This test utilizes urine specimens for measuring intestinal permeability. Intestinal permeability is a very important factor in determining overall health. The intestinal mucosa, or lining, is a one-cell layer thick barrier between the contents of the intestines and the body’s tissues. The interior of the gastrointestinal tract is not really inside the body. The intestinal mucosa can be thought of as a type of skin. The mucosa has to perform two important functions. It has to allow for the absorption of nutrients while at the same time acting as a barrier to the hostile contents of the intestines. These include parasites, fungi, hundreds of trillions of bacteria and their metabolic waste products, viruses, toxins, and inadequately digested food particles. When the intestinal mucosa is weak, there is a greater translocation of the toxic contents of the intestinal tract into the bloodstream. This results in poisoning of the body. A myriad of chronic symptoms and diseases can be caused in part by increased intestinal permeability, also known as "Leaky Gut Syndrome". Increased mortality in open-heart surgery patients and increased mortality from multi-organ system failure in critically ill patients have also been associated with Leaky Gut Syndrome.
The intestinal permeability test is performed in the following way. A solution of two non-metabolizable sugars is consumed. One of these sugars is normally absorbed by the intestinal mucosa, the other is not. Urine is collected for several hours after drinking the solution and a sample is sent to the laboratory for analysis. When the normally non-absorbed sugar is found at high concentration in the urine, this indicates Leaky Gut Syndrome. If the normally absorbed sugar is found to be lacking in the urine, this is a sign of malabsorption. Results of the intestinal permeability test lead to appropriate follow-up evaluation and natural therapies to restore normal permeability.
