<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Hi Listmates, I appreciate all of the answers I received re: my question about exactly what leaky gut is. I received several technical/clinical responses & suggestions that I cound not begin to explain or summarize, so I have copied those & also listed the web sites that were the most comprehensive & informative. Happy Holidays! Kathy C ~<A HREF="http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=Article&ID=425 ">Click here: Leaky Gut Syndrome: Breaking the Vicious Cycle - Leo Galland, M.D. - HealthWorld Online</A> ~Dr. Alessio Fasano at the Center for Celiac Research in Baltimore MD is elucidating the role of gluten in inducing "leaky gut." Gliadin appears to upregulate a protein he discovered called zonulin which loosens the intestinal tight junctions. In celiacs, it appears that they stay open. You can find more about it here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed& list_u ids082037&dopt=Abstract ~Apparently your intestine gets tiny holes from all the stress or gluten damage. THen, minute particles of food can enter your bloodstream, undigested. This increases allergic reactions, etc. From this list serve I've read that taking glutamine and acidophilus will help to heal up the gut. ~Imagine a pair of XS fishnet stocking on an XL woman. Same number of holes, just bigger than they are supposed to be. That's a good visual of leaky gut. The gut is lined with "holes" that allow the nutrients are absorbed into the blood. Inflammation in the gut can cause these spaces to be larger than they are susposed to be. When healthy, the gut is supposed to act as a filler, letting small, properly digested food particles to enter and also keep out the larger particles--undigested food, germs and viruses. When the hole are to big, incompletely digested proteins (& who know what else) can enter the blood and, in theory, cause allergies. These particles are not supposed to be in the blood & the immune system must remove them. ~Very simple, the gliadin in gluten attacks the walls of the small intestine till sometimes substances can "leak" through the walls, often causing additional allergies or intolerances to other foods. Often after avoiding these foods for a year or two you can return to eating them again, if you don't overdo it. ~The best page on it: Leaky Gut Syndromes: Breaking the Vicious Cycle - HealthWorld Online http://www.healthy.net/library/articles/galland/Leakygut.htm ~In my definition it is passing food undigested. Which is alarming because it means your body is not taking in the nutrients you ingest. In my case it was caused by an imbalance of fungus in the system, which I treated with Nystatin. I no longer eat sugar, yeast, or fermented things. Also no corn (it turns into sugar and feeds the fungi). I feel much better, the leaky gut stuff is over, and my blood tests fabulous for vitamin absorption. ~Leaky gut occurs in many diesease, including arthritis, but it reallly affects us. In the small intestine are small villi [projections] upon which enzymes rest which digest food, lactose for example. the celiac wipes out the villi. No villi...cannot digest lactose. Going gf will heal the gut in about three years, BUT you can short circuit that time into a few months, My nutionistist and also my allergist told me to take WITH EACH MEAL an L-glutlamine [amino acid] pill 500mg and a Probitoics pills [either complex or 8] Glutamine is a catalyst and also gets oxygen to the brain --it does not contain gluten. Probitoics, in either form, really heals the gut. You will need to take this for the rest of your life, but hey, it reduces the changes for colon cancer. Get a note from your dr to take this and it becomes a medical tax deduction off your income tax.