Nutrition

Leaky Gut Syndrome and Treatments

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Nutritional Empowerment - Causes of Nutritional Deficiencies

By Dr. Wendy Wells, NMD

Poor Digestion and Absorption of Nutrients

Low HCl in stomach – Can’t get iron, B12, calcium
Lack of enzymes - Can’t break food down
Toxic bowel – Food Intolerances, Test with Food Intolerance Test

• Food intolerances are the cause of food allergies and toxic bowel.
• Each of us has a lack of enzymes to digest certain foods, we are just not aware of which ones until we do this test.
• When we have intolerances, and each those foods, then the contents of the gut putrify and can cause damage.
• This then leads to leaky gut and we bring food particles into the blood stream and create an immune response against them.
  – Poor functioning gastroitestinal tract,
• Test with Stool analysis - look for dysbiosis, increase in bad bacteria, deficiency in good bacteria, decreased immune function of gut.

Stress - Fight or Flight mode

• Leads to poor digestion
• Need to balance adrenals
• Test with Adrenal Stress Index by Diagnostechs

Parasites

Nutrional Interferences

Phytates – found in unsprouted seeds and grains and forms a complex with many minerals:

• calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, zinc. – Sprouted grains contain phytase which breakdown phytates.

Oxalates – uncooked Spinach , reduce abs of Ca, Fe
Coffee and Black Tea tannins, – manganese, fiber, calcium, magnesium
Phosphates (soda/pop) can decrease iron absorption.
Zinc interferes with copper absorption
Vitamin C enhances iron absorption

Drugs and Nutrition

Metformin and Tagemet – interfere with B12 absorption.

Antacids – decrease B12, iron, calcium absorption and protein digestion.

Hydrochlorothiazide diuretics – deplete sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc.

Loop diuretics (Furosemide) – deplete sodium

Alcohol – depletes thiamine, folate, B6, Vitamin A, zinc.

ASA/NSAIDS – can cause iron deficiency anemia from bleeding, damage gastrointestinal lining

Birth control pills – Deplete B6, Vit C

Statistics from the USDA

Some of the differences in vitamin and mineral content from 1975 to 2000

• 50% drop in the amount of calcium in broccoli
• Watercress down 88% in iron content
• Cauliflower down 40% in vitamin C
• Vitamin C in sweet peppers has plummeted from 128 mg to 89 mg.
• Vitamin A in apples has dropped from 90 mg to 53 mg.

Nutritional Deficiency Research

“90% of women and 71% of men get less than the RDA for vitamin B6.” - From Dietary vitamin B-6 intake and food sources in the US population: NHANES II, 1976-1980. Kant AK, et al. 1990.

We need B6 to make Serotonin!!

“People with low levels of retinol, beta-carotene, vitamin E and selenium are more likely to get cancer.” - From Serum retinol, beta-carotene, vitamin E and selenium as related to subsequent cancer of specific sites. Comstock GW, et al. Am J Epidemiol 135:115-21, 1992.

“Supplemental vitamin D reduces the risk of colon cancer by 50% compared to dietary vitamin D which reduces it 12%.” - From Calcium, vitamin D, and dairy foods and the occurrence of colon cancer in men. Kearney J, et al. Am J Epidemiol 143:907-17, 1996.

We Need Supplements

Considering the information above, there are good reasons to take supplements.
Many apparent genetic or chronic diseases can be due to nutrient deficiencies.

The bioavailability of the nutrients is increased if you buy high quality supplements that only naturopathic doctors can prescribe. IV nutrients are available also for those who want an immune boost or are more depleted.

Food is very unpredictible when it comes to bioavailability. Nutrient content also appears unpredictible. www.consumerlabs.com is a good place to compare different brands claims to their actual content of the vitamins.

Health Conditions - How specific nutrition can help – Three Examples

The following are examples of how a chronic problem can be treated from the prospective of replacing the nutrients in the body that are deficient.

This information is not a substitute for the knowledge and guidance of a licensed health care practitioner. It is recommended that you recieve assistance from a knowledgeable physician when addressing potentiallty serious illnesses.

Each person with symptoms associated with a “disease” will need different treatment.

We are only addressing the physical health of the body, however the emotional, mental and spiritual health also need to be addressed as well.

Asthma

B6
B12 shots – daily if severe
Magnesium
Fish oils
Quercitin
Vitamin C – astmatics shown to have low levels

Other considerations:

• Clean up the diet! – No sugar, limit salt (salt stimulates histamine release)
• Hypoallergenic Diet (Food Intolerance Test), Candida, Heavy Metals

Migraines

Vitamin B2
Magnesium
Omega 3’s

Other considerations:

• Food Intolerance Avoid tyramine foods: (affect blood vessel size) – chocolate, aged cheese, red wine, herring, sour cream
• Avoid high copper foods – Chocolate, nuts, shellfish, wheat germ
• Avoid nitrites – meat preservatives
• Avoid caffeine
• Avoid nutrasweet
• Detox

PMS

Nutrient deficiencies – Magnesium (depleted by sugar intake), B6, Omega 3 fatty acid, Iron

Other PMS Considerations

• Associated with refined carbohydrate intake, especially sugar
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine
• Increase soy intake - phytoestrogen
• Hormone imbalance - test
• Adrenal weakness – test
• Environmental toxicity – Xenoestrogens
• Poor GI function, reabsorbing estrogen

Get 15 Minutes of Free Consultation with Dr. Wendy Wells, NMD.

Call 480-607-9999 to schedule an appointment.

Nutraceutical Research

• Polyphenols
• Carotenoids
• Colostrum
• Cranberry
• Elderberry Extract
• Fucoidans, Alginates, Laminarines
• Glyconutrients
• Lo Han Kuo
• Lotus Seed

Chemopreventive effect of green tea (Camellia sinensis) against cigarette smoke-induced mutations (SCE) in humans.

J Cell Biochem Suppl, 130():68-75 1997

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is consumed daily between the meals or after meals in Japan and other Asian countries. In recent years, green tea and its major polyphenolics have been demonstrated to prevent chemically induced tumors in a variety of experimental animal models system. The exact mechanism(s) of its anticarcinogenic activity remains to be elucidated, but green tea polyphenolics have demonstrated antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, and antipromotional effects, including inhibition of Phase I and inducing Phase II enzymes. Enzyme activities of glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and quinone reductase, and glutathione S-transferase are also induced. However, a paucity of green tea effects in humans prompted us to investigate antimutagenic effects of green tea against smoke-induced mutation in humans. Chemopreventive effects of green tea and coffee among cigarette smokers were examined in 52 clinically healthy male subjects between 20-51 years of age. Blood specimens were obtained from non-smokers (Group I), smokers (II), smokers consuming green tea (III), and smoker/coffee drinkers (IV). The mean years of cigarette smoking ( 10 cigarettes/day) of Groups II, III, and IV ranged from 13.4-14.7 years. Daily intake of green tea and coffee was 3 cups/day/6 months (III and IV). The frequencies of sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) in mitogen-stimulated peripheral lymphocytes from each experimental group were determined and statistically analyzed. SCE rates were significantly elevated in smokers (9.46 +/- 0.46) vs. non-smokers (7.03 +/- 0.33); however, the frequency of SCE in smokers who consumed green tea (7.94 +/- 0.31) was comparable to that of non-smokers, implying that green tea can block the cigarette-induced increase in SCE frequency. Coffee, by contrast, did not exhibit a significant inhibitory effect on smoking-induced SCE.

Learn more about the effects of Green Tea Polyphenols