Leaky Gut Syndrome: Symptoms, Diagnosis and How to Heal It
Leaky gut, or "intestinal permeability", is a term that's been garnering attention in both conventional and integrative medicine fields. While the gut’s role in overall health has always been acknowledged, the depth of its influence is only now being fully understood. This article dives into the intricacies of leaky gut, its symptoms, diagnosis, and management, focusing on integrative therapies, functional medicine labs, and dietary strategies.
What is Leaky Gut?
The intestines have walls lined with special cells. These cells are closely linked together, kind of like a chain, by structures called tight junction proteins. Their job? To ensure that the right nutrients from the food we eat get absorbed into our bloodstream while keeping the wrong stuff out.
Divella, R., Palma, G. D., Tufaro, A., Pelagio, G., Gadaleta-Caldarola, G., Bringiotti, R., … & Paradiso, A. (2021). Diet, probiotics and physical activity: the right allies for a healthy microbiota. Anticancer Research, 41(6), 2759-2772. https://doi.org/10.21873/anticanres.15057
However, sometimes these junctions can weaken or become damaged. The medical term for this is called hyperpermeability and just means things are getting through the gut wall that shouldn't be. The more common term for this is “Leaky Gut”.
Understanding and tackling this can be a key to helping with many bigger health problems. This is because the things getting through the gut wall, like pieces of undigested food or harmful bacteria, can find their way into our bloodstream and trigger an immune response.
What Causes Leaky Gut?
While its symptoms can be widespread and varied, so too can its potential causes. It's not just one factor that can lead to this condition; a multitude of medical and lifestyle factors play a role. From the natural aging process to specific diseases and treatments, here's a comprehensive list of conditions and factors that have been linked to the onset of hyperpermeability:
Dysbiosis & Aging: As we age, our bodily functions, including those in our gut, can decline and the bacterial composition of our guts also changes. The intestinal walls can become weaker, making them more susceptible to permeability issues.
Alcohol: Excessive alcohol intake can damage the gut lining, increasing its permeability and causing harmful substances to enter the bloodstream.
Malnutrition: Lack of essential nutrients can weaken the gut lining, making it more susceptible to damage and increased permeability.
NSAIDs: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can irritate and harm the gut lining, leading to increased permeability.
Food Sensitivities: The most common food sensitivities that can lead to leaky gut are gluten and dairy. However, any food that causes an immune reaction can lead to local inflammation that over time can damage the lining of your intestines.
Gut Pathogens & Parasites: Intestinal parasites, like Giardia, can cause inflammation and directly damage the gut lining. There are many other viruses and bacterial pathogens that can take up residence in your intestines. Their presence can disrupt the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, making the intestines more susceptible to permeability issues.
Pancreatic Insufficiency/Pancreatitis: The pancreas secretes enzymes that aid in the proper breakdown of large food particles into smaller protein complexes. When there is an issue with pancreatic function, food isn’t broken down correctly and the presence of these larger food protein complexes leads to inflammation, immune activation, and the subsequent breakdown of the intestinal barrier.
Ulcerative colitis: This is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes ulcers in the colon and rectum. These ulcers can damage the lining of the colon, leading to increased permeability. The ongoing inflammation associated with ulcerative colitis further exacerbates the issue.
Rheumatoid arthritis: This autoimmune disease involves the immune system attacking the body's own tissues. The inflammatory response associated with rheumatoid arthritis can potentially disrupt the balance and health of the gut, contributing to hyperpermeability.
Chronic hepatitis: Chronic inflammation of the liver can lead to a disruption in bile production and other digestive processes, potentially affecting the health and integrity of the intestinal wall.
Celiac disease: This autoimmune disorder targets the gut lining in response to gluten, leading to damage and increased permeability.
Certain drugs: Beyond NSAIDs, other medications can affect the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut or irritate its lining, potentially leading to hyperpermeability.
Crohn's disease: This chronic inflammatory bowel disease directly targets the lining of the digestive tract, causing ulcers, inflammation, and damage that can significantly increase intestinal permeability.
Cystic fibrosis: This genetic disorder affects the mucus-producing cells in the body, leading to thicker, stickier mucus. This can disrupt the balance of beneficial bacteria in the intestines and impair digestion, potentially making the gut lining more vulnerable to increased permeability.
Cancer: Some cancers can directly affect the intestines or create an inflammatory response that may compromise the gut lining.
Radiation therapy: Used to treat cancer, radiation can cause inflammation or direct damage to the intestines, which can lead to increased permeability.
Chemotherapy: Used to combat cancer cells, chemotherapy drugs can also affect the fast-dividing cells of the gut lining. This can weaken the intestinal barrier, leading to increased permeability.
Shock or anaphylaxis: Severe allergic reactions or shock can lead to a rapid inflammatory response throughout the body, which may include the gut. This sudden reaction can disrupt the intestinal barrier, leading to increased permeability.
Trauma: Physical injury, especially abdominal trauma, can directly damage the intestines. Additionally, the stress response from trauma can lead to inflammation, potentially impacting the health of the gut lining and leading to hyperpermeability.
Symptoms of Leaky Gut
The symptoms of leaky gut can be diverse and sometimes non-specific. From stomach upsets to mood swings, leaky gut highlights how deeply our gut health can influence our overall well-being. Here's a breakdown of some of the most common symptoms associated with this condition:
Digestive issues: bloating, gas, diarrhea, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Skin issues like acne, rosacea, or eczema.
Fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
Frequent infections and compromised immunity.
Joint pain or rheumatoid arthritis.
Mood imbalances, including anxiety and depression.
Food allergies or intolerances.
Diagnosis
Leaky gut, similar to something called dysbiosis, is an underlying problem that can cause many different health issues. It's not just one specific disease. Many doctors and health experts might not realize how common it is and might miss it when trying to figure out how to help their patients. But often, if you address the leaky gut issue, people can feel a lot better.
While leaky gut is a recognized issue, diagnosing it can be a challenge. Often it is a functional diagnosis based on symptoms and ruling out other irritable bowel diseases like chron’s and colitis, as well as food sensitivities.
Lab Testing for Leaky Gut
While a diagnosis of leaky gut can often be made off of symptoms alone, Functional Medicine lab tests can help to rule out other conditions. There are also several key markers that can help confirm a diagnosis of leaky gut.
One helpful blood marker is LPS (lipopolysaccharides). LPS is a component of the outer membrane of certain bacteria and can indicate microbial translocation or leaky gut when found in the bloodstream.
A lab workup for leaky gut may include:
Serum Tests: LPS, Anti-actomyosin, Zonulin & Occludin (I use Array 2 by Cyrex Laboratories)
Comprehensive Stool Analysis: GI effects (Genova), or GI MAP (Diagnostic Solutions)
Management and Integrative Therapies
The 4 R's approach:
This is a framework that many integrative practitioners (myself included) use for healing and maintaining a healthy gastrointestinal (GI) system. This can be particularly helpful in the management of conditions such as leaky gut syndrome! Here's a summary of this approach.
Remove:
Eliminate added and refined sugars. Refined sugar fosters the growth of harmful bacteria and worsens gut health. Check out my article for a comprehensive look at sugar addiction and how to reset your relationship with it.
Eliminate foods and factors that damage the gut, such as inflammatory foods (like gluten and dairy for some individuals), infections, and irritants like alcohol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Replace:
Add back the essential ingredients for proper digestion and absorption that may have been depleted, such as digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, and bile acids.
Repair:
Help the gut repair itself with key nutrients that can often include supplements like L-glutamine, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, C, and E, as well as herbs such as slippery elm or marshmallow root.
Rebalance:
Restore beneficial bacteria to reestablish a healthy balance of gut flora. This step often involves taking probiotics and eating foods rich in dietary fiber and prebiotics.
Focus on lifestyle choices—stress management, sleep, physical activity, and regular eating patterns all influence gut health and help maintain its functioning.
How to Start Your Gut Health Journey: Practical Tools for Real Results
If you’re dealing with symptoms like bloating, fatigue, irregularity, or discomfort, you’ve probably asked yourself: “Where do I even begin to fix this?” Gut health can feel like a puzzle, and if you’ve tried multiple approaches without relief, it’s easy to feel stuck or frustrated.
The truth is, improving your gut health doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Small, consistent steps can make a big difference—and having the right tools can help guide the way. That’s why I created my Free Gut Health Guidebook and Gut Health Toolkit, two resources designed to meet you where you are and help you move forward with clarity and confidence!
Resources
Fink, Mitchell P. "Intestinal epithelial hyperpermeability: update on the pathogenesis of gut mucosal barrier dysfunction in critical illness." Current opinion in critical care 9.2 (2003): 143-151.
Bein, Amir, et al. "LPS induces hyper‐permeability of intestinal epithelial cells." Journal of Cellular Physiology 232.2 (2017): 381-390.
Liu, Z., N. Li, and J. Neu. "Tight junctions, leaky intestines, and pediatric diseases." Acta paediatrica 94.4 (2005): 386-393.
Farhadi, Ashkan, et al. "Intestinal barrier: an interface between health and disease." Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology 18.5 (2003): 479-497.
Medical Disclaimer: The content provided on this blog, including text, graphics, images, and other material, is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information on this blog is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your health regimen.
