Skip to content
Call: 303-993-7910400 S. McCaslin Blvd, Suite 210, Louisville, Colorado 80027 | Get DirectionsFor Practitioners
Facebook page opens in new windowTwitter page opens in new windowPinterest page opens in new windowInstagram page opens in new windowYouTube page opens in new windowLinkedin page opens in new windowRss page opens in new window
Jill Carnahan, MD
Your Functional Medicine Expert!
Jill Carnahan, MDJill Carnahan, MD

Flatiron Functional Medicine Newsletter

Join Dr. Jills' health community today and receive health tips, recipes and recommended products for a healthier you!
Join today and get Dr. Jill's Paleo-licious Snack Ideas for free! We promise never to share your email with anyone.
  • HOME
  • MY STORY
  • ABOUT
    • About Us
    • What is Functional Medicine?
    • Mission Statement
    • Meet Dr. Jill
    • Meet Crystal Crowley, MS PA-C
    • Meet The Team
    • Location
    • Fees
    • FAQs
    • Forms
    • Testimonials
    • For Practitioners
  • SERVICES
    • Services
    • Functional Medicine Consulting with Dr. Jill
    • Functional Medicine Consultation with Crystal Crowley, MS PA-C
    • Naturopathic Consulting with Dr. Nicole
    • Massage Therapy with Rene
    • Nutritional Consulting with Judy
    • Nutritional Consulting with Megan
    • Chiropractic Care with Dr. JoEllen
    • Nutrition therapy and Private Yoga with Haley
    • Infrared Sauna Detox Therapy
    • IV Infusion Therapy
  • RECIPES
  • PRESS KIT
  • EVENTS
  • VIDEO/AUDIO
  • BLOG
    • Dr. Jill’s Blog
    • Dr. Jill’s Recipes
    • Dr. Jill’s Facebook
    • Dr. Jill’s Instagram
    • Dr. Jill on LinkedIn
    • Flatiron Functional Medicine on LinkedIn
  • ONLINE STORE
    • Online Store
    • Retail Store in Clinic
    • Products We Love
  • CONTACT
  • HOME
  • MY STORY
  • ABOUT
    • About Us
    • What is Functional Medicine?
    • Mission Statement
    • Meet Dr. Jill
    • Meet Crystal Crowley, MS PA-C
    • Meet The Team
    • Location
    • Fees
    • FAQs
    • Forms
    • Testimonials
    • For Practitioners
  • SERVICES
    • Services
    • Functional Medicine Consulting with Dr. Jill
    • Functional Medicine Consultation with Crystal Crowley, MS PA-C
    • Naturopathic Consulting with Dr. Nicole
    • Massage Therapy with Rene
    • Nutritional Consulting with Judy
    • Nutritional Consulting with Megan
    • Chiropractic Care with Dr. JoEllen
    • Nutrition therapy and Private Yoga with Haley
    • Infrared Sauna Detox Therapy
    • IV Infusion Therapy
  • RECIPES
  • PRESS KIT
  • EVENTS
  • VIDEO/AUDIO
  • BLOG
    • Dr. Jill’s Blog
    • Dr. Jill’s Recipes
    • Dr. Jill’s Facebook
    • Dr. Jill’s Instagram
    • Dr. Jill on LinkedIn
    • Flatiron Functional Medicine on LinkedIn
  • ONLINE STORE
    • Online Store
    • Retail Store in Clinic
    • Products We Love
  • CONTACT

What is Metabolic Endotoxemia? A Toxic Overload From Within

You are here:
  1. Home
  2. Autoimmune Health
  3. What is Metabolic Endotoxemia? A…
Endotoxemia

We now know there are strong associations between gut health, inflammation, and slow metabolism, weight gain, and diabetes. Although we have known there was a connection for quite a while we weren’t sure was exactly how this was happening.

You’ve probably heard of leaky gut, where the gastrointestinal lining has issues with increased permeability allowing particles to flow into the bloodstream.  These are particles, bacteria and waste and antigens, like undigested food proteins that have no business being there. We’re finding one particle in particular is causing a lot of trouble –  these are called lipopolysaccharides or LPS.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are large complex molecules found in gram-negative bacteria. LPS are endotoxins and when absorbed they can cause a very strong overreaction of the immune system.

 

The Leaky Gut Cycle & LPS

When a person has intestinal permeability or leaky gut syndrome, these LPS can leak through the gastrointestinal wall and into the bloodstream causing serious, bodywide inflammation. This can cause a vicious cycle of declining health that looks like this:

  • Inflammation of the gut lining leading to leaky gut and…
  • Poor nutrient absorption (especially vitamin B12, magnesium, and iron), which then causes…
  • A strong immune system response to the offending particles, which causes…
  • Gastrointestinal issues including food intolerances, celiac disease and eventually leading to various autoimmune diseases.

And autoimmune disease may cause inflammation of the gut lining, which starts this cycle over again. Within this cycle, LPS is pouring from the gut lumen into the bloodstream, causing inflammation, and exacerbating every step along the way.

What is Metabolic Endotoxemia?

When LPS leaks into the bloodstream because of a leaky gut it can cause a condition called metabolic endotoxemia. Metabolic endotoxemia is an increased level of LPS in the bloodstream at two to three times higher than normal concentrations.

This also causes an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. We’ve known that obesity and gut dysfunction were associated with the higher risk of heart disease. But now through metabolic endotoxemia, we see a much bigger piece of the puzzle.

Endotoxemia raises many inflammatory cytokines in the body, such as:

  • Interleukin-1
  • Interleukin-6
  • Tumor necrosis factor-alpha

Through increasing these inflammatory factors, it’s believed LPS is the trigger for the onset of insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes. You regularly hear me touting the importance of reducing are toxic burden. Well, LPS increases your overall toxic burden from within. It’s something most people never think about!

 

Metabolic Endotoxemia Symptoms

Because endotoxemia occurs after leaky gut, many of the symptoms are similar yet, in it’s progressive and later stages.

 

LPS-induced Endotoxemia is linked to

  • Leptin resistance and weight gain
  • Chronic Constipation
  • Mood disorders such as depression and anxiety
  • Cognitive decline and memory issues
  • Anorexia and other eating disorders
  • Chronic pain
  • Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease
  • Low testosterone
  • Autoimmune disease

 

Symptoms of Metabolic endotoxemia include:

  • Food sensitivities
  • Histamine intolerance
  • Nutrient deficiencies (B12, ferritin/iron, minerals and fat soluble vitamins)
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Fatigue
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Weight gain
  • Hyperlipidemia and high triglycerides
  • Insulin resistance and diabetes
  • Inflammation and pain

 

Evidence Based Interventions to Reduce LPS-induced endotoxemia

  1. Physical Exercise
  2. Quercetin
  3. Curcumin
  4. Sulphorophanes
  5. Resveratrol
  6. EPA DHA omega fatty acids
  7. Bifidobacteria sp.
  8. Megaspore probiotic

 

What Causes Leaky Gut?

Now that we know how a leaky gut causes inflammation, promotes metabolic dysfunction, which can result in obesity and diabetes –  you might be wondering what causes this leaky gut in the first place and how can you prevent it?

Factors we know cause increased intestinal permeability include:

  • NSAID therapy
  • Toxin exposures
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
  • Celiac disease
  • Infections
  • Food allergy
  • Food sensitivities
  • Strenuous exercise
  • Getting older
  • Lack of nutrients

While you can avoid a lot of these, such as NSAIDS, alcohol, and working out too hard,  it’s even better if you can take steps to build a strong, healthy gut microbiome.

 

Healing From Within – What Makes a Strong Gut Microbiome?

You can’t look far in the world of health and wellness before coming across how the gut microbiome affects health. This is because your gut microbiome is a cornerstone to your wellbeing and influences biological functions in a very direct way.

Your gut microbiome is particularly important when it comes to your metabolism. In fact, your gut microbiome:

  • Breaks down dietary fiber
  • Promotes gas production
  • Activates fermentation
  • Produces phenols
  • Breaks down oligosaccharides
  • Promotes detoxification
  • Produces mucus
  • Metabolizes short chain fatty acids
  • Supports primary bile acid deconjugation
  • Absorbs nutrients and vitamins
  • Metabolizes fats
  • Promotes triglyceride and cholesterol regulation

We need our microbiomes to be functioning at optimum to keep the gut lining intact and reduce the chance LPS will end up in the bloodstream. Though everyone’s personal microbiome is unique, one factor we know makes for a healthy, resilient, more stable microbiome across all people – is biodiversity.

 

5 Benefits of a Diverse Gut Microbiome

Just like a diverse ecosystem can withstand changes and remain intact, when a gut microbiome is more diverse it offers you numerous advantages.

Here are 5 benefits of having a diverse gut microbiome:

  1. A better ability to deal with stressors, such as toxins
  2. A decreased sensitivity to temporary diet changes
  3. A reduced risk of disease
  4. Better weight management
  5. Healthier metabolism

Overall, with more gut microbiome diversity you get better health resilience – and that is great news for everyone!

 

3 Ways to Increase Gut Microbiome Biodiversity

Your diet has been shown to rapidly alter your gut microbiome. In one mouse study, changing from a low fat, polysaccharide rich diet to a high fat, high sugar Western diet changed the gut microbiome composition in only one day!

  • Eating more fruits and vegetables – Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, especially those that are high in fiber, have been shown to increase gut microbiome diversity.   Especially good are onion, leek, garlic, asparagus, dandelion greens, artichoke, and other non-digestible fibers, like FOS and inulin.
  • Avoid sugar-free sweeteners – Non-caloric sweeteners have been shown to cause  microbiome imbalance which increases glucose intolerance. When you work on reducing sugar cravings through a better diet, you’ll miss sweet things less and less.
  • Drink more coffee – Coffee has been shown to increase the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio of the gut microbiome, which is associated with better metabolism.  My new favorite is DOUBLE the antioxidants of any other brand tested… Purity Coffee.

We’ve been reducing the biodiversity of our gut microbiome through eating highly processed foods, too many sugars, and even by taking probiotics, which only contain maybe 10 species of bacteria.

There are millions of different kinds of bacteria in this world and that little capsule isn’t really doing that much to improve biodiversity. You’re much better off eating a wide range of foods that support a diverse microbiome from within.

 

Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23943858

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17456850

http://www.nature.com/articles/500538a?foxtrotcallback=true

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature1250

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24336217

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2894525/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23985875

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25231862

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24629912

RESOLVE YOUR MOLD EXPOSURE SYMPTOMS
Dr. Jill's long-awaited Miracle Mold Detox Box is finally here. This handcrafted and researched bundle includes all of the crucial pieces you need to release and flush out toxins in 30 days.
SHOP NOW

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The product mentioned in this article are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.   The information in this article is not intended to replace any recommendations or relationship with your physician.  Please review references sited at end of article for scientific support of any claims made.

Categories: Autoimmune Health, Environmental Toxicity, Gut HealthBy Jill Carnahan, MDApril 30, 201813 Comments
Tags: autoimmune diseasediabetesEndotoxemiaFunctional Medicinegut healthhealthy gutinflammationMetabolic Endotoxemiametabolism
Share this post
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook TweetShare on Twitter Pin itShare on Pinterest Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn

Author: Jill Carnahan, MD

https://molddetoxbox.com/

Dr. Jill is Your Functional Medicine Expert! She uses functional medicine to help you find answers to the cause of your illness and addresses the biochemical imbalances that may be making you feel ill. She'll help you search for underlying triggers contributing to your illness through cutting edge lab testing and tailor the intervention to your specific needs as an individual. She may use diet, supplements, lifestyle changes or medication to treat your illness but will seek the most gentle way to help your body restore balance along with the least invasive treatment possible. Dr. Jill is a functional medicine expert consultant and treats environmental and mold-related illness as well

Post navigation

PreviousPrevious post:Almond Joy BarsNextNext post:Walnut Sun-Dried Tomato Pate

Related posts

Celiac Disease Symptoms and Cause
Celiac Disease and Your Genes: A Look at the Fascinating Link
April 10, 2021
vasoactive intestinal peptide
Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide: Therapeutic Uses for This Powerful Peptide
April 7, 2021
5g emf protection
The Best Way to Protect Yourself From 5G EMF Radiation
March 19, 2021
Tick-borne relapsing fever
Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever: Danger Lurking in the Great Outdoors
March 16, 2021
Ehler's Danlos syndrome symptoms
What You Need to Know About Ehler’s-Danlos
February 25, 2021
detoxing the liver
The Truth About Liver Detoxes: Do You Really Need One?
February 4, 2021

13 Comments

  1. Joanna says:
    May 1, 2018 at 8:31 am

    Are there foods that contain LPS that we should avoid or are LPS made in the body? How are we exposed to them? Where do they come from? Can we reduce our exposure?

     Reply
    • Jill Carnahan, MD says:
      May 1, 2018 at 10:38 am

      Foods don’t contain LPS, bacteria in the gut do… Healing a leaky gut will reduce exposure

       Reply
  2. Terry Zwart says:
    May 3, 2018 at 11:12 am

    You and many others recommend coffee. I have an issue every time I try to get back on coffee. Between the detox of a candida as well as some other issues, my kidneys get overwhelmed within a couple of days. Is there something that you recommend to break through this detox issue. My understanding is that coffee is one of the hardest things on the kidneys when it comes to detoxification.

     Reply
  3. Donna says:
    May 3, 2018 at 3:45 pm

    Dr. Carnahan, I believe I am suffering from this! I have the symptoms. I also had a Genova stool test which indicated levels of enterobacter cloacae bordering on pathogenic. My doctor didn’t choose to advise me on this despite my expressed concern and fear of having a high level of this bacteria inside me. Would taking the two above mentioned probiotics be enough to kill off the enterobacter cloacae? I’ve been afraid to attempt it on my own for fear I would feel ill if I have leaky gut and the dying bacteria enters my bloodstream. What do you suggest to mop up the die off? My doctor is NOT helpful and is not wanting to enter a territory she is not familiar with.

     Reply
    • Jill Carnahan, MD says:
      May 5, 2018 at 7:24 pm

      Hi Donna,
      You may need herbal or prescription antibiotics to treat the dysbiosis… best to consult with a functional medicine trained physician. You can search by zip code at http://www.functionalmedicine.org
      warmly
      Dr Jill

       Reply
  4. TALAL says:
    May 5, 2018 at 12:16 am

    Very informative as always Dr.Jill.

    Thank you

     Reply
  5. Kat says:
    May 8, 2018 at 8:50 am

    When I read the abstract linked in the “Drink more Coffee” suggestion, it also states that the coffee increased insulin resistance. It additionally is confusing because it doesn’t isolate the effects of the high fat vs low fat diets; perhaps the high fat – keto-esque – diet is more responsible for the positive effects than the coffee??

     Reply
    • Christine Wetton says:
      May 28, 2018 at 1:06 pm

      Looking forward to Dr. Jill’s response as I had questions along those same lines. Thanks a Dr. Jill!

       Reply
    • Jill Carnahan, MD says:
      May 28, 2018 at 3:11 pm

      Hi Kat,
      Coffee may prevent diabetes – great research supports this.
      warmly
      Dr Jill

       Reply
  6. Phyllis Cross says:
    January 14, 2019 at 5:56 pm

    Is gastroparesis connected to endotoxins at all? My husband is very sick and has been diagnosed with gastroparesis. I, however, have my doubts because his symptoms change from week to week and day to day. He will be fine for a while, then he will get extremely sick and need to be hospitalized. At least 6 times in 6 years for dehydration. I have been reading about endotoxemia and I honestly think he could have an abundance of LPS in his system, wrecking havoc on his body. I am so worried about him. Do you know if this is a possibility?

     Reply
    • Jill Carnahan, MD says:
      January 15, 2019 at 8:51 pm

      Hi Phyllis
      Gastroparesis likely due to other causes although endotoxemia may also be playing a role in illness
      warmly
      Dr. Jill

       Reply
  7. Susan Miller says:
    May 3, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    Is this related to a leptin abnormality as a result of mold illness? Would the treatment be the same?
    Also, I just received my results from GenoPalate telling me the best dietary needs, vitamins and minerals per my genetic code…would following these recommendations be a help for this condition?
    Thanks so much!

     Reply
    • Jill Carnahan, MD says:
      May 3, 2020 at 6:03 pm

      yes, LPS induced endotoxemia can be related to many conditions such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and PCOS. Mold will also create increase in intestinal permeability leading to more endotoxemia

       Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post comment

Search
Dr. Jill
Dr. Jill will help you search for underlying triggers contributing to your illness through cutting edge lab testing and tailor the intervention to your specific needs as an individual.
  • Address:
    400 S. McCaslin Blvd, Suite 210, Louisville, Colorado 80027
  • Get Directions
  • Phone:
    (303) 993-7910
  • Fax:
    (303) 993-4674
  • Specialty
    Functional Medicine Expert Trained in Family Medicine Board Certified Trained in Integrative Holistic Medicine

Find us on:

Facebook page opens in new windowTwitter page opens in new windowYouTube page opens in new windowRss page opens in new windowLinkedin page opens in new windowPinterest page opens in new windowInstagram page opens in new window
Testimonials

I certainly understand how Dr. Jill got so popular! Love watching her very interesting videos on the site and have signed up for the newsletter. She exudes such an air of competence, authenticity, intelligence and humility!

Karin
Karin

Good day Jill, you Motivated me very much. In the Last years, I prepared to become a registered German Naturopath (Heilpraktiker). The webinars of Functional Medicine Practitioners I attended as often as I could. Best wishes from Europe.

Norbert
Norbert

In my many years and many experiences with doctors… you guys have them beat, hands down. You guys are great.

Jessica Hull
Jessica Hull

I just wanted to thank Dr. Carnahan and all the staff for a wonderful visit. What a great experience from start to finish. Of course, Dr. Carnahan is the icing on the cake! (Hmmm …need a healthier analogy) Anyway, I’m feeling excited optimistic, and hopeful after all these years of being sick. Again my thanks and blessings to you all. Warmly, Roberta

Roberta
Roberta

I just wanted to send a quick thank you for your time and advice today. I am so appreciative and I feel hopeful that the plan we have can really help me. I’ve been sick for a long time and recently I’ve been rather discouraged with where I’m at with my health. I believe that God has allowed our paths to cross and that He is going to use you help restore my body to health. Thank you for giving me hope. Blessings, Kara

Kara
Kara

I wanted to let you know you did an outstanding job at this past weekend at the IFM {Reversing Cognitive Decline} conference. I appreciate you sharing your personal health journey. You are a true inspiration!

Ronald Grisanti
Dr. Ronald GrisantiBoard Certified Chiropractic Orthopedist
Facebook
Jill Carnahan, MD
Functional Medicine Newsletter
Join Dr. Jills' health community today and receive health tips, recipes and recommended products for a healthier you!
Join today and get Dr. Jill's Paleo-licious Snack Ideas for free! We promise never to share your email with anyone.
Dr. Jill
Dr. Jill will help you search for underlying triggers contributing to your illness through cutting edge lab testing and tailor the intervention to your specific needs as an individual.
  • Address:
    400 S. McCaslin Blvd, Suite 210, Louisville, Colorado 80027
  • Phone:
    (303) 993-7910
  • Fax:
    (303) 993-4674

Find us on:

Facebook page opens in new windowTwitter page opens in new windowYouTube page opens in new windowRss page opens in new windowLinkedin page opens in new windowPinterest page opens in new windowInstagram page opens in new window
Latest Tweets
  • Dr. Jill Interviews Dr. Eric Gordon The Connection between Tick-borne Disease Cell Danger Response… https://t.co/0TBVosOXk118 days ago
  • FB LIVE Q&A with Dr. Jill https://t.co/pw6kCHP2pZ via @FacebookWatch25 days ago
  • Dr. Jill interviews Dr. Dan Kinderlehrer on Recovery from Lyme Disease https://t.co/8KAA09anhH via @FacebookWatch31 days ago
Facebook
Jill Carnahan, MD
Jill Carnahan, MD

© 2021 Jill Carnahan. All Rights Reserved | Site by Yakadanda  | FAQS | Disclaimer | Financial Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions

| Dr. Jill works as a functional medicine consultant in conjunction with your current health care team and is not considered a replacement for your primary care physician. She requires all new patients to have a primary care physician to cover emergencies and routine care and screening.

Go to Top
Flatiron Functional Medicine Newsletter
Join Dr. Jills' health community today and receive health tips, recipes and recommended products for a healthier you!
Join today and get Dr. Jill's Paleo-licious Snack Ideas for free! We promise never to share your email with anyone.
Flatiron Functional Medicine Newsletter
Thanks for Joining Me in the Microbiome Summit. Get Your Free Download Here
Join new and get your free copy of Paleolicious Snack Ideas. We promise never to share your email with anyone.
Flatiron Functional Medicine Newsletter
Join Dr. Jills' health community today and get SEVEN FREE health downloads
Join today and get Dr. Jill's Paleo-licious Snack Ideas for free! We promise never to share your email with anyone.
Functional Medicine Newsletter
Join Dr. Jills' health community today and receive health tips, recipes and recommended products for a healthier you!
Join today and get Dr. Jill's Paleo-licious Snack Ideas for free! We promise never to share your email with anyone.
Flatiron Functional Medicine Newsletter
Join Dr. Jills' health community today and receive health tips, recipes and recommended products for a healthier you!
Join today and get Dr. Jill's Paleo-licious Snack Ideas for free! We promise never to share your email with anyone.
Flatiron Functional Medicine Holiday Giveaway
Enter now to win your free Berkey Water Filtration Sysyem (my personal favorite).
We promise never to share your email with anyone.
RESOLVE YOUR MOLD EXPOSURE SYMPTOMS
Dr. Jill's long-awaited Miracle Mold Detox Box is finally here. This handcrafted and researched bundle includes all of the crucial pieces you need to release and flush out toxins in 30 days.
SHOP NOW