Malabsorption and Leaky Gut 241system and it would hardly be surprising if functionality suffered a great
deal. So it becomes a double-whammy: the foods are nutritionally unsound
and then cause malabsorption, leading to further reduction in valuable
nutrients. All this taking place, ironically, while the population is growing
ever more bloated and obese.
But I know that even sensible foods may also cause this mal-
absorption problem. Milk, I think, is notorious in this respect; we are
encouraged to swallow milk for its calcium content but it is a paradox I
pointed out in my 1993 book Food Allergy and Environmental Illness (Thorsons,
London, 1993) that the USA, which has the highest dairy intake per
capita in the world, also has the highest incidence of osteoporosis. In fact
more American women die of fracture of the neck or femur than die of
breast cancer, whereas in China, where dairy produce is not a feature of
the traditional diet, osteoporosis was virtually unknown (all this may be
changing under the onslaught of Western foods).
It follows that one of the major benefits you are going to acquire
from my diet program is that you will de-stress your bowel and allow it to
recover, eating only safe, healthy foods that are right for you. Following the
advice of the previous section, you will digest better, reduce bloating, gas
emissions, abdominal discomfort and other symptoms, while allowing the
whole metabolic process of digestion to place more effectively.
That’s one of the reasons people feel wonderful and look great on
my program.
Malabsorption tests
Blood tests will help determine whether patients have anemia, low protein
levels and deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals. Blood tests can also
be used to make specific diagnoses, for example, anti-endomysial antibody
test for celiac disease, which is more sensitive than the older alpha-gliadin
antibody test.
Multiple stool studies can be performed to evaluate any patient
with malabsorption, particularly when it manifests as diarrhea. Parasites
should be excluded as possible causes of malabsorption (competition for
nutrients).
Most useful in the evaluation of malabsorption is a fecal fat
determination. The patient is asked to ingest at least 80 gm of fat daily, and
stools are collected for one to three days. The total amount of fat excreted in
the stool is determined in the laboratory. This is helpful in determining the
degree of malabsorption; usually less than 7 gm of fat per day are excreted in