Leaky Gut: What it is and How to Know if you Have One
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"Leaky gut" is a popular topic in the health and wellness spheres these days. It's been blamed for many symptoms and conditions that seem to be all-too-common.
Allergies, food intolerances, joint pain, skin conditions, and autoimmune diseases can all be linked back to a leaky gut.
But what exactly is leaky gut? What causes it? What kinds of issues are related to it? And most of all, what can you eat if you happen to have one?
What is a leaky gut?
Simply put, your “gut” (or intestinal tract) is a tube that makes up part of your digestive system. It’s not as simple as a hose or pipe, but is an amazing tube made up of live cells tightly bound together. Your gut helps your body absorb fluids and nutrients, digests your food, and houses billions of friendly gut microbes.
It's also selective to what it allows past its barrier. Your intestinal tract purposefully keeps some things from being absorbed, so they pass right on through to the other end to be eliminated as waste. You don't want to absorb many harmful microbes or toxins into your body, right?
Absorption of fluids and nutrients happens when they're allowed through this cellular tube into circulation. This is great, as long as what's being absorbed are fluids and nutrients that our bodies need.
The blood and lymph then carry the nutrients to your liver and then around to the rest of your body so that all of your cells, from those in your brain all the way down to the cells in your toes, get the nutrients they need to be healthy and grow.
How does a gut become “leaky?”
The gut can become leaky if the cells lining the intestinal tract get irritated, damaged, or inflamed. It can also start to “leak” if the bonds that hold the cells together (called tight junctions) get damaged and begin to separate.
Leaky gut can be caused or worsened by a number of diet and lifestyle factors. Dietary factors include too much sugar or processed food, excess alcohol, or eating foods that you're intolerant to. Any (or all) of these can irritate the mucosal lining of the gut, cause irritation and inflammation, and contribute to a leaky gut.
Lifestyle factors like stress, lack of sleep, infections, and certain medications can also be culprits in this area. Sometimes, if the balance of gut microbes inside the gut is thrown off (as when antibiotics are taken, for example), this can also contribute to a leaky gut.
Any contributing factors that alter the state of homeostasis (or balance) that your gut strives to maintain may cause your gut to become "permeable" or leak. At this point, incompletely digested proteins, nutrients, microbes (infectious or friendly), toxins, or waste products can more easily escape into our bodies where they are not designed to be.
Scientifically speaking, a “leaky gut” is known as “intestinal permeability.” This means that our intestines are permeable and allow things through that they normally would keep out. They “leak.”
Once this happens, your immune system kicks into high gear as it detects “foreign bodies” in circulation.
As you can imagine, this is not a good thing.
What are the symptoms of a leaky gut?
Because so much of your immune system is centred around your gut, immune cells quickly recognize escaped particles as “foreign invaders” and start their response, just as they have been designed for. It is a normal process and good if the gut is working properly and not allowing too many things to “leak” into circulation.
But when that happens too much, and the immune system starts responding all the time, the notorious inflammation starts. Once the immune system starts responding by attacking these foreign bodies, symptoms can manifest in many different ways. It may appear as though you have allergies, food intolerances, or even an autoimmune disease.
Because the first place that gets affected is the gut, several symptoms can arise there. You may experience:
Abdominal pain
Bloating
Gas
Nausea
Vomiting
Heartburn
Constipation
Diarrhea
Not to mention that if foods, even healthy foods, aren't properly digested, their nutrients aren't properly absorbed. Poor absorption can lead to a lack of essential vitamins and minerals for the optimal health of every cell in your body.
Some of the symptoms can also occur on the skin. Acne, dry skin, itchiness, rashes, eczema, and hives can all be symptoms related to a leaky gut. Even rosacea and psoriasis can be linked here due to their autoimmune component.
Even some neurological symptoms may be linked with leaky gut. For example, brain fog, fatigue, headaches, inability to sleep, and general moodiness can also be related.
Finally, several chronic inflammatory diseases are thought to be linked with a leaky gut. Things like Crohn's, colitis, celiac disease, IBS, and MS. Even things like heart disease and stroke are possibilities.
What to eat for leaky gut
So if you experience any of the symptoms listed above and think the integrity of your gut may be anything but stellar, there are certain foods you should eat, and certain others you should stay away from to allow your gut to have a break and begin to repair itself.
The general recommendation is to stop eating inflammatory foods and eat more gut-soothing foods.
But what exactly are these?
Inflammatory foods are typically those our gut has a hard time processing like hard-to-digest grains, legumes, and dairy. Food additives, excess alcohol, and refined white sugars are also inflammatory and cause gut irritation.
Replace these irritating foods with more gut-soothing foods like leafy green and cruciferous vegetables. These are full of nutrients and contain fibre to help feed your friendly gut microbes.
You'll also want to add more sources of vitamin D to your diet. You can get it from fish and egg yolks, as well as from the sun.
Eat more probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut, dairy-free yogurt, and kombucha (fermented tea). These work to repopulate your gut with beneficial bacteria, and taste great at the same time!
Make sure you're getting enough essential omega-3 fats to help reduce inflammation. They can be found in seafood, especially wild salmon, and seaweed. My experience is that most people are deficient in these vital essential fatty acids, so even eating fish a few times a week may not provide enough. Because of this, I often recommend a high-quality fish oil supplement be taken daily.
Finally, make sure you're getting some coconut oil and bone broth. Coconut oil has special fats called MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides), and bone broth has essential amino acids. These are needed to rebuild damaged tissues and strengthen the integrity of your gut’s mucosal lining.
Conclusion
Leaky gut, or "intestinal permeability" can happen when your gut gets damaged due to too much sugar and refined processed foods, or eating foods you're intolerant to. It can also be from stress, lack of sleep, or an imbalance in your friendly gut microbes. The symptoms of leaky gut are vast - spanning from digestive woes to skin conditions, and even to autoimmune disorders.
It's important to cut out problematic foods and drinks and add in more gut-soothing things like green leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, and probiotic foods. It's also important to ensure you're getting enough omega-3 fats, vitamin D, and amino acids.
If you’d like to start fixing your leaky gut, or if you’re simply interested in a quick and easy health-promoting recipe, I’ve got just the one for you!
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Recipe: Slow-Cooker Chicken Broth
Serves 6-8
1 whole chicken, cooked, bones with or without meat
3 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
4 bay leaves
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Herbs and spices as desired (salt, pepper, paprika, parsley)
2 handfuls spinach
Instructions:
Place chicken bones, and meat if using, into a slow cooker.
Add chopped vegetables, vinegar, and herbs/spices.
Cover with hot water (about 2 litres/8 cups).
Cook 8 h on medium or overnight on low.
Add spinach 30 minutes before serving. Serve & enjoy!
Tip: You can strain it before serving, or serve it with the cooked vegetables as soup.
Either way, your gut will thank you!
As always, I welcome your thoughts and value your feedback. Let me know what you think by dropping me a line or commenting below.
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