What Is “Leaky Gut” and Is It Really All That Bad?

“My gut can leak??” is what you may be asking right now, and that’s a completely valid question!

Here are some of the symptoms of having a leaky gut or, in other words,  increased intestinal permeability.

SOME OF THE SIGNS OF LEAKY GUT:

• Chronically exhausted
• Suffer from skin  conditions (eczema, acne, psoriasis, inflamed skin)
• Suffer from frequent aches and pains and/or headaches
• Suffer from digestive issues (diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, cramping)
• Brain fog
• Insomnia

HOW DOES LEAKY GUT HAPPEN?

Let’s start with the basics of gut health.  The primary purpose of the gut is to absorb nutrients from the food you eat. In order to do this, the gut is naturally permeable, meaning that very small nutrient-dense molecules can be absorbed into the gut and pass to the bloodstream to help your body thrive.

Just as important, however, is the gut’s other function – keeping harmful things, such as bacteria, toxins, and antigens (inflammatory agents) away from the rest of the body, and this requires what we call “tight junctions.” This means that the cells that line the intestinal wall need to be close together, or tight, in order to keep the harmful things from escaping from your intestines and traveling throughout your body in your bloodstream. When this barrier isn’t healthy, then intestinal permeability increases, allowing all of those harmful things into your body, which can produce inflammation and even cause tissue damage. This increase in intestinal permeability is called “leaky gut.”

This leaky gut is a problem! When these harmful toxins are carried throughout your bloodstream, your immune system sees them as “foreign invaders” and attacks them. The immune system’s response to these foreign invaders can appear as a variety of symptoms.

There are a myriad of factors that can cause leaky gut, but one of the main causes is diet.

Zonulin is a protein that causes the tight junctions in the cell wall to open up. Certain foods that we eat, like gluten, and certain bacteria can increase our body’s zonulin production and cause the junctions to open, allowing harmful things, such as bacteria, toxins, and antigens (inflammatory agents), to escape into the bloodstream and cause an immune response.

Foods that cause tight junctions to loosen include gluten, most grains, refined sugar and artificial sweeteners, and refined vegetable oils, such as sunflower, safflower, canola, and soybean. Avoiding these foods altogether is a huge first step in healing the gut.

Another factor that can increase leaky gut is chronic stress. The hormones associated with high stress have a direct and immediate effect on how our gut functions. Research has even shown that consistent exposure to high levels of stress can lead to an overgrowth of certain kinds of bacteria, which may cause development of many diseases, such as GERD, IBS, and even food allergies. Actively healing the gut and creating tight junctions can actually have a positive effect on mental health and well-being.

Overly-strenuous exercise is another possible cause of leaky gut. When we exercise, our blood supply is directed to our muscles, and away from the stomach, which reduces the amount of oxygen in the gut. When this happens, intestinal permeability increases. Those who exercise at high intensity (70% of maximum capacity) for an extended period of time are at greatest risk of inflammation and disease.

Toxins are among the most common causes of intestinal permeability, specifically, medications, such as NSAIDs and PPIs.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as Advil and Motrin (ibuprofen) have been shown to increase gut permeability within just 24 hours of ingestion! The effects are even more detrimental when taken long-term.

Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) such as Prilosec, Nexium, and Prevacid are drugs taken to reduce stomach-acid. These have been shown to increase gut permeability, except in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Other toxins that have been shown to contribute to leaky gut include steroids, antibiotics, mercury, pesticides, and BPA from plastics.

Another factor in leaky gut is bacterial infection. The most common of these include high amounts of candida, parasites, and bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO). Many of these are due to the use of antibiotics, which kill off the good bacteria along with the bad bacteria. So when all of the bacteria is wiped out, oftentimes there will be an excess of bad bacteria that grows back.

Finally, age plays a role in gut health. Babies are born with leaky guts, primarily so that the nutrients from mother’s breast milk can pass directly into the bloodstream, allowing the absorption of immune substances. As the baby grows, the gut closes. Introducing solids before the gut is fully closed can cause inflammation and tissue damage in the baby. Studies have also shown that as they grow, breastfed babies’ guts are less leaky than formula-fed babies. And on the other end of the spectrum, gut permeability may increase with age, as studies have shown that older people may have leakier guts, although this could have been caused by chronic inflammation deteriorating the intestinal barrier.

 HOW DOES INFLAMMATION HAPPEN AND WHY IS IT HARMFUL?

When the gut lining barrier is “leaky” and unwanted molecules from the food you eat go directly into your bloodstream, your immune system begins producing antibodies to fight them off.  Since your gut lining does not discriminate between foods that are “good” or “bad” for you as to which ones enter directly into the bloodstream, even foods that are considered healthy, such as blueberries, almonds, carrots, or salmon can be seen as foreign invaders!

Your body has a couple of ways of getting rid of these foreign invaders.  They both involve forming chains with the molecules.  If a large chain is formed, it is easily gotten rid of by your body, pretty much a normal body function akin to taking out the trash.  But if a small chain is formed, it isn’t so easily removed and it tends to linger in the bloodstream.  This sets the stage for an inflammatory response in ANY tissue of the body (gut, skin, muscles, joints, brain, etc.) which lead to symptoms such as heartburn, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, chronic nausea or vomiting, achy muscles and joints, brain fog, insomnia, and the list goes on.

This warring within your body can even cause the immune system to turn on itself, which can lead to autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Psoriasis, and Ulcerative Colitis, just to name a few.

As you can see, inflammation is not something to be taken lightly because chronic inflammation can lead to very serious health issues.  The good news is that the inflammation can be drastically reduced by removing the offending foods for a period of time–until your immune system forgets it had a problem with them—and actively working to heal the gut lining.

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT LEAKY GUT?

Well, as you may have guessed, figuring out what foods you’ve developed a sensitivity to and are therefore causing inflammation would be a really great start!

Take a look at this Symptom Survey:This is the exact form that I use to get an assessment of the issues my clients are having. The ideal score is ZERO. If your score is higher than zero, it’s likely you have food sensitivities, and if so, please read my post “What is MRT and How Can it Help Me?”