If you’ve been online recently, you’ve probably heard about leaky gut syndrome. Or, maybe you’ve been talking about it yourself. But you probably have not heard about it in your doctor’s office.
That’s because while people talk about leaky gut syndrome colloquially, it’s not a medical diagnosis. And some experts have mixed views on whether or not it should be. Here’s what we know about theories surrounding leaky gut syndrome, maintaining a healthy gut and how they relate to medically studied health diagnoses.
[SEE: 6 Worst Foods for Gut Health.]
What Is Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Leaky gut syndrome is a hypothetical condition based on the concept of intestinal permeability. Let’s break that down.
Permeability is the idea that something is permeable, meaning that liquids or gasses can flow in or out of it. A frog’s skin, for example, is permeable because it absorbs water.
Intestinal permeability is the concept that liquids and gasses — or undigested food — can flow through the intestinal lining.
The intestinal lining acts as a filter between our gut and our bloodstream. So, the more permeable one’s intestinal lining, the higher the chances of unwanted material getting absorbed into the bloodstream.
“In humans, the intestinal epithelial barrier (aka the intestinal lining) has three major functions: digestion of food, absorption of nutrients and protection from toxic, or pathogenic, molecules,” says Dr. Hussein Abidali a gastroenterologist at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. “The purpose of this lining is to work as a strict bodyguard, ensuring what should stay out of the bloodstream is not filtered in.”
Everyone’s intestines are permeable, but exactly how permeable they are can fluctuate.
Permeability may increase during states of:
— Infection.
— Alcohol consumption.
— Radiation exposure.
This doesn’t happen for everyone, or to the same extent each time. Further, researchers don’t all agree on exactly why or how these things impact permeability.
When considering the changes in intestinal permeability, “some of the physiology behind it is very astonishing,” says Dr. Ashkan Farhadi, a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California. “When you are stressed out, the permeability in the gut increases, and when the permeability increases, we are gaining access to some molecules designed to activate the immune function.”
[Read: Top Fermented Foods for Gut Health.]
Do We All Have ‘Leaky Guts’?
Some practitioners refer to the leaky gut syndrome as “intestinal hyper-permeability,” referencing the idea that the intestinal barrier has become hyper-permeable — or more permeable than is normal or healthy — and that the person may be absorbing too many unwanted materials in their bloodstream.
Others, like Farhadi, don’t recognize it as a syndrome at all.
“Intestinal permeability is a dynamic phenomenon,” says Farhadi. “Our GI tract is designed to absorb nutrients. It should be permeable to some molecules. At the same time, it’s designed to prevent the passage of many harmful and other materials that are not necessary, so it’s permeable to some things and not permeable to others.”
Trying to diagnose leaky gut doesn’t make sense in the medical community, he adds, as our intestinal permeability naturally fluctuates and always will.
“This is not a clinical diagnosis,” says Farhadi. “Sometimes it’s really hard to even explain that to individuals who’ve read it on Google. But this is not something self-diagnosable; it’s not something you go to the doctor’s office to ask for.”
[SEE: Best Foods to Eat for an Upset Stomach.]
Symptoms Of a Leaky Gut
If someone’s gut is hyper-permeable at a certain time, they may be more at risk for certain health conditions or diseases. We can think of this as an impaired immune system in our gut.
“When the gut’s filtration system is disrupted, this allows for the absorption of things we don’t want such as endotoxins, antigens, inflammatory mediators and — in some cases — intact bacteria,” says Abidali. “These agents can cause both local and systemic reactions associated with a wide range of acute and chronic diseases.”
IgA production
Intestinal hyper-permeability has also been associated with impaired immunoglobulin A (IgA) production, which is an antibody in the immune system that helps maintain homeostasis in the gut. When the body’s production of IgA is compromised, the body can generate antibodies and potentially develop autoimmune conditions. Though the association has been studied, a cause or effect has not been proven.
“It is not fully understood whether the compromise in IgA production causes dysregulation in gut permeability or the other way around, but the correlation is clear,” says Abidali.
He adds that dysregulated IgA production is associated with autoimmune diseases, including but not limited to:
— Eczema.
— Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD.
— Arthritis.
Because hyper-permeability is associated with a range of conditions, symptoms can vary widely from person to person, says Abidali. And whether symptoms are the cause or effect of the condition is hard to confirm.
Still, he says indicators that something is off with your intestinal lining include:
— Gas.
— Bloating.
— Indigestion.
— Nausea.
— Vomiting.
— Diarrhea.
— IBD symptoms like weight loss, fever or bloody stools.
People may also experience related conditions that may manifest in symptoms like skin lesions, joint pain, low energy and weakness, says Abidali.
If not diagnosed with another condition, a person who displays the above symptoms is often diagnosed with or IBD which tends to be an umbrella term for many GI-associated issues.
How to Fix a Leaky Gut
Without a diagnosis, it’s unclear whether or not leaky gut can be treated.
“It is hard to pinpoint whether leaky gut can be cured because of its association with various symptoms and conditions,” says Abidali.
If a patient comes in presenting symptoms of intestinal hyper-permeability, or asking about leaky gut, a practitioner may want to conduct further testing based on the symptoms they notice, he adds.
If a person presents with an autoimmune condition that could be related to problems in the gut, practitioners should set out to address the most severe symptoms first, educate the patient on how to prevent things from worsening and discuss healthy lifestyle modifications, he says.
Lifestyle Changes to Improve Gut Health
While leaky gut isn’t a sound medical condition, disruptions to the gut are very much real. And while you can’t get a prescribed treatment to heal a leaky gut, you can follow some lifestyle changes to help improve how you feel in your body.
Some helpful lifestyle measures may include:
— Discontinuing or reducing alcohol intake.
— Discontinuing or reducing foods that provide a noticeable, unfavorable reaction.
— Increasing daily fiber intake and following a diet rich in gut-friendly foods.
— Reducing processed foods that are high in added sugar, salt and/or trans fat.
According to Abidali, some supplements that can help improve gut barrier integrity include:
— Vitamin D.
— Zinc.
— Glutamine.
— (Prescribed) anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medications.
“The symptoms and conditions we believe to be associated with leaky gut are all real medical problems faced by many patients, (but) the medical community needs more research to solidify our understanding of this condition and put all the pieces of the puzzle together with confidence,” says Abidali. “We have a good understanding that our gut integrity has a vital role to play in our immunity and overall health. We just need better quality research to further understand how it all works.”
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What Is Leaky Gut Syndrome ? originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 06/06/23: This piece was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
