How Alcohol Causes Food Sensitivities
Food sensitivities result from a condition termed leaky gut syndrome.
Often, people mistakenly assume that leaky gut means diarrhea.
This is not what it means.
When food is eaten, it should be digested thoroughly. This involves various processes; including stomach acid production in the stomach, enzymes from the pancreas, and bile from the gallbladder. The absorption of nutrients into the body occurs along the way. Once the digested food enters the large intestine, most of the absorption of nutrients has already occurred.
Leaky gut is the term used when the lining of the large intestine becomes damaged. The cells that line the large intestine should be connected together tightly. A damaged lining permits large particles like proteins to enter the bloodstream when this would not have occurred if the lining was intact.
However, when people have this condition, proteins from the food eaten can enter the bloodstream and create an immune reaction. This type of reaction is termed a delayed reaction meaning that the symptoms may not appear immediately after eating the food and can occur up to 3 days later.
Therefore, people don’t frequently associate the symptoms such as brain fog, joint or muscle aches with the triggering food.
If the foods that cause food sensitivities are eaten regularly, the symptoms will likely always be present.
A number of factors can contribute to a leaky gut condition. These factors include; medications like antibiotics or steroids, inflammatory conditions in the gut, and a poor diet. This creates a disruption in the microbiota or bacteria that reside in the gut.
Alcohol use is known to alter the gut microbiota and cause changes in the gut environment that result in a leaky gut. In mouse studies, this has been demonstrated as rapidly as 3 weeks of alcohol use.
An important aspect of the treatment of leaky gut is to avoid those things that are contributing to it. For those in recovery, they are already doing that through sobriety. Of note, nicotine contributes to leaky gut too so if another reason is needed to quit, here it is.
Determining Food Sensitivities
The avoidance of foods that trigger the immune response is important too. Testing for food sensitivities is a big help in determining this as it takes out some of the guesswork. A blood sample is analyzed at a lab for an immune reaction.
An elimination diet is another approach often used. Foods suspected to be triggering an immune response are eliminated for at least 10 days, then introduced one at a time every 3 days to monitor for a response such as body aches.
The foods determined to be causing sensitivities are avoided for 6 months. At that time, one may retest or reintroduce those foods to monitor for reactions.
Healing
Healing of the gut lining is also an important part of the treatment of leaky gut to prevent the development of more food sensitivities. Supporting the digestive processes such as correcting any deficiencies in digestive enzymes or stomach acid is beneficial. Changing to a more plant-based diet is beneficial, as is the supplementation of probiotics. Eating plants provides the fiber that good bacteria like and this will contribute to the restoration of the balance in the gut lining.
References