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Eagle Clinical Health & Wellness Blog Articles for Healthcare Practitioners

Three Key Nutrients for Gut Repair

Eagle Clinical Health & Wellness Blog - Three Key Nutrients for Gut Health

These 3 nutrients are champions of gut health. Together they improve barrier function by repairing the layers lining the gastrointestinal tract and reduce mild inflammation.

Glutamine: is foundational for intestinal barrier health and helps improve intestinal permeability.[1] It is an important fuel source for enterocytes and immune cells[2] and promotes mucin synthesis[3] to protect the intestinal mucosa.

Threonine: As a building block of the protective mucous that lines the digestive tract, Threonine may help to blunt inflammation in the gut.[4,5]

Collagen: Supports the structural integrity of connective tissue and aids mucosal healing.[6,7]  Improvement in digestive symptoms (bloating, flatulence, acid reflux, stomach pain, irregular bowel movements) were seen following collagen supplementation.[8]

[1] Zhou Q, Verne ML, Fields JZ, et al. Randomised placebo-controlled trial of dietary glutamine supplements for postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome. Gut. 2019 Jun;68(6):996-1002.

[2] Khoshbin K, Camilleri M. Effects of dietary components on intestinal permeability in health and disease. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2020 Nov;319(5):G589-G608.

[3] Wang ZE, Wu D, Zheng LW, Shi Y, Wang C, Chen ZH, et al. Effects of glutamine on intestinal mucus barrier after burn injury. Am J Transl Res. 2018;10(11):3833-3846.

[4] Faure M, Mettraux C, Moennoz D, Godin JP, Vuichoud J, Rochat F, et al. Specific amino acids increase mucin synthesis and microbiota in dextran sulfate sodium-treated rats. J Nutr. 2006 Jun;136(6):1558-1564.

[5] Faure M, Moënnoz D, Montigon F, Mettraux C, Breuillé D, Ballèvre O. Dietary threonine restriction specifically reduces intestinal mucin synthesis in rats. J Nutr. 2005 Mar;135(3):486-491.

[6] Nezwek TA, Varacallo M. Physiology, connective tissue [Internet]. Treasure Island: StatPearls; 2022 [cited 2023 Oct 10]. Available from: NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic

[7] Ramadass SK et al. Type I collagen and its daughter peptides for targeting mucosal healing in ulcerative colitis: a new treatment strategy. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2016 Aug;91:216-224.

[8] Abrahams M, O'Grady R, Prawitt J. Effect of a daily collagen peptide supplement on digestive symptoms in healthy women: 2-phase mixed methods study. JMIR Form Res. 2022 May;6(5):e36339.