Abstract
Previous studies have indicated that obesity can increase intestinal permeability (i.e., leaky gut). Intestinal permeability is the unmediated transport of large, normally restricted substances across the GI epithelium. Increased intestinal permeability can result in local and/or systemic inflammatory conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of percent body fat on small intestinal permeability. Ten healthy female and three healthy male subjects (mean age = 23 ± 6 yrs) had their percent body fat determined with Bod Pod, an air displacement plethysmograph unit. Then, the subjects ingested a 150 mL solution containing 5 g lactulose and 2 g mannitol followed by the collection of their urine for a 5-hr period. The urine was analyzed for lactulose and mannitol concentration. Percent urinary excretion of the ingested lactulose and mannitol was determined by multiplying the urinary concentrations of each sugar by the total urine produced and dividing the result by the amount ingested. The lactulose to mannitol excretion ratio (L/M) is an index of small intestinal permeability. The correlation (r = -0.223) between percent body fat and the L/M ratio was not significant. This result indicates that small intestinal permeability may not be associated with percent body fat in younger healthy individuals.