Top 5 Best Probiotic Supplements for Leaky Gut Based on Research and Reviews

Probiotics are all the bacteria that are able to make you healthier by growing in or on you. The few unique bacteria that have this ability are part of something called your microbiota. Your microbiota is a layer of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microorganisms that covers your body wherever it comes into contact with the outside world. This includes your skin, eyes, mouth, nose, lungs, genital tract and digestive system.

Your microbiota came primarily from your mom during your birth, but also through contact with your family’s skin and your mom’s breast milk. It is a natural part of your body and you need it to stay healthy.

Without a healthy microbiota you can develop:

infections
metabolic disorders
mental health disorders
diarrhea
constipation
irritable bowel syndrome
leaky gut

A leaky gut occurs when the walls of your intestine develop tons of tiny-tiny, microscopic holes. These holes let the contents of your digestive system (food, digestive juices, bacteria, pesticides, viruses, toxins, etc.) into your body. This can have serious consequences for the health of your entire body.

By shoring up the health of your microbiota, probiotics can help prevent and treat a leaky gut. You can get probiotics in your body by eating lots of fermented foods. You can also take a probiotic supplement.

When you are choosing a probiotic supplement, there are a couple of factors to keep in mind to ensure you pick a formula that actually helps your gut health. Make sure your supplement:

supplies between 1 and 100 billion colony forming units (CFUs) of a proven probiotic bacterial strain per serving.
lists the exact strain of bacteria
lists the exact number of bacteria that are guaranteed to be alive when the supplement expires
has been tested by an independent third-party laboratory

Probiotics can cause mild side effects when you first start taking them. These can include:

bloating
diarrhea
constipation
hair loss
dizziness
fatigue

Typically, the side effects from probiotics go away on their own over the course of a couple of weeks.

Based on scientific research and product reviews, the top 5 best probiotic supplements specifically suited to help you heal a leaky gut are:

Top 5 Best Digestive Enzyme Supplements to Fix Leaky Gut

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Few people think about the importance of their digestive system for their overall health. This is a serious shame because the digestive system is not only one of the most important of the body’s systems, but it is also one of the most easily influenced.

Your digestive system is made up of multiple hollow and solid organs.

Your hollow digestive organs are your:

mouth
esophagus
stomach
small intestine
large intestine
anus

Your solid digestive organs are your:

liver
pancreas
gallbladder

Together, these organs allow you to break down all the food you eat into tiny, absorbable nutrients. They break down:

fats into fatty acids
carbohydrates into simple sugars
proteins into amino acids
dietary fiber complexes so you can absorb essential vitamins and minerals

Fatty acids, sugars, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals are the building blocks of your entire body. They are used to make your cells, to build your bones, to power your brain and give your heart energy to keep pumping. Without enough nutrients from your food, you experience consequences throughout your entire body, with symptoms such as:

poor immune function
Infections
poor bone health
weak eyesight
nervous system dysfunction
fatigue

Having a condition called “leaky gut” can keep your digestive tract from breaking down and absorbing nutrients from your food properly and can put you at risk for developing all these symptoms.

A leaky gut occurs when damage to your intestines causes the cells that make up their walls to pull apart. This forms holes that dangerous bacteria, toxins and food particles, rather than the healthy nutrients you want, can slip through into your body.

One great way to ease leaky gut symptoms and improve nutrient absorption is to boost your digestive enzyme levels. Digestive enzymes break down large molecules of food that can damage your gut wall, causing or making a leaky gut worse. They also improve digestion and nutrient absorption. Together, this means that digestive enzymes can give your gut wall a chance to rest and heal and provide it with more nutrients and building blocks to repair any damage that has already been done.

You can get digestive enzymes naturally from foods (such as pineapple, honey, bananas, ginger, kiwi, papaya, mango, and kimchi) or from supplements.

The dosage of digestive enzyme you should take for a leaky gut depends on the exact type of enzyme. For:

proteases aim for 17,000 – 114,000 USP per serving
lipases aim for 3,000 – 36,000 USP per serving
amylases aim for 15,000 – 136,000 USP per serving

The best digestive enzyme supplements that you could try are:

Top 5 Best Butyrate Supplements for Leaky Gut Cure

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Butyrate is a fat that belongs to a special family of fats known as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs are produced in your gut when your friendly digestive bacteria ferment dietary fiber. Butyrate stands out among the SCFA family because it’s the most effective in healing your gut if it has become leaky.

A leaky gut develops when the cells that make up the walls of your intestines no longer bind together tightly the way they should. This allows dangerous bacteria, toxins and food particles to get into your body that can make you sick.

Butyrate can help ease the symptoms of a leaky gut by reducing inflammation caused by the toxins and bacteria and helping your intestinal cells grow stronger and healthier.

You can make more of your own butyrate naturally by eating lots of fiber-rich foods. You can also get some butyrate directly out of your diet by eating small amounts of grass-fed butter each day. You can also increase your butyrate levels by taking a butyrate supplement.

When choosing a butyrate supplement, there are a few factors you should keep in mind to make sure you are getting an effective product. Whenever possible:

opt for powdered butyrate supplements as these are the most easily broken down and absorbed
make sure your supplement contains no fillers or additives, which just take up space and don’t offer you any health benefits
check that the supplement’s company is reputable
read customer reviews to ensure the product has been well received

Butyrate is extremely safe to take when it’s used at a reasonable dose. As long as you stick to the recommended dosage range, the only side effects you’ll experience will be positive ones.

The recommended dosage for butyrate is 300 mg per day. It likely doesn’t matter exactly when you take your daily butyrate dosage, or if you take it with food or not, as long as you are consistent and take it every day.

Based on these criteria, the top 5 best butyrate supplements on the market are:

How to Improve Muscle Health [An Expert’s Guide]

There are tons of reasons you might be interested in learning more about how to improve muscle health. Most of them probably have to do with feeling stronger and looking better.

But did you know that the health of your muscles has huge effects on the health of the rest of your body, as well?

Really!

In addition to making you strong and helping you fill out your jeans, healthy muscles:

help you digest food by propelling food through your intestines
beat your heart
keep your blood pressure steady
regulate your metabolism
balance your hormones
protect your bone health
improve your cognition and mood
prevent age-related losses of function and falls
make you less prone to strains or tears

And unhealthy muscles lead to painful and debilitating conditions, such as:

muscular dystrophy
fibromyalgia
sarcopenia
rhabdomyolysis

Seriously — the health of your muscles is a big deal!

So, how do you protect your muscles and keep them in tip-top shape?

1. Eat a serving of healthy carbohydrates at two meals every day to make sure your muscles have enough glucose for fuel.

2. Eat a serving of healthy protein at every single meal of the day. This ensures your muscles have enough amino acids to build all the actin and myosin (contracting proteins) they need.

3. Eat plenty of potassium-rich vegetables and limit your added salt to make sure your electrolytes are balanced and your muscles can receive signals from your nervous system.

4. Stay hydrated so your muscles are able to properly store and burn glucose for energy.

5. Get enough sleep. This balances your hormones and promotes muscle protein production.

6. Lift weights 2–3 times per week. Weight-lifting puts a serious strain on your muscles and triggers the production of more healthy muscle protein.

7. Do weight-bearing exercises (like running, skipping or hiking) a few times per week. This protects your cardiovascular health, improves whole-body blood flow, and aids weight-lifting in protecting your muscles.

8. Stretch regularly. Stretching allows cramped muscles to relax, improves posture, reduces pain and helps muscles function better long-term.

9. Reduce stress. Reducing stress balances your hormone levels — just like sleep does — making it easier for your body to build healthy muscle proteins.

Visit nutrishatives.com for more expert guides on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

What Does Apple Cider Vinegar Do to Your Body?

Have you ever wondered why people think taking apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a good idea for their health?

Today, most people were probably directly inspired by social media posts or nutrition articles online. But the belief that vinegar has healing and health-promoting properties actually goes back thousands of years.

Of course, just because a claim is old doesn’t mean it’s true. What does the current science say about the health effects of apple cider vinegar?

Quite a lot, actually! And quite a lot if it is positive!

Animal models and human studies show mild-to-moderate beneficial effects of apple cider vinegar for:

regulating your appetite
helping you reach and maintain a healthy body weight
helping you reach and maintain a healthy body composition (more lean mass and less fat tissue)
improving your digestion and gut health
regulating your blood cholesterol levels
helping you maintain healthy blood sugar levels

All of these benefits appear to stem from a single molecule in apple cider vinegar: acetic acid. This small organic acid can:

Lower the pH of your digestive tract, improving your digestion and the health of your gut bacteria AND
Influence the activity of multiple enzymes in your body, leading to changes in cellular function and your metabolism

Interestingly, since acetic acid is a defining component of all vinegars, it is likely that you can reap similar health benefits from any vinegar (balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, date vinegar, raspberry vinegar, etc.)

If you would like to include more apple cider vinegar in your diet, you should make sure to:

dilute the vinegar in water, tea or food before eating to prevent chemical burns to your throat
keep your dosage moderate (1-2 tablespoons per day), since higher doses may harm your electrolyte balance
continue to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle; don’t rely on apple cider vinegar to regulate your metabolism, weight and gut health

Some great apple cider vinegar products we recommend include:

Everything You Need to Know About Cyclospora Infection

Cyclosporiasis (an infection with a gut parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis) used to be considered a rare disease, but it is becoming ever more common. There have been over 30 documented outbreaks of cyclosporiasis since 1990 in the United States alone, the most recent of which was in the summer of 2018.

C. cayetanensis is a type of single-celled organism called a protozoa, similar to a bacterium. It can get into your intestines via contaminated foodand infect the walls of your intestines, leading to really unpleasant digestive symptoms.

Symptoms of cyclosporiasis include:

abdominal bloating
gas
diarrhea
nausea
fatigue
fever

As unpleasant as these symptoms can be, when your body gets rid of the infection and they resolve on their own (as happens in most cases), they aren’t particularly serious. Sometimes, however, cyclospora infections may become chronic and lead to more serious conditions, such as:

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Diverticulitis
Bowel cancer
Malnutrition
Autoimmune conditions (e.g. Guillain-Barre syndrome)
Allergies

If you develop a chronic cyclospora infection, you will almost certainly need antibiotics (co-trimoxazole or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole are typically the antibiotics prescribed).

Antibiotics are also probably a good idea if you:

have HIV or AIDS, a congenital immune deficiency or are on immunosuppressant drugs
have diabetes
have cancer
are malnourished
are struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction
are over the age of 70
are under the age of 10

If you don’t fall into any of these categories, it’s highly likely that your body will be able to fight of the cyclospora all on its own, with time. Of course, that doesn’t make the symptoms any more fun while you’ve got them.

Luckily, there are a handful of natural treatments that can help you manage your symptoms while you wait for your immune system to do it’s thing!

Prevent dehydration (from the diarrhea) by:

sipping on a liter of water with half a teaspoon of salt and six teaspoons of sugar dissolved in it
drinking some simple fruit juice and nibble on salted crackers throughout the day

Ease stomach cramps by:

resting a hot water bottle on your abdomen
rubbing magnesium oil on your abdomen

Keep comfortable with a fever by:

taking a cool (but not cold) shower
laying a cool rag over your eyes and forehead

Reduce nausea and diarrhea by:

drinking ginger, chamomile or peppermint tea
taking a liquid probiotic supplement

Of course, the best option of all is to never get a cyclospora infection at all. Your best bets for preventing a cyclospora infection altogether are:

washing produce well before you eat it
Keeping your immune system healthy with plenty of whole plant foods, vitamin D, exercise, sleep and probiotics

15 Natural Therapies to Balance Your Hormones as You Age

The secret word for healthy hormones as you age is — balance!

Hormones are the chemical messengers of your body. They pass messages about changes in your body from one organ or tissue to all the other organs and tissues in your body.

While many organs and tissues in your body can make hormones, the most important sources of hormones are your so-called endocrine organs. These organs are your:

Pituitary gland
Adrenal glands
Liver
Pancreas
Ovaries/Testes

These organs make a host of hormones that they release in response to specific signals in your body, such as high blood sugar or an invading bacteria. Once released, hormones travel through your bloodstream and bind to special receptors on the surface of cells throughout your body, letting the cells know what has is happening in the rest of your body.

Essentially, hormones are responsible for your whole body working as a single unit, rather than being a blob of cells all sitting around in one place!

Unfortunately, as you age, hormones tend to become imbalanced, meaning they can’t regulate this all-important communication and the health of your body can start to suffer.

The hormone levels that researchers think are most affected by aging are:

Cortisol
Human Growth Hormone (HGH)
Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1)
Insulin
Estrogen
Testosterone

Imbalances in the levels of these hormones can lead to many typical symptoms of aging, including:

Poor muscle health
Weaker bones
Weight gain
Loss of libido
Poorer eyesight
Memory loss

Luckily, you don’t have to simply accept this slew of aging symptoms from imbalanced hormones. Research clearly shows that there are a handful of effective natural therapies that can help keep your hormones at healthy levels as you get older. The 15 most effective balance your hormones as you age:

Eat lots of fiber, which helps keep your estrogen and insulin levels balanced
Get enough vitamin D, which helps keep your testosterone levels balanced
Swap out high-fat foods for whole plant foods, which helps regulate estrogen, testosterone and insulin levels
Opt for healthy fats, which help keep your estrogen levels balanced
Protect your gut bacteria, which help regulate your IGF-1 and insulin levels
Avoid processed sugars, which mess with your insulin and estrogen levels
Get enough plant protein, which keeps your IGF-1 levels steady
Eat vitamin C-rich foods, which help keep your HGH levels healthy
Don’t over-consume alcohol, which can drive down your estrogen and testosterone to unnaturally low levels
Consume lots of polyphenols (a type of antioxidant found in berries, tea, and apples), which help balance your insulin levels
Get plenty of sleep, as sleep is important for a healthy release of HGH and testosterone
Avoid stress, which can drive your cortisol levels up to unhealthy levels
Get regular exercise, which can help balance your testosterone and IGF-1 levels
Start a yoga and meditation routine, which can help regulate your estrogen levels
And find time to laugh, since laughter can lower unhealthy cortisol levels

Top 5 Best Prebiotic Supplements for Leaky Gut Healing

A prebiotic is any molecule that dramatically boosts the health of the good bacteria that live in and on your body. These good bacteria, collectively called your microbiota, have a ton of important jobs necessary for keeping your body functioning optimally. These include things like fighting off dangerous bacteria and producing molecules your metabolism needs but your body cannot make itself.

By boosting the health of the healthy bacteria, particularly in your gut, prebiotics can provide you with lots of health benefits. One of these health benefits is helping you heal from a leaky gut.

A leaky gut occurs when microscopic holes form in the walls of your intestines. These holes let dangerous molecules and bacteria to get into your body, leading to a whole host of unpleasant symptoms.

When healthy, your gut bacteria can help heal a leaky gut by providing your intestinal cells with building blocks they need to grow and build strong links with one another. By supporting a healthy balance of gut bacteria, prebiotics can, indirectly, help you heal a leaky gut.

There are five main types of prebiotics:

inulin
psyllium husk
wheat dextrin
fructo-oligosaccharides
galacto-oligosaccharides

All five of these are types of dietary fiber, and all five have been clinically proven to help improve gut health.

You can increase your prebiotic intake by eating plenty of prebiotic-rich foods, such as:

artichokes
asparagus
yams
whole wheat
garlic
onions
bananas

You can also add a prebiotic supplement to your routine. If you decide to take a prebiotic supplement, make sure to look for one which:

provides a minimum of 500 mg per serving
a maximum of 20 g of prebiotic per day when you take the recommended daily dose.
specifically lists one of the five prebiotic fibers above, by name; not all dietary fibers are proven prebiotics so a generic “fiber” supplement may not be effective

Prebiotics can have mild side effects when you first start taking them. These side effects can include:

gas
bloating
flatulence
diarrhea
constipation
stomach ache

These typically go away on their own within a couple of weeks.

Based on scientific research and product reviews, the best prebiotic supplements available for treating a leaky gut are:

Top 5 Best Zinc Supplements for Leaky Gut Relief

Zinc is one of the many essential trace minerals your body uses to stay healthy. As a key component of over 200 individual enzymes, zinc is involved in thousands upon thousands of metabolic processes, ranging from wound healing and cell growth to DNA and protein synthesis.

One of the important functions of zinc is helping you maintain a healthy gut. Zinc is required for several enzymes that let your intestinal cells divide, grow and build strong bonds with one another. This helps prevent, or even repair, a serious condition called leaky gut.

A leaky gut occurs when the walls of your intestine develop tons of tiny-tiny, microscopic holes. These holes actually let the various contents of your digestive system (food, digestive juices, bacteria, pesticides, viruses, toxins) into your body. This can wreak havoc with your health.

You can increase your zinc intake and ensure your body has enough zinc to prevent or heal a leaky gut by eating lots of zinc-rich foods. These include:

red meat
shellfish
legumes
nuts
dairy
eggs

You can also add a zinc supplement to your routine. When choosing a zinc supplement, make sure to look for one that:

offers 10-15 mg of zinc per day
comes from a reputable company
contains zinc picolinate, if possible

Zinc supplements can interact with a variety of food and drugs. Taking zinc with:

legumes or grains can make it more difficult to absorb your zinc
protein-rich foods (such as meat or dairy) can make it easier to absorb your zinc
immunosuppressive drugs can make it more difficult to absorb the medication
ACE inhibitors, diuretics, certain antibiotics and some cancer medications can make it more difficult for your zinc supplement to work effectively

Do not take larger doses of zinc without your doctor’s permission. You can overdose on zinc if you take large amounts, especially over long periods of time. Signs of a zinc overdose include:

fever
a cough
stomach pain
fatigue
loss of appetite
irritability

Long-term, too much zinc may increase the risk of prostate cancer in men, as well.

The top 5 best zinc supplements you should try are:

Top 5 Best Omega 3 Fatty Acid Supplements for a Leaky Gut Repair

Omega 3 fatty acids are a special type of long chain fatty acid that promote heart, circulatory, brain, immune, digestive and eye health. In order for these fats to work as they are supposed to in your body, you need to get the right total amount of them (at least 250 mg per day). You also need to get the right ratio of omega 3 fatty acids to another type of fatty acids called “omega 6 fatty acids” (around a 1:2 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6).

Omega 3 fatty acids, in the right balance with omega 6 fatty acids, make up an essential part of your cell membranes (the outside “wall” that keeps the content of your cells inside). This ratio is crucial for letting signals from outside your cells get inside your cells properly, which is necessary for the cells to be able to tell what the environment around them looks like. Without healthy amounts of omega 3 fatty acids in your cell membrane, the health of your cells — and the communication between your cells — can start to break down.

Proper signaling between your cells is particularly important for the function of your immune system. If signaling breaks down between your immune cells, it can lead to inflammation throughout your body. This can be a real problem if you have a leaky gut.

A leaky gut is a condition where your intestinal wall lets dangerous bacteria, toxins and food particles into your body, activating your immune system. Without enough omega 3s, this immune activation can be far worse than it needs to be, leading to tons of unhealthy inflammation.

You can help calm the inflammation of a leaky gut by getting more omega 3s in your diet. This can be through consuming:

salmon
herring
anchovies
flax seeds
chia seeds
walnuts
tofu
an omega 3 fatty acid supplement

When choosing an omega 3 supplement, you want to make sure:

it contains between 250 mg and 2 g, total, of two specific omega 3s: one called DHA and another called EPA.
it is sourced from algae, to protect you from the heavy metals found in fish oil
It is made by a reputable company.

While omega 3 fatty acids are generally considered safe, they can cause some side effects. Side effects of omega 3 fatty acid supplements can include:

an unpleasant taste in your mouth
bad breath
heartburn
nausea
stomach aches
diarrhea
headaches
smelly sweat

Omega 3s may also be able to interact with certain blood-thinning medications, so if you take a blood thinner talk to your doctor before starting an omega 3 supplement.

Based on the scientific evidence and product reviews, the best omega 3 fatty acid supplements on the market are:

Best Short Chain Fatty Acid Supplements for Leaky Gut Remedy

Short chain fatty acids are small fats (with less than six carbons) that have amazing health-promoting effects on your body. There are three primary short-chain fatty acids: propionate, acetate, and butyrate.

Many of the health benefits of these three short chain fatty acids are very similar. For example, they are all anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, protecting you from infections and immune dysfunction. Other health benefits, though, are more unique to the individual short-chain fatty acids.

For example, only propionate helps your body regulate your blood sugar levels. Acetate helps your body regulate your blood cholesterol levels, making sure they stay healthy and balanced. Butyrate has exceptionally beneficial effects on the health and growth of your intestinal cells.

These health benefits make short-chain fatty acids excellent tools for helping you to heal a leaky gut.

Leaky gut is a condition in which your intestines become too permeable. This lets dangerous molecules into your body and causes lots of inflammation and miserable, body-wide symptoms. By reducing inflammation and helping your intestinal cells grow and thrive, short chain fatty acids can both reduce the symptoms of a leaky gut and help heal the underlying cause: poor intestinal cell health.

Based on the current evidence, 300 mg of short-chain fatty acids per day seems to be a safe and effective dose for healing a leaky gut. There is no established upper limit (highest safe dose) for short-chain fatty acids, though, so many supplements provide significantly higher doses per serving. The risk of side effects from fatty acids is extremely small, even at these higher doses.

It is important to note that it may take a couple of weeks before your symptoms start to improve taking short-chain fatty acids. So, don’t become discouraged if nothing changes immediately.

Based on current scientific data and product reviews, the best short chain fatty acid supplements you could try for treating a leaky gut are: