Intestinal hyperpermeability, also known as leaky gut syndrome, occurs when the intestinal wall becomes damaged, allowing undigested foods and toxins to pass into the bloodstream. This can elicit an immune response and lead to autoimmune diseases. One potential cause of leaky gut is gluten sensitivity. Gluten can damage the intestinal wall directly or induce zonulin production, which weakens intestinal tight junctions over time. A gluten-free diet may help heal the intestinal wall and reduce immune system reactions.

1. GLUTEN SENSITIVITY AND
INTESTINAL HYPER-
PERMEABILITY
Loosely based on a lecture by Dr. Peter Osborne
CHRIS LAPEYRE
&
JP LAPEYRE

2. Intestinal Hyper-permeability
(Leaky Gut Syndrome)
 Leaky Gut Syndrome, although not a recognized diagnosis in the
medical community, is the subject of several clinical trials linked to
digestive diseases and rheumatology
 LGS occurs as a result of altered or damaged bowel lining leading
to an increase in the permeability of the intestinal wall
 Bowel lining degrades after coming into contact with any of several
toxins, parasites, or infections borne out of a poor diet
 Increased permeability allows microbes, waste and large
macromolecules to ‘leak’ into the bloodstream
 These leaks can affect the body directly (sepsis), or elicit an immune
response (autoimmune diseases)
 The most prominent hypothesis as to the cause of a ‘leaky gut’ is a
sensitivity to gluten
12/19/2012Copyright 2012/2013, Chris Lapeyre & JP Lapeyre

3. Gluten
 Gluten is a storage protein found in grains
 Provides nourishment for the seed
 Contrary to popular belief, all grains contain some form of
gluten, not just wheat, barley, and rye
 As a result, traditional gluten free diets have a high incidence of failure
(60%) because they eliminate only the form of gluten called ‘gliadin’
 Through a series of clinical trials, gluten intake has been linked
to Celiac disease
 Celiac is a genetic autoimmune disorder in which gluten intake causes
damage to the villi of the small intestine and disrupts nutrient absorption
 Damage to the villi is a result of the body’s immune RXN to gluten in the
digestive tract
 This damage of villi leads to malnourishment in afflicted individuals
 Celiac is the most common autoimmune process associated with gluten
sensitivity
12/19/2012Copyright 2012/2013, Chris Lapeyre & JP Lapeyre

4. Genetics of Gluten Sensitivity
 Two genes in the body are responsible for creating
the pseudopodia found on white blood cells
(HLADQ alpha 1, HLADQ beta 1)
 Pseudopodia are responsible for identifying and
tagging foreign organisms in the blood stream
 Certain variations in these genes cause WBC’s to
identify gluten as an ‘enemy’ substance which elicits an
immune response
 This situation is referred to as immune confusion
 So…certain gene patterns lead to gluten sensitivity
12/19/2012Copyright 2012/2013, Chris Lapeyre & JP Lapeyre

5. Allergy vs Intolerance
 Allergy
 Immunologic response
 Immediate
 RXN that triggers antibody production (IGE antibodies)
 Delayed
 Physiologic response up to two weeks after ingestion (IGG, IGD, IGA, and
IGM antibodies)
 Intolerance
 Lack enzymatic capacity to digest, so bacteria must take over
 Leads to gas or bloating
 Can produce chemical waste that leaks into the bloodstream
through a leaky gut, which is then marked and attacked by
immune system (secondary immune response)
12/19/2012Copyright 2012/2013, Chris Lapeyre & JP Lapeyre

6. Gluten Intolerance
 A gluten intolerance can lead to a secondary
immune response
OR
 Gluten intake increases upregulation and activation
of the protein ‘Zonulin’
 Zonulin causes tight junctions between the phospholipid
bilayers of intestinal epithelial cells to weaken
 This process is the root cause of a leaky gut and tends to
build over time
 Provides the explanation as to why gluten sensitivity is often
not noticed until age 35-45
12/19/2012Copyright 2012/2013, Chris Lapeyre & JP Lapeyre

7. The Diet
 According to Dr. Osborne, the basis of the human diet
should be meats, fruits, and vegetables
 Fruits and vegetables should be organic and locally grown
 The sources of any meats should be wild caught or grass fed
 Public opinion is that red meat leads to atherosclerosis and causes
heart disease
 This perception is grounded in poor farming of meat in the US
 When we malnourish and mistreat animals, the composition of their
fat and muscle is altered, becomes extremely unhealthy and can
lead to physiologic consequences
 Human are born to eat meat
 Strong, forefront incisors along with acids and extensive
digestive capabilities
12/19/2012Copyright 2012/2013, Chris Lapeyre & JP Lapeyre

8. Grain as a Staple Food
 Over the past few decades, genetically modified grain
has been introduced into the American diet
 Basic grains like wheat and rice at their core are
malnourishing foods (lacking in B12)
 In order to make grain a staple in our diets, it needs to be
fortified to the point of a viable food source
 These grains have been altered to contain twice the amount
of gluten
 What this means is twice the gluten content of American diets, and
thus twice the exposure to a dangerous protein
 GM grains offer an explanation as to why gluten
sensitivity has become so prevalent
12/19/2012Copyright 2012/2013, Chris Lapeyre & JP Lapeyre

9. Gluten and Autoimmune Diseases
 Celiac Disease is the only autoimmune disease for which the exact trigger is
known: Gluten
 An enzyme present in the intestines, tissue transglutaminase (tTG), reacts with the
gluten in a way that elicits an immune response against the epithelial tissue of
the small intestine
 However, tTG has recently been found in several other organ systems
throughout the body
 For example, when gluten in the bloodstream (from LGS) comes into contact with
tTG in the pancreas, the breakdown of the gluten can cause an immunologic
attack against insulin producing pancreatic cells, leading to the development of
Type I Diabetes, one of the more common autoimmune diseases in the US
 This same process can occur in several other tissues in the body, leading to the
development of several other autoimmune diseases
 If a gluten sensitive individual continues to ingest gluten, an immune
confusion will be omnipresent in the body, using most of the body’s natural
energy to fight an infection that isn’t really there.
12/19/2012Copyright 2012/2013, Chris Lapeyre & JP Lapeyre