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Neurogastroenterologist Dr. Zachary Spiritos explains the likely connection between leaky gut and rising rates of inflammatory conditions like endometriosis. He discusses how intestinal permeability may be influenced by stress and dietary factors, potentially contributing to various chronic conditions.
• Leaky gut (increased intestinal permeability) may be bidirectionally linked with endometriosis and other inflammatory conditions
• Reliable testing for leaky gut doesn’t exist yet, but research suggests connections with autoimmune conditions
• Modern lifestyle factors including processed foods and stress may contribute to intestinal permeability issues
• GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide can benefit many GI conditions but may worsen gastroparesis or constipation
• Personalized risk assessment is crucial when considering weight management medications with pre-existing GI issues
Send in your questions by using the link in the description, emailing contact@endobattery.com, or visiting the endobattery.com contact page.
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Introduction to Quick Connect
Alanna
0:00
Life
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biggest
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I'm
your
host
,
alana
,
and
it's
time
to
Meet Dr. Zachary Spiritos
Alanna
0:37
connect
.
Today
I'm
joined
by
my
guest
,
dr
Zachary
Spiritos
,
a
board-certified
neurogastroenterologist
with
a
passion
for
treating
irritable
bowel
syndrome
,
functional
abdominal
pain
and
mobility
disorders
.
With
a
strong
background
in
teaching
,
research
and
patient-centered
care
,
he
brings
a
wealth
of
knowledge
and
compassion
to
the
table
.
Please
help
me
in
welcoming
Dr
Zach
Leaky Gut and Endometriosis Connection
Alanna
1:01
Spiritos
to
the
table
.
Do
you
know
the
relationship
between
leaky
gut
and
dysbiosis
and
endometriosis
?
Dr. Spiritos
1:08
What
a
great
question
.
How
much
time
do
I
have
?
So
leaky
gut
is
another
way
to
say
increased
intestinal
permeability
,
where
the
tight
junctions
between
our
cells
and
our
intestines
are
a
little
bit
lax
,
permitting
influx
of
food
particles
and
toxins
.
So
we
don't
have
a
reliable
way
to
test
for
that
,
but
some
think
that
it's
at
the
base
for
a
lot
of
these
chronic
autoimmune
and
inflammatory
conditions
,
and
endometriosis
certainly
fits
into
a
hugely
inflammatory
condition
.
I
can't
say
that
one
directly
leads
to
the
other
and
perhaps
it's
bidirectional
.
Maybe
endometriosis
leads
to
leaky
gut
.
Dr. Spiritos
1:56
But
the
question
you've
mentioned
that
the
rate
of
endometriosis
is
really
rising
and
so
we're
all
of
these
autoimmune
kind
of
neuroinflammatory
conditions
,
pots
,
irritable
bowel
syndrome
,
crohn's
disease
,
ulcerative
colitis
and
kind
of
.
The
common
denominator
between
all
of
these
conditions
is
potentially
increased
intestinal
permeability
.
So
the
answer
is
there
probably
is
a
link
between
the
two
and
the
question
is
why
do
we
have
increased
intestinal
permeability
?
Is
it
increased
stress
,
like
increased
sympathetic
tone
?
Is
it
microbiome
changes
because
we're
eating
a
lot
more
processed
foods
?
So
I
think
it's
a
very
intriguing
concept
and
something
that
hopefully
will
be
elucidated
in
the
next
10
to
15
years
.
GLP-1 Agonists for GI Patients
Alanna
2:42
What
are
your
thoughts
on
semiglutide
use
in
patients
that
have
a
complicated
GI
history
?
Dr. Spiritos
2:48
Yeah
,
I
support
the
GLP-1
agonists
for
the
right
reasons
.
They're
incredibly
helpful
and
a
lot
of
GI
conditions
.
You
know
,
in
some
GI
conditions
obesity
or
increased
like
visceral
adiposity
can
really
make
GI
conditions
worse
Diverticular
disease
,
reflux
disease
,
what
was
previously
known
as
fatty
liver
disease
but
is
now
known
as
metabolic
dysfunction-associated
liver
disease
.
So
they
can
help
quite
a
bit
.
So
it
all
depends
on
what
the
underlying
GI
pathology
is
.
Dr. Spiritos
3:19
The
one
thing
you'd
worry
about
is
if
someone
has
pre-existing
gastroparesis
so
the
stomach
doesn't
move
or
empty
as
well
as
it
should
,
like
what
happens
in
patients
with
postural
orthostatic
tachycardia
syndrome
or
people
who
deal
with
underlying
constipation
.
Glp-1
agonists
can
worsen
that
.
But
with
every
medication
we
always
talk
about
the
risk
calculus
.
Do
the
benefits
of
using
medication
outweigh
the
risks
?
So
if
someone
really
needs
to
lose
weight
for
whatever
reason
they
have
really
bad
obstructive
sleep
apnea
,
their
diabetes
is
out
of
control
and
someone's
a
little
bit
constipated
,
the
medication
probably
makes
sense
if
we
can
kind
of
get
the
constipation
under
control
.
And
similarly
,
if
someone
has
delayed
gastric
emptying
or
gastroparesis
,
there's
certainly
interventions
that
we
can
employ
to
make
the
GLP-1
safe
.
Alanna
4:03
So
it
all
boils
down
to
does
this
make
sense
for
me
from
a
risk
profile
perspective
Episode Closing and Contact Info
Alanna
4:12
?
That's
a
wrap
For
this
Quick
Connect
.
I
hope
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.
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Keep
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