What Is Leaky Gut?

Explaining Leaky Gut

Leaky Gut is complex, but in a nutshell, the term itself describes what it is. Our intestinal lining is designed to only let nutrients into our bloodstream. Everything else is supposed to go through the digestive tract. When the lining becomes permeable it “leaks” non-nutrients into our bloodstream that can cause illness.

These non-nutrients include:

Food molecules
Bacteria
Viruses
Yeast
Acids
Toxins

What Causes Leaky Gut?

It would be east if I could say there was a very specific cause of leaky gut. Then we could just avoid that and our gut microbiome would live happily ever after. The truth is there are many contributors to leaky gut and many of them are probably a part of most of our everyday lives.

Before I list some of the things that may be causing leaky gut, I want to say that leaky gut is a relatively new theory (kind of like prebiotics) in gut health. Not all medical doctors put credence into it, but as time goes on, it is becoming more understood how much the gut microbiome affects our entire body and that keeping it healthy is important for our entire health.

Leaky Gut Contributors

Prescription and over-the-counter drugs
Processed foods
Modified foods
Lack of sleep
Stress – mental, physical, environmental
Toxins in the environment
Air pollution
Food contamination

Signs and Symptoms of Leaky Gut

Did you know that not all symptoms of leaky gut are related to digestion and how your gut feels? There are a myriad of other symptoms that can be a sign of leaky gut:

Digestive Leaky Gut Symptoms:

Gas
Bloating
Digestive distress (diarrhea, constipation, upset stomach)
Sugar & carb cravings
IBS
IBD (Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis)
Celiac
Vitamin deficiencies
Anemia (I think of this as digestive because it is from lack of proper absorption of nutrients)

Non-Digestive Leaky Gut Symptoms:

Frequent illness
Fatigue
Headaches
Rashes
Eczema
Acne
Joint pain
Brain fog
ADHD
Depression
Lupus
Other autoimmune disorders

I will be discussing more about gut health each week. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to keep up with the next article.

Author
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Sherry Lipp

Founder at Happy Gut For Life

Sherry is a Certificed Holistic Gut Practioner, author, and recipe creator. Sherry started the Specific Carbohydrate Diet in 2000 and has been creating delicious, grain and gluten-free recipes ever since. She is the author of the Don't Skip Dessert SCD cookbooks.