Malabsorption and what to do about it.

“I swear I eat a ton” The motto of many a hard gainer. But what if whatever passed through your mouth went through the GI tract partially unabsorbed? I like to think of nutrient malabsorption akin to filling a bucket with a hole punched through the bottom. It might me the dream of Kristy Alley to scoff down consequence free boxes of Krispy Kreme, but this problem can also make you fatter by destroying your body composition and health.

Corrosion of the intestines: The very short story-

The number one culprit of chronic malabsorption is celiac sprue, or gluten-sensitive enteropathy. It is intolerance to the gliadin family of grains, which can be very rich in the protein gluten.

“A strong association exists between celiac sprue and two human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes (DQ2 and DQ8). Damage to the intestinal mucosa is seen with the presentation of gluten-derived peptide gliadin, consisting of 33 amino acids, by the HLA molecules to helper T cells. Helper T cells mediate the inflammatory response. Endogenous tissue transglutaminase deamidates gliadin into a negatively charged protein, increasing its immunogenicity. Absence of intestinal villi and lengthening of intestinal crypts characterize mucosal lesions in untreated celiac sprue. More lymphocytes infiltrate the epithelium (intraepithelial lymphocytes). Destruction of the absorptive surface of the intestine leads to a maldigestive and malabsorption syndrome.”[1]

This shows up most in people of Western European and North American descent and can go undetected for years.
How does this relate to your health and physique goals and what can be done to prevent or reverse these problems?
It wouldn’t even take common sense to understand that the inability to absorb nutrients would be detrimental to optimal health and body composition.
Symptoms of malabsorption include chronic diarrhea with fatty deposits, abdominal bloating or cramps, weight loss (fat and lbm) chronic fatigue, loss of libido, stunted growth, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances.

The common medical treatment for such would just be to evaluate symptoms as one removes gluten from the diet and sort of play it by ear. I can attest to this from personal experience. However, more research has been published that copious supplementation of pharmaceutical grade L-Glutamine and Omega-3 fatty acids like the ones found in Biotest Flameout can reverse corrosion of the GI tract. The gastrointestinal tract has a large number of immune cells along its length - fibroblasts, lymphocytes, and macrophages. Glutamine can nourish these immune cells may account for its positive impact on the gastrointestinal tract and immunity. Healing of wounds or any other kind of trauma, and burns is accomplished in part by the actions of these immune cells. Their proper functioning is dependent on glutamine as a metabolic fuel for growth and proliferation. A small clinical study conducted recently in Poland demonstrated glutamine-supplemented TPN rapidly improved a number of immune parameters in malnourished surgical patients with sepsis.[2] Additional clinical trials also suggest that glutamine supplementation, as well as arginine and omega-3 fatty acids, may promote restoration of normal tissue function and intestinal permeability in post-operative patients.[3] [4]

If you feel subjected to any of the following take into consideration the following dietary and supplement strategies. Remove all gliadin based grains and bread products form your diet for at least six weeks. Take 5-10 grams of l-glutamine on an empty stomach 3 times a day on an empty stomach. Some dosages can go as high as 20 grams per day for those of you who have had these possible problems undetected for a long time.

Take your omega 3’s 6-12 capsules of flameout per day will do wonders.

I also discovered the following through personal experimentation. Meat, nuts, and courser or sulfuric vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, or onions can also be introduced in greater amounts once the digestive strength is restored. Until then stick with very soft and easy to digest foods like whole eggs, and avocado’s, bananas, spinach, etc. If you have trouble meeting caloric needs or keeping on weight just include a few servings of olive oil, or raw omega-3 eggs in your protein shakes. Liquid meals work very well during GI tract rehabilitation.





[1] Jan-Michael A Klapproth, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine
Vincent W Yang, MD, PhD, R Bruce Logue Professor, Director, Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, Professor of Hematology and Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine
[2] Slotwinski R, Pertkiewicz M, Lech G, Szczygiel B. Cellular immunity changes after total parenteral nutrition enriched with glutamine in patients with sepsis and malnutrition. Pol Merkuriusz Lek 2000;8:405-408. [Article in Polish]
[3] O'Flaherty L, Bouchier-Hayes DJ. Immunonutrition and surgical practice. Proc Nutr Soc 1999;58:831-837.
[4] Jian ZM, Cao JD, Zhu XG, et al. The impact of alanyl-glutamine on clinical safety, nitrogen balance, intestinal permeability, and clinical outcome in postoperative patients; a randomized, double-blind, controlled study of 120 patients. J Parenter Enteral Nutr 1999;23:S62-S66.