9 Symptoms of a Leaky Gut

Suffering from unexplained adult acne, hormonal imbalance, stomach cramps, IBS or brain fog? These are all signs that something isn’t quite right inside your gut. 

Your gut is a true indicator of the status of your health and holds the answers to some of your most debilitating or frustrating ailments. That’s right – the gut is home to 70% of your immune functions and produces 95% of the body’s serotonin levels.

The truth is, if there’s an imbalance in your gut, the rest of your body is going to know about it! If you think you may have a leaky gut, here are the most common signs to look out for.

Understanding Leaky Gut Syndrome 

The biology behind it all is quite simple. If your gut is healthy, chances are you’re in pretty good health, overall. But when there’s an issue within the gut, this can lead to a host of seemingly unexplainable health issues.

The symptoms behind leaky gut syndrome extend far beyond minor digestive issues. The reality is that this gut issue can lead to major health problems down the line. 

In order to restore gut health naturally, it’s important to understand what causes a leaky gut syndrome in the first place. 

In a nutshell, a leaky gut is caused by external factors such as toxins, infections, stress, and certain types of food. All of the above weaken the tight junctions in your intestinal wall. This leaves your intestinal wall open to invasion and vulnerable to toxins.

Your intestinal wall is designed to be semi-permeable, only allowing tiny micronutrients through at a time. Once your intestinal lining is compromised, this leads to a leaky gut. This means that much larger food particles, microbes, and toxins escape and enter the bloodstream. 

Your immune system views these toxins as foreign invaders or pathogens and responds by trying to attack them. This is where certain health issues tend to flare up.    

9 Common Symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome

So how do you know if you have a leaky gut syndrome? Here are some of the most obvious symptoms to keep an eye on: 

1. Food Intolerances

Food allergies of all kinds are one of the most common and prominent symptoms of the leaky gut syndrome in people of all ages. 

Because of the constant onslaught of toxins swirling around in the bloodstream, the immune system is in a state of overdrive. It’s mass-producing various antibodies to help fight off these toxins. These means your body becomes susceptible to certain antigens in various food types. 

The most common food ground include gluten and dairy which tend to flare up food allergies such as stomach cramps, IBS, and skin conditions.

2. Seasonal Allergies 

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, this can actually be caused by leaky gut syndrome. Because your immune system is already in overdrive trying to purge all the pathogens from your bloodstream, this can make you all the more vulnerable at the change of seasons.

Seasonal allergies are generally characterized by itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and even asthma. 

3. Digestive Issues 

Suffer from excess gas, bouts of diarrhea, and uncomfortable stomach cramps after eating a certain type of food? This is a clear sign you could have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), caused by a leaky gut. 

Worse than this, you could develop a disease known as ulcerative colitis or (inflammatory bowel disease). Both of these gut issues stem from the colon and can be caused by the leaky gut syndrome.

If you have a history of Crohn’s disease in your family, having a leaky gut makes you even more susceptible to developing this debilitating condition. 

4. The Diagnosis of Autoimmune Disease

If you suffer from leaky gut syndrome this could lead to the development of an autoimmune disease. Some of the most common include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, and even type 1 diabetes. 

And all of this boils down to a protein inside the gut known as zonulin. This protein acts as a modulator of intercellular tight junctions. Basically, it helps to traffic macromolecules through the intestinal wall. 

When zonulin is doing its job properly, this leads to well-balanced immune tolerance. But when this pathway becomes hindered, this can lead to autoimmune, inflammatory and neoplastic disorders.

One of the primary triggers for an imbalance of zonulin in the gut is gluten. Research has shown that gluten activates zonulin signals, which increases intestinal permeability to toxins. 

5. Thyroid Issues

Thyroid problems can lead to a host of health conditions, and a leaky gut can only worsen the severity of certain thyroid issues. Chronic thyroiditis is one of these conditions.

Also seen as low thyroid function, this cause issues with your metabolism leads to weight gain, depression, major fatigue and more. 

6. Nutrient Deficiencies 

If you are deficient in certain types of nutrients within the body, this could also point to the leaky gut syndrome. Some of these key nutrients include vitamin B12, magnesium, and certain digestive enzymes. 

7. Acne and Other Skin Conditions 

If you’re experiencing unexplained flare-ups of acne or other skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea or psoriasis, this could be caused by a major gut imbalance.

Leaky gut syndrome upsets the balance of hormones in the blood, causing breakouts, dry skin conditions, and more.  

8. Irregular Moods 

As mentioned previously, the gut produces up to 95% of the serotonin in the body. Known as the ”feel good” hormone, serotonin helps to regulate our moods on a daily basis. 

Leaky gut syndrome causes an imbalance in serotonin levels, which can lead to irregular moods. It can also increase your chances of developing depression and anxiety.

9. Chronic Fatigue 

Yep, your gut health and levels of fatigue are directly related. Sounds odd, right? But here’s how it works. Inflammatory compounds known as cytokines are over-produced thanks to the leaky gut syndrome. And cytokines are directly related to fatigue.

The severity of chronic fatigue correlates with the levels of cytokines in your blood and the level of immune cells trying to fight them off. 

Stay On Top of Your Health

Now that you understand the causes and symptoms of the leaky gut syndrome, learn how to manage your health better with us. 

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