, prescriptionantibiotics and immuno suppressive drugs may be tem-porarily life-saving for acute episodes of pain, bleedingor severe inflammation as occurs in Crohn’s disease,lupus or colitis. In the long run, however, none of thesetreatments do anything to heal the leaky gut problem. Toreverse Leaky Gut Syndrome, the diet must be com-pletely changed to one which is as hypoallergenic aspossible. Sugar, white flour products, all gluten-contain-ing grains (especially wheat, barley, oats and rye), milkand dairy products, high fat foods, caffeine products, al-cohol and hidden food allergies determined by testingmust all be eliminated for long periods of time (severalyears in the most severe cases) or until the leaky gutprocess is stopped and repaired and overall GI health isrestored.

Bovine ColostrumTreatment for Leaky Gut Syndrome should begin withbovine colostrum, specifically one that is standardizedto contain high levels of immunoglobulins, lactoferrin,PRPs, growth factors and that has a protective and deliv-ery mechanism such as liposomal delivery with phos-pholipid coatings to protect the colostrum fromdigestion and ensure it can deliver the nutrients and anti-pathogenic action of colostrum to the cells in the liningof the intestine. Published peer review studies withcolostrum show its unique ability to eliminate and pre-vent infections of all types and help eliminate the atten-dant inflammation. It has also been clinically proven toprevent and heal Leaky Gut Syndrome in human trialsconducted at the Royal Hospital in London. It is the onlysubstance to provide these proven benefits. With appro-priate colostrum use, it is rare that prescription drugs forthese infections and inflammation would be necessaryand should thus, be discouraged. The drugs are usuallyexpensive, have unpleasant side effects (including pro-longing and acerbating the disease causes) and are bestreserved for life-threatening conditions.

Immunoglobulins and LactoferrinBoth substances are found in significant amounts incolostrum and show inhibitory activity against virusesand bacteria within the body. This action can be impor-tant in autoimmune diseases, as many autoimmunedisorders are triggered or worsened by viral or bacte-rial invaders. Lactoferrin restores the humoral immuneresponse, which is an immune response that is medi-ated by T and B cells. Lactoferrin is shown to minimizeviral and bacterial infections, especially in immuno-compromised patients, which can thereby reduce po-tential triggers for autoimmune conditions. Lactoferrinalso inhibits the production of local proinflammatorycytokines, TNF-α and interleukin 1-β. To limit the in-flammatory response is important in many autoim-

mune conditions, as the inflammation creates pain andcomplications.

Proline-rich Polypeptides (PRPs)Also known as Colostrinin, PRPs are powerful immunemodulators which can help tone down the overactiveimmune response found in autoimmune diseases.PRPs act by preventing the overproduction of lympho-cytes and stimulating the production of helper andsuppressor T cells.

Growth FactorsVarious types of growth factors in colostrum help repairthe damage of autoimmune diseases. Epithelial growthfactor (EGF) may help reverse the destruction of skincells that can occur with lupus and other autoimmunediseases. Transforming growth factor (TGF), found in twoforms in colostrum, can help reverse protein breakdownand stimulate tissue repair. Insulin-like growth factor(IGF-1) can help stimulate glucose transport in diabeticpatients.

Colostrum's growth factors have anti-inflammatoryaction and also help repair damaged cells in the lining ofthe gastrointestinal tract, which decreases cellular spac-ing and prevents further leakage of toxins into body. Re-search has shown that EGF can help grow and repairintestinal tissue. So, unlike other therapies, colostrum isthe only known natural substance that has the capabilityof healing the GI tract and preventing it from becomingtoo permeable. Thus, colostrum may have the potentialto slow or stop the progression of an autoimmune dis-ease that progresses as a result of Leaky Gut Syndrome.

Cytokines and InfopeptidesCytokines are hormone-like proteins that have beenshown to mediate many vital biological processes, in-cluding inflammation. Cytokines achieve this by regu-lating the intensity and duration of the immuneresponse and mediating cell-to-cell communication.Cytokines also help increase T-cell activity and stimu-late production of immunoglobulins. Infopeptides, aprotein derivative, reduce inflammation as well asallow the immune system to reorient and correct its re-sponse mechanism against autoimmune diseaseprocesses. Clinical observations of the effects of in-fopeptides in humans show reductions in inflamma-tion, edema, pain and fever apparently regardless ofcause.

Leaky Gut Syndrome patients can help themselvesby taking bovine colostrum; chewing food more thor-oughly; following the basic rules of food combining;eating frequent small meals rather than three largeones; taking more time eating meals; and taking diges-tive enzymes to improve digestion. Gastrointestinalfunction can be further improved with a juice fast anda hypoallergenic diet and supplements.

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Beneficial SupplementsFirst and foremost is bovine colostrum with protectiveLiposomal Delivery. Additional supplementation benefitscan be found from: natural digestive enzymes; lactobacil-lus acidophilus and biffidus as well as FOS (fruc-tooligosacharides) derived from Jerusalem artichoke,chicory, the dahlia plant or burdock root; aloe vera juicewith a high MPS concentration; stomach acidity enhanc-ing supplements - betain and pepsin, stomach bitters,apple vinegar amino acids; L-glutamine, N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAG) Omega 3 essential fatty acids - milledflax seed, flax seed oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil,olive oil, fish oils, black currant seed oil; soluble fiber -apple or citrus pectin; carotenoids, vitamin B complex(especially B-12, 6 and biotin), vitamin C, E, zinc, sele-nium, germanium, antioxidants such as Coenzyme Q10,pycnogenols, grape seed extract, pine bark extract, bil-berry; bioflavonoids, especially quercetin, catechin, hes-peridins, rutin and proanthocyanidins; various highchlorophyll containing green drinks that provide spir-ulina, chlorella and blue green algae, burdock, slipperyelm, licorice root, ginger root, bismuth and bentonite.

ConclusionBovine colostrum may potentially slow or stop the pro-gression of autoimmune diseases by healing injury in thegastrointestinal tract and eliminating the leaky gut con-nection to the specific disease. Research provides evi-dence of the powerful immune and growth componentsin colostrum which can regulate the overactive immuneresponse, help repair damaged cells, and reduce inflam-mation which is characteristic of autoimmune diseases.

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It is important that diagnosis and evaluation of chronic symptomsbe determined by qualified health care professionals either naturalhealth care practitioner or complimentary care physician. Theabove is not intended to diagnose or treat disease and the state-ments herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Ad-ministration.