Overview

While there is much discussion about "Leaky Gut Syndrome" within the integrative medical community, there is less knowledge about the fundamentals of the gut barrier and how the microbiome and immune system function to maintain that barrier. This lecture is designed to bring clinicians "up-to-speed" on the basic fundamentals of gut barrier physiology, discuss the primary ways that it fails (and how to test for this) and review the evidence for non-pharmacological therapies that can improve gut barrier function.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the cells, proteins and processes that are designed to maintain a healthy gut interface
• Understand how the microbiome and immune system interface, and is dependent on a close, but controlled interface through the gut epithelial layer
• Review tests and clinical signs used to assess the functional permeability of a person's gut barrier
• Learn the evidence for specific therapies that can improve barrier function

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REFERENCES

1. Functional Strategies for the Management of Gastrointestinal Disorders. (Guilliams, Point Institute 2016)
2. Alessio Fasano Physiol Rev 2011;91:151-175: Zonulin and its regulation of intestinal barrier function: the biological door to inflammation, autoimmunity, and cancer.
3. The Roles of Glutamine in the Intestine and Its Implication in Intestinal Diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 May 12;18(5).