Leaky Gut: Symptoms, Causes, & Treatment

By Nathalie Boutros, Ph.D.
Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.

Learn what leaky gut is, how to tell if you have a leaky gut, some causes of leaky gut, and how you may be able to overcome a leaky gut.

Leaky Gut: Symptoms, Causes, & Treatment

*This page may include affiliate links; that means we earn from qualifying purchases of products.

Have you ever thought about what it takes to turn the food you eat into the energy that fuels your body? The process of breaking down food into usable nutrients starts in your mouth, continues through your stomach, and then into your intestines where the nutrients are absorbed into your bloodstream. When everything is working well, you probably don’t spend much time thinking about your digestive system. But, when things start to go wrong you may find your life so impacted by faulty, ineffective, or problematic digestion, that you are unable to think about anything else.

In this article, we’ll talk about one way that the digestive system can become dysregulated: leaky gut. We’ll define what a leaky gut is, review some symptoms of leaky gut, and talk about some causes and consequences of leaky gut. We’ll also spend a little time discussing what you may be able to do if you find yourself with a leaky gut.

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What Is Leaky Gut? (A Definition)

Leaky gut can describe a range of disorders, syndromes, conditions, or clusters of symptoms affecting the lining of the intestines. The intestines are long tube-like structures that are part of the digestive system. After it’s swallowed, food moves to the stomach where it’s broken down and combined with digestive enzymes. This food mixture then travels through the intestines. When everything is working well, nutrients and water are extracted through the intestinal wall and taken into the bloodstream.

Within the intestines, different cell types work together to ensure that while nutrients travel from the digestive tract into the bloodstream, potentially harmful substances do not. The cells that make up the walls of the intestines are equipped with junctions that allow nutrients to pass through, while bacteria, toxins, and other harmful substances are prevented from doing so (Kinashi & Hase, 2021). The intestines also contain mucus, peptides, proteins, and a variety of helpful bacteria that all play a role in ensuring that only nutrients make it through to the bloodstream.

For a variety of reasons, this complex system may become dysfunctional, and harmful substances may “leak” from the intestines into the bloodstream (Camileri, 2019). When this happens, the body’s immune system may launch an attack on these harmful substances. This immune reaction, which may be localized to the abdominal area or may be systemic throughout the body, can manifest in many different ways.

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Leaky Gut Syndrome

When the intestines become dysfunctional or damaged in a way that allows harmful substances to move into the bloodstream, a leaky gut syndrome may develop (Mu et al., 2017). In leaky gut syndrome, the intestines have become pathologically or chronically permeable - they regularly let bacteria, toxins, and other harmful substances move from the gut into the bloodstream.

The presence of harmful toxins in the bloodstream can cause the body to launch an immune response. The immune response may take several different forms including inflammation. Although the toxins may enter the bloodstream through the intestines, the inflammatory immune response may appear in almost any part of the body. The inflammation may at times not be restricted to any particular part of the body but may instead be systemic, with symptoms manifesting throughout the body.

Inflammation due to toxins leaching from the intestines and into the bloodstream may contribute to several diseases and disorders including

Diabetes
Multiple sclerosis
Arthritis
Celiac disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Autoimmune hepatitis
Lupus
Asthma
Chronic fatigue
Alzheimer's
Some cancers

This list is not exhaustive and some researchers suspect that leaky gut may contribute to many autoimmune disorders in which the body creates antibodies that target its own tissues (Mu et al., 2017). There may even be a link between leaky gut and mental and developmental disorders including depression, anxiety, autism, and schizophrenia (Schmidt, 2015).

Video: What is Leaky Gut?

Leaky Gut Symptoms

Since leaky gut can lead to inflammation and a systemic immune response, symptoms may be very broad and may potentially include almost anything. However, digestive system discomfort may be the most common symptom of leaky gut. According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms of digestive discomfort that may be symptomatic of potential leaky gut may include:

Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Bloating and gas
Food sensitivities
Indigestion
A burning feeling in your abdomen
Low energy as a result of reduced ability to draw energy from your food.

Causes Of Leaky Gut

Damage to the intestinal cells or to the helpful bacteria that normally live in the intestines can potentially lead to a leaky gut. Several illnesses, medications, medical treatments, and dietary and lifestyle choices may all lead to disruption of the health of the intestines. Some potential causes of leaky gut include:

Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including aspirin and ibuprofen (Allison et al., 1992).
Inflammatory and autoimmune disorders of the digestive system including Celiac disease, Chron’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) (Turner et al., 2009). These disorders may cause inflammation of the intestines which leads to damage to the intestinal barrier, making it leaky.
Antibiotics: In addition to killing the harmful bacteria that are making you sick. antibiotics may also kill off the helpful bacteria that produce some of the chemical building blocks of the intestinal walls (Feng et al., 2019).
Diet: A low-fiber diet may force bacteria who normally use dietary fiber as their nutrient source to use the mucosal lining of the intestine as their nutrient source (Desai et al 2016). High-fat (Zhang et al., 2012) and high-sugar (Kahn et al., 2020) diets may alter the balance between various types of gut bacteria.
Some infections may lead to leaky gut by, for example altering the diversity of types of gut bacteria (Tyler et al., 2013). Even infection with a type of virus called a bacteriophage which can only infect bacterial cells can lead to leaky gut if the bacterial cells in the intestine are targeted. (Tetz & Tetz, 2016).
Dietary additives, including some preservatives (Glade et al., 2016) and contaminants that may be present in some processed foods (Groh et al., 2017).
Cancer treatments including radiation therapy and chemotherapy (van der Meij et al., 2020) may damage the cells of the intestinal wall.
Burn injury (Earley et al., 2015)
Chronic alcohol consumption (Chen et al., 2015)
Psychological Stress (Soderholm and Perdue, 2001).
Exposure to high temperatures including very high fever or heat stroke (Lambert et al., 2002).
Heavy or intense exercise such as long-distance endurance running (Pals et al., 1997)

How To Fix A Leaky Gut

If an underlying medical condition like Inflammatory Bowel Disease or Celiac disease is responsible for the leaky gut, addressing these broader medical concerns may also address the difficulties with leaky gut.

In the absence of treatment for a medical condition, you may be able to gain relief through the use of

Probiotics: Probiotics are living microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, and other microscopic organisms that have beneficial effects on health and wellbeing. Some probiotics may strengthen the cells of the intestinal walls (Ukena et al., 2007), reduce inflammation, increase intestinal barrier function (Lamprecht et al., 2012), and inhibit the growth of potentially harmful bacteria (Fioramonti et al., 2003). Fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, kombucha, miso, tempeh, and some types of cottage cheese may all be good sources of beneficial probiotics.
Prebiotics: Prebiotics are foods that provide nutrients for the good bacteria in your gut (Tsai et al., 2019). Prebiotics are often found in plant fibers, meaning that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may facilitate good gut health.
Low FODMAP diet: This diet, which limits a specific type of carbohydrates called fermentable short-chain carbohydrates, is often recommended for people with IBS and people with food sensitivities. It may also help heal a leaky gut (Prospero et al., 2021). Following a low FODMAP diet, even for only a brief period, may give a leaky gut a chance to repair. The low FODMAP diet involves eliminating difficult-to-digest foods from your diet. Foods from all food groups can be low or high FODMAP. For example, apples, cherries, and watermelon are high FODMAP. Kiwi, strawberries, and cantaloupe are all low FODMAP. Following a guide or consulting with your doctor or a registered dietician may be helpful if you choose to try the low FODMAP diet. In the short video below a dietician gives a brief introduction to the low FODMAP diet.

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Diet For Leaky Gut

There are many ways diet can affect how permeable your intestinal walls are (Khoshbin & Camilleri, 2020). Your diet may determine the composition of cells that make up the lining of your intestines and the microorganism species that live in your gut. Generally, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins with minimal processed, fatty, and sugary foods will probably be best for a leaky gut. Determining the right diet for you may be difficult and you may find it helpful to consult with your doctor or a registered dietician who can assess your overall health and order any necessary laboratory tests to help determine your specific needs. Having said that, foods that may help a leaky gut include:

Fiber: A diet that includes plenty of fiber from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans may help keep a healthy balance of gut microbiota while also helping keep the mucosal layer of the intestines intact. High-fiber foods include chia seeds, popcorn, avocados, raspberries, artichokes, lentils, kidney beans, split peas, chickpeas, oats, almonds, coconut, pistachios, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and even dark chocolate.
Foods containing Vitamins A and D as well as zinc may also help a leaky gut by strengthening the cells of the intestinal walls and by contributing to a healthy gut microbiome. Vitamin A can be found in carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, cantaloupe, apricots, and leafy greens. Foods high in vitamin D include salmon, herring, trout, oysters, milk, and eggs. Foods high in zinc include meat, shellfish, legumes, seeds, nuts, dairy, eggs, and whole grains.
Polyphenols: Polyphenols are a type of chemical found in many plants. A diet containing polyphenols may help keep the cells of the intestinal barrier strong. Foods rich in polyphenols include blueberries, blackcurrant, and blackberries as well as herbs and spices including cloves, peppermint, and star anise. Many vegetables like artichoke, red onion, spinach, and shallots are also good sources of polyphenols. Cocoa powder, nuts, flaxseeds, olives, coffee, and tea are also all good sources of polyphenols.
Probiotics, as found in yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, kombucha, miso, tempeh, and some types of cottage cheese are also helpful additions to a healthy gut diet.

Foods that you may want to minimize or avoid for a healthy gut include:

Gluten: In people with celiac disease, gluten may damage the lining of the intestines. Damage to the cellular lining of the intestines in Celiac patients may be at least partly reversed by a gluten-free diet (Cardosa-Silva et al., 2019). The impact of gluten on people without Celiac disease is unclear. However, some scientific evidence does suggest that removing gluten from the diet may help people who don’t have celiac but who do have other disorders of the digestive system (Wu et al., 2016).
Sugar: A diet high in the sugars glucose and fructose may cause or exacerbate leaky gut. Both the intestinal cells themselves and the intestinal microbiota are affected by high sugar diets (Do et al., 2018).
Fat: A diet high in fat may increase leaky gut (de La Serre et al., 2010).
Alcohol: Alcohol use may increase intestinal permeability, making the gut leakier (Parlesak et al., 2000).
Some food additives known as surfactants that are often used as preservatives may alter the intestinal microbiota and lead to a leaky gut (Chassaing et al., 2016). Two common surfactants that may negatively impact your gut health include carboxymethylcellulose, also known as cellulose gum, and polysorbate-80. These preservatives may be found in many preserved or prepared foods.

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Supplements for Leaky Gut

You may be able to improve your gut health and reverse leaky gut by taking some nutritional supplements. Once again, it is advisable to work with a doctor or a registered dietician to determine which supplements may be most beneficial to you as well as the correct dosages. Some supplements that may help your leaky gut include:

Zinc - Zinc supplements may decrease leaky gut (Sturniolo et al, 2001).
Vitamin D - Vitamin D may help to repair the gut lining (Raftery et al., 2015).
Vitamin A - Vitamin A may help to heal a leaky gut (Amit-Romach et al., 2001).
Glutamine - Taking glutamine may help to protect the gut from some of the increased permeability that often happens during heavy exercise (Pugh et al., 2017) and may help to restore a leaky gut due to other causes.
Bovine colostrum (contains dairy)- Colostrum is the milk product produced for the first few days after birth and contains a large concentration of nutrients and growth factors. It may stimulate cell growth in the intestines, thus improving leaky gut. (Playford et al., 2001).

Leaky Gut Treatment

You may be able to treat your leaky gut by making changes to your diet and introducing dietary supplements. In the short video below, a naturopathic doctor describes the procedure by which such treatment may occur. This process may be difficult to implement on your own and you may wish to consult with a doctor or a registered dietician. According to the information in the video, the steps involved in leaky gut treatment may include:

Removing the foods, medications, or other substances that may be damaging your gut. These may be specific to each individual and some foods may damage one person’s gut but have no effect on another person’s gut. Stopping the use of prescription medication should only be done under the supervision of your doctor. Laboratory tests may be helpful at this stage to determine whether you have a gut infection.
Start repairing the gut. This may involve introducing foods and supplements that strengthen and enhance digestion at every stage of the digestion process.
Replace any good bacteria that may have been lost. This may involve eating fermented foods like kimchi or sauerkraut or taking a high-quality probiotic.
Heal the digestive tract lining by for example taking a hydrolyzed collagen powder amongst other supplements to help repair the cells of the intestinal tract.

Video: Leaky Gut: How to Heal

Articles Related to Leaky Gut

Want to learn more? Here are some related articles that might be helpful.

Books Related to Leaky Gut

Here are some books that may help you learn even more.

Final Thoughts on Leaky Gut

Digestion is the process of transforming the food that you eat into the energy that powers you. The complex system responsible for this transformation can become dysregulated by poor diet, illness, medication, or even strenuous exercise. When your intestines become “leaky”, when they allow bacteria, toxins, and other potentially harmful substances to enter your bloodstream, you may find yourself with any one of a wide variety of maladies, disorders, or discomforts. All is not lost if you have a leaky gut however - you may be able to reintroduce order by changing your diet or by introducing supplements.

This may be a relatively straightforward process that you can achieve by eating more fresh, unprocessed foods and fewer processed, fatty, and sugary foods. However, your path to recovery from leaky gut may be more complicated - requiring you to craft a specific diet and incorporate supplements. This may require you to move forward in your quest for gut health with the support of a qualified professional like your doctor or a registered dietician. Whether you opt to tackle small manageable changes yourself or to work with a professional on more intensive and targeted changes, you may be able to achieve relief from the discomfort of a leaky gut.

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