The health of your gut microbiome plays a critical role in your overall well-being. In this blog post, we will explore “Leaky Gut” (otherwise known as dysbiosis)—an imbalance in the gut microbiome—and how it can contribute to a wide range of health conditions. Leaky gut can be caused by various factors, and its effects are far-reaching, influencing not only digestion but also your immune system, hormones, skin, and even mental health! Let’s dive into what leaky gut is, its causes, the symptoms it may trigger, and most importantly, how to heal it.
What is Leaky Gut?
Leaky gut refers to a condition known as abnormal intestinal permeability. Our digestive tract, specifically the lining of our intestines, plays a crucial role in absorbing nutrients from food. This lining is made up of cells called enterocytes, which are held together by tight junctions. These tight junctions are essential in keeping harmful substances, like food particles, bacteria, and toxins, from leaking into the bloodstream.
When these tight junctions are disrupted, the protective barrier of the gut becomes compromised. This results in substances that would typically be blocked by the gut lining passing into the bloodstream. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as leaky gut.
The Impact of Leaky Gut on Your Health
Research is increasingly showing that leaky gut is linked to numerous health issues, many of which extend far beyond the gut. These include:
- Obesity and Metabolic Issues: Leaky gut is linked to obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Certain bacteria in the gut can affect metabolism and fat storage, making it easier to gain weight and harder to lose it.
- Digestive Disorders: Leaky gut can lead to conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Symptoms often include bloating, gas, and diarrhea.
- Autoimmune Diseases: Conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and celiac disease have been associated with an imbalanced gut microbiome.
- Mental Health Issues: The gut is often referred to as the “second brain” because 80% of serotonin (the “feel-good” hormone) is made in the gut. Leaky gut has been linked to mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, and even schizophrenia.
- Heart Disease and Cancer: Leaky gut can influence inflammation levels, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
- Skin Conditions: Acne, rosacea, psoriasis, and even fungal rashes are often linked to leaky gut. Skin conditions are frequently a visible sign of an internal imbalance in the gut.
- Fatigue and Hormonal Imbalances: Chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and hormonal issues are all conditions that may arise as a result of leaky gut.
What Causes Leaky Gut?
Several factors can disrupt the delicate balance of microorganisms in your gut, leading to dysbiosis. Understanding these causes is key to preventing and healing the condition.
- Antibiotics and Medications: While antibiotics have revolutionized medicine, they often come with unintended side effects. Antibiotics kill not only the harmful bacteria causing infection but also the beneficial bacteria in your gut. This creates an opportunity for harmful bacteria and yeast to overgrow. Other medications, such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), birth control pills, and steroids, can also contribute to leaky gut.
- Poor Diet: A diet high in refined sugars, processed foods, alcohol, and refined flour can promote the growth of bad bacteria and yeast in the gut, worsening leaky gut. These foods feed harmful microorganisms, tipping the balance toward leaky gut.
- Stress: Chronic stress increases cortisol levels, which can alter the composition of your gut microbiome, allowing harmful bacteria to thrive. Stress is also known to affect gut motility, which can worsen symptoms of leaky gut.
- Gut Infections: Infections caused by bacteria like H. pylori or parasites like Giardia can lead to leaky gut by altering the gut environment. These infections may disrupt the balance of good and bad bacteria.
- Constipation and Slow Digestion: When food and waste move slowly through your digestive system, it creates an environment where bad bacteria can flourish. Constipation, in particular, can exacerbate leaky gut and increase gut inflammation.
- Birth by Caesarean Section and Formula Feeding as an Infant: Research indicates that being born by C-Section as opposed to vaginal birth decreases the colonization of “good” bacteria on the skin and through the digestive tract at birth. Additionally, breastfeeding supports colonization of “good” bacteria, while feeding formula disrupts the normal flora of the gut in infants.
Symptoms of Leaky Gut
Leaky gut can manifest in many ways, both within and outside the digestive system. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Digestive Symptoms: Bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and indigestion are common signs of leaky gut. These symptoms are often mistaken for other digestive disorders like IBS.
- Skin Issues: Acne, eczema, rosacea, and fungal rashes can all be signs of an imbalanced microbiome.
- Food Cravings and Sensitivities: Leaky gut can alter your food preferences, leading to cravings for sugar and processed foods. It may also cause sensitivities to certain foods, such as gluten or dairy.
- Mental Health Issues: Since the gut produces a large amount of serotonin and other neurotransmitters, an imbalance in the gut microbiome can lead to symptoms like brain fog, depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
- Bad Breath and Body Odor: An imbalance in gut bacteria can lead to foul-smelling gas, body odor, and bad breath.
Diagnosing Leaky Gut
Leaky gut is often undiagnosed because many common medical tests, such as CT scans, ultrasounds, endoscopies, and colonoscopies, don’t identify microbiome imbalances. The best way to diagnose leaky gut is through specialized stool tests, which analyze the bacteria in your gut.
These tests can identify the overgrowth of harmful bacteria or yeast, check for parasites, and evaluate inflammation markers like fecal calprotectin and secretory IgA. Additionally, these tests can assess the health of your gut microbiome and give insight into potential issues like leaky gut. If you’re in California and would like to order a GI Map package, book a phone consultation on my website or click here to purchase.
Healing Leaky Gut
The good news is that leaky gut is treatable. By addressing the root causes and implementing a comprehensive healing protocol, you can restore balance to your gut microbiome. Here are the essential steps to healing leaky gut:
1. Dietary Changes: The first step in healing leaky gut is cleaning up your diet. Eliminate processed foods, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, and high-fructose corn syrup. Focus on whole foods, organic vegetables, fruits, and high-quality proteins like grass-fed meat, organic poultry, and wild-caught fish. Healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, and fatty fish are also beneficial. Include fiber-rich foods that feed good bacteria and help increase microbiome diversity.
2. Probiotics and Prebiotics: Reintroduce healthy bacteria to your gut with high-quality probiotics. Look for broad-spectrum probiotics containing strains like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which help balance the microbiome and produce beneficial postbiotics like short-chain fatty acids. Prebiotics, such as garlic, onions, and bananas, help feed good bacteria and promote their growth. I recommend a high-dose probiotic such as this to re-populate beneficial bacteria in the gut.
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3. Herbal Antimicrobials: Use natural antimicrobials like oregano oil, berberine, and garlic to help eliminate harmful bacteria and yeast overgrowth in the gut. These herbs can be especially helpful when dealing with conditions like Candida or small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Biocidin (pictured below) drops are a fantastic herbal microbial!
4. Digestive Enzymes: Taking digestive enzymes before meals can help improve digestion and reduce bloating. These enzymes break down food more efficiently, making it easier for your gut to absorb nutrients and less likely to trigger inflammation. Do not take if you have ulcers.
5. Gut Healing Supplements: Supplements like L-glutamine can help repair the gut lining and seal tight junctions, preventing leaky gut from reoccurring. I like this supplement to heal the gut:
Conclusion
Leaky gut is a widespread yet often overlooked condition that can have profound effects on your overall health. By understanding the causes, symptoms, and effective treatments for dysbiosis, you can take proactive steps to restore balance to your gut and improve your well-being. With dietary changes, the right supplements, and a focus on gut health, healing dysbiosis is entirely possible. If you suspect you may have dysbiosis, consider working with a healthcare provider to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. Your gut health is crucial, and by addressing dysbiosis, you can enhance your digestion, immune function, mental health, and much more.
Check out my other posts about gut health and more:
Root Causes of Constipation and How to Fix it
Avoid These Habits that Cause Leaky Gut
Disclaimer
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This information is for educational purposes only, please consult with your medical provider before implementing anything new into your daily regimen.
