What is Leaky Gut?

Leaky gut, or intestinal permeability, is a common imbalance in the gut that can be caused by various things including stress, poor diet, artificial sweeteners, pesticides and other digestive imbalances.

Leaky gut is characterised by inflammation of the gut lining,

which causes the cells to be stretched and microscopic gaps to occur between the cells. Usually, food particles are absorbed into the cells, processed, and then pass out off the cells into the blood stream. However, in leaky gut, undigested food particles (still microscopic) are able to enter the blood stream by passing between the gut cells.

Leaky Gut and Food Intolerance

Leaky gut isn’t fully understood, but what we do know is that undigested food particles can be detected by the immune system and labelled as a foreign body. This leads to the immune system attacking, causing symptoms of hives, eczema, excess mucus production, acne, joint pain and other inflammatory symptoms. This reaction to undigested food particles is a food intolerance.

What this means is that most food intolerance can be overcome through simply healing the gut and preventing this entry of undigested food particles into the bloodstream! Temporary removal of the problem foods alongside a gut healing protocol may lead to the gut healing and the food intolerance resolving.

Leaky Gut and Fatigue

If food particles can get through, then microscopic organisms, like bacteria and fungus, almost certainly can too. The chances are that if you have leaky gut, then you probably have an imbalanced gut flora too, with possibly too much non-beneficial bacteria or fungal overgrowth. This penetration of bacteria and/or fungus into the bloodstream has been linked to debilitating fatigue conditions. Aggressive pre and probiotic therapy, alongside anti-microbials are required to rebalance the gut flora.

Addressing The Cause

Addressing the imbalance is important, and the intervention used will be different for everyone. Addressing the cause of the imbalance is even more important. Identifying the cause may require a detailed medical history or functional tests to identify likely imbalances such as low stomach acid, adrenal fatigue, nutritional deficiencies and food sensitivities, to name just a few. Unless the cause is addressed, then the leaky gut will be difficult to heal.

What Should You Do If You Suspect Leaky Gut, or If You Have Unresolved Digestive or Fatigue Symptoms?

Seek professional support from a CNHC registered nutritional therapist, like me! I specialist in digestive health and fatigue conditions and I see people online via Sykpe, or in my Essex and Suffolk clinics.

Check out my specialist packages here.

You can find out more about me and the way I work here.