You have probably heard of “leaky gut” and the importance of protecting the intestinal lining. But did you know your brain has its own version of a protective shield? This remarkable structure, the blood brain barrier, acts like an elite security system allowing only essential nutrients and oxygen to pass into the brain while blocking harmful substances. When this barrier is healthy, it helps your brain maintain sharp thinking, stable mood, and healthy aging. When it is compromised, your whole body experience the effects.

Much like the gut barrier, the blood brain barrier is vital for overall wellness and longevity. Understanding how it work and what keeps it healthy can help you protect your brain from daily stressors, environmental toxins, and age-related decline.

What is the Blood Brain Barrier?

The blood brain barrier(BBB) is a dynamic, multicellular vascular structure that surrounds the brain, protecting it from harmful internal and external substances while maintaining its homeostatic microenvironment. It forms a physical and metabolic barrier, separating the brain from other tissues.

The BBB is made up of endothelial lining cells with specialized openings called tight junctions. Similar to the intestinal mucosal barrier, these junctions selectively open and close with remarkable precision and selection. Under normal circumstances, only fat-soluble molecules with molecular weights of less than 500 Daltons cross the BBB.

A healthy BBB allows the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to reach the brain while removing metabolic waste, such as amyloid beta and tau proteins, along with potential toxins. It works in close coordination with glial cells and the glymphatic system.

BBB Breakdown

When BBB permeability is increased or disturbed, inflammatory compounds and toxins can cross into the brain, impairing its health and function. Excess amounts of substance P, histamine, glutamate, thrombin, TNF-a, IL-1, MMPs, reactive oxygen species (ROS), prostaglandin (PGE2) and other compounds can alter BBB permeability.

Disruption of the BBB allows neurotoxic compounds to enter the brain, increasing free radical production, neuroinflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. This can affect learning, memory, cognitive performance, sleep, stress tolerance, mental clarity, mood regulation, concentration, appetite, circadian rhythms, vision, hearing, sensory tolerance, and overall aging.

Common factors associated with BBB disruption include:

Standard American Diet Induces Barrier Breakdown

BBB health is directly tied to the health of the gastrointestinal mucosal barrier, the gut microbiome, and the gut-brain connection. Decades of research have shown a strong association with gut dysbiosis, increased intestinal permeability, gut-brain inflammation, and BBB breakdown. A substantial contributor to this decline is the Standard American Diet (SAD).

A high-fat, high-sugar diet lacking in essential nutrients alters the gut microbiome, promotes gut dysbiosis and the release of pro-inflammatory compounds. This diet is also rich in arachidonic acid from omega-6 vegetable oils (corn, soy, canola, sunflower, safflower, etc), and from meat sourced from grain-fed animals. These foods promote excess production of PGE2 that provokes BBB inflammatory reactions. 

Unhealthy diets also increase intestinal permeability, allowing toxins and inflammatory metabolites to travel through the circulatory system and vagus nerve to reach the BBB. The resulting oxidative stress and inflammation weakens tight junctions, increasing BBB permeability and allowing harmful compounds to cross into the brain, resulting in neuroinflammation and injury.

A Standard American Diet can contribute to foggy thinking, poor focus, attention and learning challenges, poor memory and forgetfulness, memory issues, mood changes, neurodegeneration and mental decline. It can also result in insulin resistance, obesity, gastrointestinal complaints, fat accumulation in the liver and metabolic reprogramming and a decline in overall health. There is a saying in the field of clinical nutrition -- “leaky gut = leaky blood brain barrier”.

Age and Chronic Inflammation

Advancing age is another factor that affects BBB integrity. Animal studies show that aging reduces tight junction proteins and causes degeneration of other BBB tissues, increasing permeability. Lifelong low-grade inflammation further accelerates this process.

Declines in estrogen and testosterone also affect BBB permeability. Additionally, certain medications, anesthetics, and street drugs may increase permeability. 

Exercise

Excessive or overly intense exercise can induce inflammation and contribute to BBB deterioration. However, regular, long-term exercise protects BBB integrity by activating anti-inflammatory pathways.

Concussions and Brain Injuries

Concussions and traumatic brain injuries disrupt BBB function. After a concussive event, permeability increases and changes occur in nerve cells and neuroproteins in the brain. These effects can persist for months or longer, causing ongoing symptoms. Up to 40% of individuals may experience long-lasting neurological symptoms, including cognitive dysfunction, mood and sleep problems.

A concussion does not require a loss of consciousness. Even a strong jolt to the head can impair attention, memory, word-finding, comprehension, planning, confused thinking and  processing speed. Symptoms may include dizziness, ringing in the ears, headaches, fatigue, sensitivity to light or sound, and changes in mood with weepiness, motivation, appetite, or sex drive, sleeping, anxiousness or sadness, or other changes. If a concussion is suspected, seek evaluation from a licensed practitioner and diligently follow a return-to-activity protocol to allow your brain to fully recover.

Support for Blood Brain Barrier

Numerous nutrients and healthy lifestyle habits protect and support the BBB. Here are several key nutrients to optimize support. 

Melatonin

Produced by the pineal gland and in mitochondria throughout the body, melatonin is both a sleep hormone and a powerful antioxidant. Research shows it has neuroprotective effects on the BBB, reducing inflammatory signaling and supporting cognitive health. It also regulates glymphatic function and circadian rhythms, that are vital for overall brain health.

We offer Melatonin 0.5 mg and 3 mg options.

PEA

PEA, a critical bioactive lipid, provides strong protection and support for BBB integrity and overall neurological function. It regulates signaling mechanisms within the BBB that that protect against stress-induced structural changes and works to promote healthy inflammatory resolution. PEA also inhibits mast cells from releasing histamine, a trigger that leads to increased permeability in both the BBB and gut barrier lining.

Wellness Resources PEA Ultra contains 300 mg of Levagen®+ PEA per capsule. This is a branded form shown to have superior absorption and is supported by human clinical trials.

Butyrate

Butyrate, a short chain fatty acid(SCFA) essential for intestinal mucosal barrier integrity, also plays a vital role in supporting the BBB. It promotes a healthy gut microbiome and is a crucial mediator of neuroimmune homeostasis and the gut-brain connection.

Butyrate is a postbiotic produced when beneficial gut bacteria digest fiber. Because the Standard American Diet is very low in fiber, many individuals have inadequate butyrate levels, which can compromise both gut and brain health.   

Tributyrin Plus™ contains ButyraGen®, a unique prebiotic formulation that contains tributyrin and prebiotic fibers to enhance natural butyrate and SCFA production.

Omega-3 DHA

DHA, an essential omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil, is essential for brain health.  It supports cell membrane structure, enhances neurotransmitter function, optimizes receptor sites, balances cell signaling mechanisms, and more. DHA also plays a key role in protecting the BBB. Animal studies show that DHA supplementation improves BBB resilience by preserving tight junctions and reducing production of proinflammatory cytokines, NF-Kappa B, and other compounds. DHA also supports gut barrier integrity.

Our Daily DHA, Kids DHA, and Leptinal provide highly absorbable, molecularly distilled, mercury-free fish oil rich in DHA. Delivered in the natural triglyceride form, this fish oil is highly absorbable and easy to digest with no fishy aftertaste. It is also highly stable and resists oxidation.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a required mineral needed for hundreds of physiological functions including to maintain integrity of the BBB and allow clearing of metabolic toxins like amyloid beta out of the brain. It helps protect the endothelial lining of the BBB and elsewhere in the circulatory system from oxidative stress.  Nearly 4 out of 5 individuals do not consume enough magnesium daily to meet the basic RDI needs.

RelaxaMag is a long-standing customer favorite and provides 100mg of highly absorbable magnesium per capsule. Adults need about 400 mg daily of magnesium for the RDI. Higher amounts may be needed for repair, recovery, and stress needs.

Phytonutrients and Antioxidants

Phytonutrients are naturally occurring compounds found in plants that give fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices their color, flavor, and aroma while providing powerful health benefits. Many act as natural defense molecules for plants. They provide us numerous types antioxidants which help protect the BBB by neutralizing ROS, inflammatory cytokines, PGE2and other damaging compounds. Phytonutrients also protect the endothelial lining and maintain antioxidant reserves needed to handle cellular and life stress.

Key protective nutrients include fisetin, quercetin, proanthocyanidins/grape seed extract, pterostilbene, berberine, blueberry extract, curcumin, ginger, ginseng, green tea extract, luteolin, vitamin C, resveratrol, lipoic acid, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), vitamin E, and glutathione.  Research shows these compounds protect and support BBB integrity, protect endothelial cells and modulate the activity of microglial cells that line the barrier and nervous system.

Great phytonutrient and antioxidant supplement options include:

• Berberine Ultra

• Brain Protector 

• Cardio Helper

• Fisetin

• Glutathione Ultra

• Pterostilbene

• Quercetin Phytosome + Luteolin

• R-Alpha Lipoic

• Vitamin C

• Vitamin E

Protecting your BBB is essential to overall health. Just as “leaky gut” can undermine digestion, immunity, and energy, a “leaky” blood brain barrier can affect every aspect of cognitive and neurological function. The brain’s ability to recover from daily stressors, environmental challenges, and the natural aging process depends largely on the integrity and security of this protective barrier.

A whole-food, nutrient-rich diet, regular physical activity, and minimizing exposure to harmful stressors provide the foundation for protecting both your gut and brain barriers. Targeted supplementation can further support and help repair the BBB, strengthening your body’s entire gut-brain connection. If you have a history of neurological issues, specialized blood tests are available to assess BBB integrity. Protect your gut-brain barriers. They are vital to your long-term health!

Additional Resources:

Leaky Gut Syndrome: More Than Just a Gut Problem

Glymphatics: Keeping the Brain’s Waste Removal System Healthy

Is Your Brain on Fire? Stress and Injury Cause Microglial Cell Overactivation

Brain Fog and Irritability Linked to Glial Cell Health

GMOs, Roundup, and Sunscreen Linked with Diminished Brain Resiliency

Healthy Mucosal Barriers Makes for a Healthier You

Fiber and Your Gut Mucosal Lining

The Power of PEA: Feel Better, Think Sharper, Sleep Deeper

PEA for Healthy Mast Cell Activity

Vitamin D and DHA Needed for Serotonin, Mood, and Impulse Control

Melatonin, Mitochondria, Circadian Rhythms: Are You in Sync?