Leaky gut is anatomically defined as unhealthy gaps in the absorptive surface of the intestine. Supposedly the major cause is lectins and “anti-nutrients”- things that inflame the gut and interfere with nutrient absorption.

If you want a little science here it is: the gut has immune cells sitting on its surface as well that are supposed to guard you from nasty things in the food- things that might make you sick. These cells are also supposed to “educate” your immune system on a continuous basis so it can deal with toxins, bacteria and other inflammatory agents that you might ingest.

Along the way a balance is struck between these cells. If that balance in perturbed then your gut and your entire system may be perturbed. You may un balance your immune system. So far, the evidence is sketchy but there is some reasonable thought processes that suggest that some people with auto immune diseases have this as a contributing factor.

Remember Leaky Gut is a “syndrome” which means there is no clearly definable way to diagnose it.

As a result, its has been a catch all for many different problems and some people claim miraculous results and entire body habitus changes (weight loss, muscle building) and personality changes (happier, more productive better sleep) as well as overall decrease of resolution of joint pains and the ubiquitous “brain fog” (try spending less time on Facebook and your cell phone browsing nonsense!)

So, we are left with a situation that often permeates (no pun intended) the world of alternative medicine which I often inhabit.

What to do!?

Personally, I think I would start with a good probiotic and an honest assessment of my life choices and whether they have brought me happiness. I would look at sleep patterns and lifestyle choices like diet and exercise and try to improve those areas as needed.

There is no question that some illness like the latest epidemic of liver disease based on non-alcoholic fatty liver can cause changes in the intestine that might qualify as leaky gut. Similarly, the expansive use of non-nutritive sweeteners, specifically saccharin and the sugar alcohols can change the microbiome (bugs in your gut).

This is why probiotics may be the answer or at least part of it. It makes total sense to do what is needed to have a healthy bunch of little buddies in the gut to help you out.

But remember the inflammatory responses of your body are not limited to your gut-they are mostly global in your body, e.g. everywhere!

I maintain and always have that the single most important thing you can do for inflammation is get your Omega 3 doses  up to a reasonable level.

The gut is part of the equation though and a Probiotic works wonderfully there.

So, if you think you might have leaky gut, start by fixing your microbiome!

Doc

Funny doings on the internet where egos including my own are wounded, defended, and brutalized, But first the sales pitch in case you are one of those rare people who doesn’t read my long winded but heart felt stuff!

Don’t forget our Limited Time Special Offer

Buy 3 get one Free!

Ok since specials are popular here is today’s.  I am offering a one-time  free bottle of Sweet Sleep Z to anyone who signs up for 3 months of our Pro Life Ultra PB probiotic/prebiotic combo.

The probiotic is something you will want to stay on for a bunch of reasons including gut health “support”, and getting the most out of the nutrients and supplements you eat/consume.

Nothing supports healthy digestion and absorption better than a health microbiome!

Speaking of which, if you are trying to lose weight, no matter what diet you are on, I truly believe this will help.  But like so many things it might take a little longer than a day or a week.

As a matter of fact, the reason we are only doing this special based on 3 months subscription (which you can cancel!) is because it will take a minimum of 6 weeks of daily use to change over those little helpers in your gut.  That number is for ANY probiotic, not just mine which includes enteric absorption enhancement and a pre-biotic all rolled into one!

Ok on to today’s rant.

I have a confession to make.  You and I are in the minority.

I say this because you are reading what I am writing and pretty much very few people have ever heard of me! Right now, I have about 30,000 regular readers and that is it.  Its been that number for the past 10 years or so.  And pretty much it’s the same people as 10 years ago too thank goodness.

Loyalty is beyond value!

Next confession: I have learned far more about the business side of things than I ever wanted to.  I still don’t know very much mind you and its clear to me by the unending rash of “super docs” that come and go on the internet for a quick hit and gone that I should be very happy there is you and me for all these years!

Loyalty is beyond value!

One of the things the business side has taught me is how much nonsense and down right repetition is out there.  The “problem agitate solve” formula for copywriting never seems to get old and if people are aware of it they forget more or less immediately.

Speaking of forgetting- before you forget, I am running this limited time special of buy 3 Of our Wonderful and thank goodness great selling probiotic here and I will ship you a bottle of our equally wonderful Sweet Sleep Z free!  If you wonder what the connection is between the gut and sleep you missed this email.

Back to the “rant”.  I am as I said a bit sensitive to the newbie medical docs who appear out of nowhere usually manufactured by an ad or copywriting agency. Most recently I saw a long super well done (in other words costly!) video by a now retired pediatric heart surgeon who discovered “revolutionary new secrets about lectins”. Of course the obligatory book was released first.

I admit it I bit and watched some of the video, mainly because I wanted to see how it was done.

OMG as they say!

There was absolutely nothing new here at all! Those of you familiar with Paleo and Loren Cordain (whom I had the privilege of interviewing several years ago) are intimately familiar with the “anti-nutrients” known as lectins.  The video went on to talk about “leaky gut syndrome” in an almost comical way ending with “It’s not your Fault You’re Sick its because of the Ignorance of Your Doctors!” * Classic problem agitate solve!

Finally, there was some vague memory that it triggered and I remembered a blog I wrote, tongue in cheek of course called, “I want a Date With DR. Suzanne!”

Do you remember Suzanne Gundakust DC?**  She of the gut microbes are making you fat scenario!!!! Well Dr. Suzanne pretty much said what Dr pediatric heart surgeon said and she did it at least 8 years ago.  Cordain and company said it 10 years ago and the war between China Study author Colin Campbell still rages although frankly Cordain has won the debates in my book.

Well Dr Suzanne also did something very smart (or her handlers did). She bought up all the negatives like “fraud” and “scam” and so forth and erected a wall of positive sites and comments that would foil everyone looking to find out who she really was and what her credentials really are.

So does our pediatric heart surgeon friend!  Except he made the mistake of mentioning one Dr. T Colin Campbell (The China Study guy) who then wrote a pretty accurate scathing review of our retired friend’s stuff, even mentioning lectins as the “darlings of the Paleo crowd”.  Sour grapes Colin?

But then even Campbell (the China study guy) made some questionable remarks like citing foods that are grass fed and free range as “hard to find”.  Maybe in the market you shop at, but frankly this stuff is all over the place these days. Though I bet in China they are far more “free range” markets than here still.

Now I had an original observation which I will share with you before I make a dietary recommendation of sorts. Our pediatric surgeon friend made a hysterically funny statement about heart disease and its risks ending with “after all I am a cardiologist”.  Well, uh sort of.  I have not doubt he had basic cardiology training years ago when he started his practice and before he did surgery. But I question how many pediatric cases require bypass surgery the way adult’s do when they get heart disease.  I would guess probably correctly almost NONE, and the illustrious doctor’s career was fed by fixing patent ducti and aberrant valves that kids are born with.

The final interesting thing was how fat and out of shape he was.  70 pounds overweight in spite of going to the gym and running 30 miles a week.  Now again I wasn’t there to witness this but I have to cast aspersion on these claims.  The 70-pound overweight guy in the picture did not look like ANYONE I know who runs 30 miles a week and works out for an hour in the gym unless overeating is considered a workout.  I would bet the slim trim version we see now emerged AFTER he retired, not while he was in active practice simply because I have first hand knowledge of just how toxic medicine can be to its practitioners!

So here is my simple dietary advice: If you are gluten intolerant (or far more rarely allergic) avoid gluten and other lectins by processing those foods that have them appropriately. Are night shades like tomato and egg plant toxic. Maybe in large doses but they also have some health benefits. Personally, I do not eat a ton of either so I can’t comment!

Do you need to take a “lectin blocker” as sold by our buddy above?  Probably not- and by the way these have been around for a long time again making all of this old, outdated and redundant as a health pitch. Frankly if you really believe they are harmful its not that hard to avoid them completely. Try that first.

And of course since I make one and take one I am going to tell you that “Leaky Gut Syndrome” and other GI maladies may be better served by our special ProBiotic.

Now what kind of diet should you be on.  I have written much about Ketogenic Diets long before they became the rage they are now but I also say they may not be forever or for everyone!

I detail this in “THE Horrendous Diet” with my friend Matt Furey who has had similar experiences.

Bottom line: reduce your calories, reduce (not necessarily avoid completely carbs and especially sugars) simple carbs and thus manage your insulin.  I don’t care if you do it with bacon or broccoli.

But your gut might-hence today’s special which runs out at the end of today!

Dr Dave

*Prior to succumbing to what I can only guess is a group of people who understand marketing and the internet the Pediatric Heart Surgeon above did at least patent many useful devices in his field and held a prestigious position at a reputable med school. So, in life he’s no slouch.  I hope his internet endeavors greatly exceed my own and give him the freedom to pursue a wonderful life full of REAL discoveries for humanity. He would be blessed to have as many loyal customers as I do!

*this in and of itself is not necessarily a false statement!

** And where is she now?!

With the recent announcement by Dr Oz that we should put butter in our coffee, and a TIME magazine cover saying we may have been wrong about fats, a subtle shift has begun to occur in mainstream dietary thinking.

The concept that saturated fats may not be the villainous life ending culprits we (doctors, dieticians, alphabet agencies etc) have been telling you has begun to get some traction.

Here is the actual skinny on this deal.

There has never been ANY solid evidence that saturated fats found in things like butter and red meat are bad for you. But there has been a 40 year “low fat diet” agenda that has rooted itself in the politics and bias of the American Medical System as well as Big Food.

It is ironic to me that my journey down this road has some very interesting parallels that I will get to in a minute but first a few stories.

1)      2 years ago I interviewed Dr. Staffan Lindeberg for the current telomere book I am working on.  Dr. Lindeberg lived and studied the last remaining true Paleo tribe on the planet, the Kitavans. His conclusions pointed solidly to our diet as the major cause of most of the diseases we associated with aging including heart disease and cancer. On page 177 of his book Food and Western Disease Dr Lindeberg correctly states that high consumption of lean meat including red meat does not increase heart disease. Similarly high cholesterol intake has a marginal effect on serum cholesterol and complete adherence to a low fat recommended diet can reduce serum cholesterol by about 3% at best. And yet for the past 40 years red meat has been vilified, saturated fats have been vilified and eating less cholesterol has been pounded into the medical and public consciousness. While all this was happening America and much of the Western world were getting fatter and fatter.  Dr. Steffan Lindeberg’s was written in 2010 long before Dr Oz or TIME magazine.

2)      I have written in great detail about my Paleo adventures 6 years back and my current ketogenic diet.  In both cases I was able to get very lean.  Maintaining a ketogenic diet or what you might call “ultra low carb” has far and away surpassed Paleo in fat loss. I should also add that while I was Paleo I was also running anywhere from 35 to 70 miles a week.  Now I am not bashing Paleo, I am just telling you what has happened in my life.  Keep in mind each of these diets has been far more sustainable than vegetarian or Vegan for me personally and has yielded much greater fat loss without concomitant loss of muscle mass.  Again not bashing any diet just telling you my own experience.

3)      The other day I was in line at the grocery store.  I watched a man and woman in front of me at check out. Both of them were less than 5 feet 5 inches and both HAD to be in excess of 250 pounds.  At least 70% of what they were buying said “low fat” on it.  Behind me was a mother with 3 children. They (mom and kids) were all morbidly obese.  Again they had carts full of “low fat” stuff.  The predominant theme for both sets of obese people was carbs, carbs and more carbs, punctuated by lots of “whole grain”. It was truly astounding.  Equally astounding was the fact that I had trouble finding high or normal fat content foods in this store.  Almost everything was “low fat”  I could not find  normal fat yogurt or any yogurt with less than 15 grams of carbs even the plain stuff.  The more fat they removed the more carbs they added.

My cart contained the following that day” extra virgin olive oil, no nitrate free range uncured bacon, free range ground chicken, a quart of heavy cream and 4% minimum milk fat cottage cheese, vanilla extract and cinnamon.  My few items towered over the lot of my neighbors in terms of fat content and yet I was by far the leanest person in the line, probably the whole store.  I will let you draw your own conclusions but one other thing: I have put 6 other people on the ketogenic diet. 5 of them have been able to adhere to it no problem and all 5 have lost a lot of weight in a short period of time.  The person who cannot or will not follow it cites inability to “eat all that fat” because of a decade of near vegetarianism.  She has not lost any weight on this diet!

4)       Ok I mentioned above that there were some parallels in the way I got started on this diet.  My initial and primary reason came after reading the book Cancer as a Metabolic Disease by Dr Tom Seyfreid.  I was not interested in weight loss.  I weighed 203 and looked “ok” in my own estimation, never having come close to my max chubby weight of 236.  But after a week on the diet Dr Seyfreid described I lost 11 pounds and concluded that a cancer prevention or treatment diet was indeed doable unless the person was far gone.  After that I found the work of Phinney and Voleck who basically advanced the Adkins theories and the rest is history. I am now under 10% body fat and have lost about 30 pounds.  I look and feel better than I have in a long long time even though I have always considered myself to be feeling really good and looking OK.

In each of these resources, Seyfried and Phinney and Voleck I found so much evidence that politics and personal agendas set what the American public believes. I won’t name names but it boils down to a few very influential researchers and doctors who had a major vested interest in defending their views. Bullying and riding over anyone who questioned them set up the past 4o years of nonsense.

I know that eating fat to burn fat sounds very counterintuitive but that is what happens.  I will also tell you I believe that Vegan and Vegetarian diets can work as well.  How can this be?  How can 2 so very different routines one consisting of dairy, animal and vegetable fat and the other of mostly fruits vegetables and nuts yield the same result?

The answer is calorie reduction and insulin management.

People eating both high fat (60% or more as fat) and Vegan/Vegetarian diets have lower calorie consumption and lower insulin levels.

How can high fat be low calorie?  Try eating this much fat and watch your appetite disappear.

In about 2 weeks I should have my latest lipid profile for you so stay tuned!

Doc

Well almost as if on cue dietary experts have weighed in on the low carb versus low fat dietary smack down that showed a superior result from low fat diets.

In case you have not been following my Ketogenic diet series I have been eating 60+% of my daily calorie intake from fats, 25% from protein and 15% or less from carbs.  In other numbers I try to keep my carbs below 50 grams or the equivalent of 1.5 slices of typical white or whole grain bread a day.

The recent study I referred to above showed far more weight loss in a year on low carb vs low fat diet (12 pounds average versus 4 pounds).

We’ll have look at what the experts said in a moment but you do need to understand a few things.

First this is not the first time this has happened.  In an email to you several years ago entitled “The Great Diet Smackdown” I detailed similar findings.  Low carb diets won hands down over low fat with Atkins style diets more than doubling the subjects weight loss.  For the record the worst performer was Dean Ornish’s then popular   “Rainbow diet”. It weighed in at a measly 4 pounds.  Then again he never did pitch it as a weight loss diet.

Next if anything a carb dominated Big Food controlled “whole grain goodness” campaign has had 10’s of millions of dollars thrown at it by grain seed and crop producers headed by GMO giant Monsanto.  Interestingly enough our president’s current food czar is headed to the board of directors of that company when his time in politics is done.

I wonder if there is any significance in that?!

On top of that is long history of what can only be termed anti fat bias that has dominated medical thinking for the past 40 years spear headed by Big Pharma and the statin crew. Along with the ADA who used to allow Pop Tarts on the diabetic exchange diet we have a carb dominated food pyramid.

Ok so what did the experts say?

1) The whole premise is stupid! How can one diet fit all when we are all so very different ?

My feeling: while it is true there are some minor genetic variations and a few epigenetic ones to be sure something like 98+% of all human genes are exactly the same when unmutated.  We can be reasonably sure that the variations do not cluster in only the nutritional department. Give the slow as molasses speed of evolution we can also be sure that the changes needed to accommodate a high grain diet did not take place in the past 10,000 years since we have been cultivating grains and certainly not in the past 100 years since the advent if GMO grains.

2) High fat is dangerous and the people advocating it are dangerous!  I pretty much cornered that in my”BAD Dietary Advice” blog.  To Dr David Katz of Yale I repeat my challenge: Before you put it down try it yourself and measure all those precious lipids values like I did and see what happens! I would add that the relatively small amount of weight loss pretty much tells me that while the low carb diet was indeed carb restricted, the researchers probably wussed out and included much more protein and hedged on the high fat part.

The clue is I the way it’s presented: low carb. The word high fat did not appear and most researchers dare not challenge the long held “fat is bad for you” dogma

3) Avoid any diet that tells you to avoid any macro nutrient group. There are 3 macro nutrient groups, carbs, fats and proteins. Well uh, it’s really impossible to avoid all carbs since fruits and vegetables contain a bit of them. It is also clear that cabs are truly non essential in the large amounts we currently get them in our diets. Fats and protein avoidance will make you sick and kill you fast. Carbs? Nope!

4) And  my personal favorite: Well we know that people on low carb diets automatically eat less!  Um is that not the point of a diet.

Now I will also tell you that I think low carb diets will always be far more acceptable than true high fat Ketogenic diets.  Ketogenic diets will always be on the fringe in the long run.  But for people who really really need to lose weight for just about any reason, they will remain the answer.

Lots of people will be able to maintain ketosis at a higher carb consumption rate than me. For me the difference between 50 grams and 100 grams for a few days is visible fat accumulation around my waist.

I have detailed all the testing I have done both lab and metabolic for the world to see. I did not make choice on a whim or bias. I would have dropped it like a hot potato if it didn’t work.  It worked like gangbusters and who knows given the current research on metabolism and cancer, it may have saved my life!

My challenge to any health care providers remains: put your money where your mouth is. Otherwise shut up!

Doc