What is Zonulin?

Z is for Zonulin

Zonulin is a toxin that makes the junctions in between our intestinal cell walls loose or ‘leaky’. Leaky gut is associated with lots of negative health conditions such as auto-immune conditions, digestive problems, IBS, MS etc.

So what triggers the production or release of Zonulin to make our intestines permeable?

1.       Gluten - gluten or more specifically two of its component’s gliadin and glutenin, both of which promote the release of zonuin, so each time you ingest gluten containing foods weather or not you are gluten sensitive, you are creating your intestines to become more leaky.

2.       Bacterial overgrowth, certain colonies of negative bacteria growing in our gut can release Zonulin.

There are ways to test for your Zonulin levels to determine if you have intestinal permeability or ‘leaky gut’. Avoiding gluten and refined sugar/processed foods is a good way if you are worried you have a leaky gut that is causing your digestive issue or auto-immune problem.