Why Gluten Triggers Multiple Sclerosis Flare-Ups
There are many people who believe the whole “gluten intolerance” “gluten free diet” craze is nothing more than a sham, another diet scam created to market specialized foods to the masses. They are wrong. Unfortunately, many of them will continue to suffer from autoimmune diseases or other chronic conditions and will never admit to themselves that their diet is to blame.
If you suffer from MS or know someone who does, learning how a leaky gut is linked to MS is a vital step toward health.
What Is the Difference Between a Healthy Gut and a Leaky Gut?
When people hear the term “leaky gut” they often imagine the intestines leaking its contents into the body cavity. This is not the case. Healthy gut walls are coated with a biofilm, tightly interwoven cells that provide a barricade between the tissues and the intestinal contents. When the biofilm breaks down and the intestinal walls become inflamed, proteins and other particles that would normally stay inside the intestines pass into the bloodstream. Suddenly the body is flooded with what the immune system sees as “foreign invaders”. The immune system goes into overdrive and often steers off course.
Anyone who has faced the grim reality of an autoimmune disease has been told that their immune system isn’t working right, that it is attacking their body. Unfortunately, it is a rare to find a health care practitioner who can tell them why and how to stop the process. Bottom line, the only way to heal the body is through proper nutrition, detoxing, and exercise. You start with healing the gut. If the gut isn’t working right, you can’t assimilate nutrients. One of the first steps to healing the gut is eliminating gluten.
What Has Caused a Leaky Gut?
The standard American diet, sugar, antibiotics, chemicals, and heavy metals have all combined to destroy the natural bacterial balance in the gut.
Our gut is home to trillions of microbes, many of them beneficial bacteria that live with us in a symbiotic relationship that is vital to our health. These good bacteria help us digest our food, help keep bad bacteria, fungi, and parasites in check, and are even responsible for the production of neurotransmitters.
Antibiotics kill bacteria that are harmful to our health. In the process, they also kill the good bacteria in our gut. When the balance in the gut is destroyed, fungi take over along with the bad bacteria.
Sugar also feeds fungi (along with bad bacteria and viruses). An overgrowth of Candida typically occurs with high sugar diets and antibiotic use. Since sugar weakens the immune system, these two go hand in hand. Sugar also feeds fungi (along with bad bacteria and viruses). An overgrowth of Candida typically occurs with high sugar diets and antibiotic use. Since sugar weakens the immune system, these two go hand in hand. Drink sodas, eat sugary snacks and chemically laden processed foods and then wonder why you get sinus infections and bronchitis. Take antibiotics, break down the immune system more, and you repeat the cycle.
If this wasn’t enough, processed foods are filled with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, colorings, preservatives, MSG, and GMOs. And even our produce isn’t safe unless it’s organic. Some fruits have as many as 15 chemicals on and in them. All of these chemicals further destroy gut health and lead to a chronic imbalance of good bacteria, bad bacteria, and Candida.
How Do You Heal the Gut?
There are supplements that can help you get your gut back in balance, but the main way to heal the gut is to eat a truly healthy diet. This means eliminating processed foods and eating 80% fresh, raw, organic produce – more vegetables than fruits and including healthy fats and plenty of pure water in your diet.
The MS leaky gut connection is clear. If you completely eliminate gluten (and that means every condiment and morsel of food that goes in your mouth) and adhere to a healthy diet, you will be amazed at how much better you feel. Many people with MS have found that symptoms return whenever they indulge in foods that contain gluten. To learn more about gluten, gut health, and multiple sclerosis, read Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases and Foods To Avoid With Gluten Intolerance or Celiac Disease.