AIP (Autoimmune Paleo) / Leaky Gut

Who told you that you have a "leaky gut"? That's not a real medical diagnosis. Eating such a restrictive diet isn't going to do anything for your gut health, and could result in deficiencies in your macro and micro nutrients.

yirara wrote: »

Sorry, leaky gut doesn't exist.

Well, it does if you're taking Alli.

I have been doing regular Paleo since about August. I was going to do AIP, but thought I would start with just Paleo to see if that worked for me. I have celiac disease and lupus, but I’m still struggling with most of my symptoms... stiff hands, feet hurt all the time, constantly fluctuating between constipation and diarrhea, headaches have gotten a LOT better though. Interested as to what happened to lead you there?

My diet is close to the aip protocol, when I am doing everything I should.

What were you hoping to gain from AIP, etc...? Are you having gut issues, allergies? Have you been tested for anything?

re: leaky gut and everyone who says it doesn't exist, I would say this: there is a difference between 'disproven' and 'not verified.'

Leaky gut has not been proven to exist, absolutely. I think some of the ideas I've seen about it are hokey as crud and make no sense.

But it has not been disproven, either. And there IS some evidence that something is going on with our gut and the proteins we eat that show we are missing some crucial information. Mainly, that humans have been shown to react allergically to bodily fluids from someone who ate their allergen. Researchers have tested this in ways to prevent cross-contamination, and there was still a reaction, so the proteins involved were definitely inside the bodily fluids.

So, that being the case, either intact proteins are escaping the gut when doctors think they cannot, or people are reacting to smaller pieces of proteins than doctors think is possible.

Either way, these unknowns over how the human body and the proteins we eat interact can be enough that altering one's diet to try and avoid ingesting certain proteins MIGHT be helpful.

And for folks who are stuck in the situation where doctors have nothing more to offer? That is enough to give something a try, especially if it's something as innocuous as a mere diet change, if they can be safe about it (make sure they get enough nutrients, etc....

Honestly, it's not even a surprise that this is an area where the research is behind. We literally have no specialty that studies this. We have GI doctors who study the gut, but their focus is NOT on reactions to things once they might get OUTSIDE the gut. We have allergists who study allergies. But we have no specialty that specifically studies intolerances or sensitivities (used to be allergists, years ago, but when IgE was discovered, they shifted focus).

So there is very little research on food intolerances. The word 'intolerance' when it comes to foods isn't even a consistent concept. Doctors know enzymes are involved in lactose intolerance, where the reaction is completely centered IN the gut. Doctors know that people can't digest certain molecules if they have fructose intolerance (again, a reaction that begins and ends in the gut).

But the word 'intolerance' literally doesn't really have a concrete MEANING for any other foods. Not even gluten intolerance - doctors don't even know exactly what is happening WITH an intolerance. They don't know the mechanism, they don't know the systems involved, they don't know how they work. Heck, they are only recently starting to actually verify that yes, when people say they are having a physical reaction to some foods, and it's not an allergy, we can actually see something happening so hey, probably not imaginary.




re: aip diet. I would say that first - it's obviously not sustainable long term, as it is short on some nutrients that we really need. I have a lot of medical restrictions on my diet, and I'm actually struggling to get some of these nutrients as a result.

But, for a restrictive diet that might help you tell if you are having some reactions to certain foods? It's not too bad, as long as you prepare for the restrictions, if that makes sense?

Like...it's going to be tempting to eat something else. You will be hungry, you won't know recipes, etc...

So I would suggest doing what you can to mitigate those issues. Try out a bunch of AIP recipes before you start the diet, and pick the ones you like. Come up with some quick snacks that you can make ahead of time, or keep around in the cupboards, to eat when you have cravings or you are hungry. Start an herb garden so you have a lot of herbs to help spice up your diet choices. Try to have vitamin supplements if you can find some that fit the protocol.

And then after a few months, most people slowly add things back in. When that happens, keeping a food journal and recording how you feel after introducing new foods helps, and it also helps not to assume you are allergic to 'everything' if you have a lot of reactions to a lot of things, at least not right away. there can be connections between foods that you will discover later.

As an example, iodized salt, pistachios, lemon juice concentrate, wine, corn starch, and corn syrup all made me react. Later, I had found out that sulfites were an issue in all of these, either as a preservative (lemon juice), or used during processing (corn syrup and corn starch) or used to bleach things (salt, and pistachio shells). No way would you think these are all ONE reaction, not until you do some research, you know? But you can do the research later, after you notice a consistent reaction to something, every time, IMHO. Always good to make sure it IS a consistent reaction, though. Usually just one or two times is too few to make sure, if that makes sense?

At the risk of getting into it with anyone on here, "Leaky Gut Protocol" is what they are taking issue with. Technically, yes, stomachs have a certain level of permeability or "leakiness" to them. That is undesputible science. The issue is, for most, the term "leaky gut" is synonomous with "leaky gut syndrome", which is the whole host of pseudoscience out there that recommends God knows what to heal it.

Quakery has become synonomous with Leaky Gut, many times for good reason, but there is such a thing as stomach permeability.

Not a fan of AIP with that said, not enough fiber in it. Plus, there's only been two studies on it and both have shown that C-Reactive proteins don't budge (the main indicators of inflammation being present). If it's so great at lowering inflammation, which is why most go on it, why doesn't that show in studies? When you ask bloggers that question that proclaim AIP as the greatest thing, you get crickets as a response.

MikePfirrman wrote: »

Quakery has become synonomous with Leaky Gut, many times for good reason, but there is such a thing as stomach permeability.

What have you got against the Quakers? And is it the oatmeal/breakfast cereal Quakers, or the Quaker religion?


(sorry, just thought it was a funny typo)