Leaky Gut Syndrome: 7 Signs You May Have It

As more Americans are affected by poor diet choices, chronic stress, toxic overload, and bacterial imbalance, it appears that the prevalence of leaky gut is potentially reaching epidemic proportions. The medical profession is just now agreeing this condition even exists, which is especially shocking considering that “intestinal permeability” (another name for leaky gut) has been discussed in the medical literature for over 100 years!

Why should leaky gut syndrome concern you? In recent years, studies consider leaky gut a “danger signal for autoimmune disease.”

Below is a brief description of common leaky gut syndrome symptoms seen in people struggling with this condition. A four-step process is recommended to help promote healing — including trigger foods to remove from your diet and beneficial supplements to add in.

What Is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, said, “All disease begins in the gut.” More than two millennia after his death, scientific research has now proven he was on to something all those years ago.

For over three decades, study after study has been published (several thousand articles exist to date) discussing our growing understanding of immunity, gut function, and how modern diets and lifestyles negatively contribute to overall health by damaging the digestive system.

This particular phenomenon is called leaky gut syndrome. In the medical literature, leaky gut is also referred to as “increased intestinal hyperpermeability.”

What happens when you have leaky gut? The intestines are protected by a single layer of specialized epithelial cells that are linked together by tight junction (or TJ) proteins. As one 2020 review explains, leaky gut symptoms are a consequence of intestinal TJ malfunction.

These TJ proteins are the gateway between your intestines and your bloodstream. They control what is allowed to pass into the bloodstream from your digestive system. More than 40 different TJ proteins have now been recognized to play a role in gut health.

TJ proteins have a very precise job. They have to maintain the delicate balance between allowing vital nutrients to enter your bloodstream while remaining small enough to prevent xenobiotics (disease-causing substances like toxins and bacteria) from passing out of your digestive system into the rest of your body.

Here’s how a report published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology describes the pathology of intestinal permeability:

The intestinal epithelial lining, together with factors secreted from it, forms a barrier that separates the host from the environment. In pathologic conditions, the permeability of the epithelial lining may be compromised, allowing the passage of toxins, antigens, and bacteria in the lumen to enter the bloodstream, creating a “leaky gut.”

Symptoms (Plus Related Conditions)

According to one review focusing on medically reviewed research about intestinal permeability (among other sources), the chronic condition of hyperpermeability may be linked to numerous symptoms and health conditions, including some autoimmune diseases.

What are the symptoms of leaky gut? Some of the most prominent signs you may have this condition include:

Leaky gut may not directly cause any of these conditions — it’s more that people who have gut issues are more likely to have a number of other health problems.

So while the scientific evidence has not yet proven that increased intestinal hyperpermeability is actually responsible for these conditions, it strongly suggests that leaky gut and other dysfunctions tend to occur simultaneously.

Common Leaky Gut Problems

Here’s more about some of these problems can develop due to gut dysfunction:

1. Food Sensitivities

Some research suggests that intestinal hyperpermeability can cause the immune system to overproduce various antibodies, which may make some more susceptible to antigens in certain foods (especially gluten and dairy).

In studies involving rats and human children, leaky gut and food allergies have been linked. Allergies are believed to be one of the most common symptoms.

2. Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Researchers from Hungary uncovered in 2012 that elevated gut permeability is oftentimes localized to the colon in people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis. As far back as 1988, scientists suggested that Crohn’s disease may be more of a risk for people with leaky gut.

A small study (observing 12 patients) discovered that zinc supplementation may help resolve the TJ dysfunction in these cases, although more medically reviewed research is required on a larger scale to confirm these results.

3. Autoimmune Disease

The key to understanding how leaky gut can cause autoimmune diseases is through research done on a protein known as “zonulin.” According to an article published in the journal Physiological Reviews:

Zonulin is the only physiological modulator of intercellular tight junctions described so far that is involved in trafficking of macromolecules and, therefore, in tolerance/immune response balance. When the finely tuned zonulin pathway is deregulated in genetically susceptible individuals, both intestinal and extraintestinal autoimmune, inflammatory, and neoplastic disorders can occur.

Eating certain food allergens, such as gluten, may trigger this dangerous cascade. University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers uncovered that gluten “activates zonulin signaling irrespective of the genetic expression of autoimmunity, leading to increased intestinal permeability to macromolecules.”

The good news is that it seems possible to reverse these autoimmune reactions’ problematic immune responses.

4. Thyroid Problems

One of the autoimmune diseases that leaky gut syndrome may directly affect is Hashimoto’s disease. Also known as “chronic thyroiditis,” this disorder is displayed with hypothyroidism (low thyroid function), impaired metabolism, fatigue, depression, weight gain, and a host of other concerns.

5.

Nutrient Absorption Issues

Leaky gut can lead to various issues with nutrient absorption, such as deficiencies in vitamin B12, magnesium, and digestive enzymes. This often results in functional medicine practitioners recommending whole-food multivitamins and probiotics to help address these deficiencies in individuals with leaky gut.

The microbiota play a crucial role in regulating the digestion and absorption of nutrients, as well as providing energy to epithelial cells. When it comes to dealing with leaky gut syndrome, it is important to focus on a healing diet that includes foods like bone broth, raw cultured dairy, fermented vegetables, coconut products, sprouted seeds, omega-3 fatty acids, herbs, spices, and other nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory options. It is essential to remove processed foods from the diet, as they can exacerbate gut issues. Leaky gut syndrome, also known as intestinal permeability, can lead to various health issues, so it is important to address it by eliminating damaging foods, incorporating healing foods, taking specific supplements like butyric acid, and rebalancing the microbiome with probiotics. If you are experiencing symptoms of leaky gut, consult with a healthcare professional for proper treatment.