WHAT IS LEAKY GUT?
The small intestine is required for digestion and for absorption of nutrients from food. It is also responsible for keeping unwanted substances out of the body and is therefore a part of the immune system.
Changes in the permeability of the small intestine can result in under-absorption of nutrients or the converse, over-absorption of the intestinal contents.
Each intestinal villus in the Small Intestine is covered by absorptive epithelial cells (enterocytes) and the spaces between them, which hold the enterocytes together, are called the tight junctions.
The Leaky gut test (aka gut permeability test) is a sensitive test for the diagnosis of tight junction activity and hyper-absorption states across the molecular weight range of absorbable molecules using a testing substrate of PEG 400.
The Leaky gut test involves collection of a urine sample following the ingestion of a testing solution. The solution contains molecules of different sizes and the rate that these molecules pass through the intestine is measured to give an analysis of intestinal permeability and tight junction activity.
How is the test performed?
The sample required for the leaky gut test is a 6 hour urine collection after a 3 gram oral dose of PEG 400. A 20 ml sample of urine is sent to the lab for analysis.
