What is zonulin?
Zonulin is a protein in our body that controls the size of the openings between your gut lining and bloodstream.
This is important because that lining is only one cell thick, so it needs to be functioning well.
Small openings are needed between the two to transport nutrients back and forth, and to get rid of a pathogens or nasty bugs.
But high levels of zonulin can cause these openings to become too large.
This is harmful to your health because it allows waste and toxins, undigested food particles, bacteria and fungi to spread throughout your body where they don't belong, leading to immune stress, inflammation, food reactions and, in time, disease.
Of concern, studies also show that when zonulin levels are high, there is correlation between a comprised blood-brain barrier and neuro-inflammation, depression, fatigue and more.
What causes zonulin levels to rise?
Gliadin in the diet, which comes from gluten containing foods like wheat, rye and barley
The overgrowth of harmful organisms, like bacteria, parasites or yeast in the intestine
High histamine levels, caused by disease, diet and genetics
Pesticides e.g. glyphosate or Round Up
How can you reduce zonulin levels?
Give up gluten, and possibly cross reactive foods which have similar proteins to those in gluten thath our body mistakes for gluten and reacts in the same way
Get some microbiome testing done to check your zonulin levels, infections and other gut function before beginning a protocol to bring balance back to your gut
Work out what's triggering your high histamine levels, and deal with the root cause e.g. infections, diet and lifestyle, heavy metals, trauma, genetics
Eat chemical-free or organic foods
When we give up gluten, deal with infections and attend to the other areas of digestion that created the problem in the first place like high-carb diets, stress, insufficient stomach acid and a lack of pancreatic and digestive enzymes, the gaps between your cells begin to close and our health to improve.