Leaky Gut Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors, Medical Diagnosis, And Treatment

Have you ever heard about leaky gut problems? What is a Leaky Gut? What are leaky gut symptoms? You may have heard about the leaky gut syndrome, also called gastrointestinal conditions causing a range of whole-body health issues, like irritable bowel syndrome, skin rashes, chronic fatigue syndrome, and some kinds of mood disorders. It can ruin one’s life. So, it becomes essential to deal with this situation before it gets worse. Otherwise, a person may have to face serious health issues. Therefore, in this article, I will guide you through the leaky gut problems, their symptoms, medical diagnosis, and treatment.

What Are Leaky Gut?

A Leaky Gut, in medical terms, is also called intestinal permeability or something called gut hyperpermeability. What does it mean? This situation means that the tight junctions between cells lining the small intestine loosen. In general, the small intestine absorbs most of the nutrition. In this condition, natural digestive enzymes are helpful to make foods prepared to be absorbed in the digestive system. However, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, stress, inflammation of the gut that lines the gastrointestinal tract because of poor-diet, aspirin, alcohol, and various factors boost large gaps. It increases zonulin protein causing some-gaps in the intestinal lining to open. 

Some irritants, undigested foods, and bacteria can leak through gaps available in your intestinal wall and bloodstream. It invites unwanted immune responses. If it happens, the food particles and bacteria can cause various types of leaky gut symptoms.

Alternative medical practitioners have given one more name to it, which is a leaky gut syndrome. No one could ever clearly find the exact cause of leaky gut problems. However, some people in certain conditions like inflammatory bowel or celiac diseases are prone to it.

What Are Leaky Gut Symptoms?

According to medical professionals, when a person has a leaky gut, it can lead to various digestive and non-digestive symptoms. It results in an immune response. Following are some of the most common symptoms of leaky gut problems.

• Bloating and gas problems are symptoms:
• Constipation and diarrhea are symptoms of it. 
• Reflux or heartburn are symptoms of it.
• Some of the symptoms of digestive disorders like inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac diseases, colitis, or Crohn’s diseases are also symptoms of leaky gut problems.
• Some symptoms like abnormal discomfort, pain, gas, and indigestion are the symptoms of a leaky gut.
• A person may have autoimmune reactions or allergic reactions like asthma, skin rashes, or sometimes swellings. 
• Issues in joints and muscles, like chronic joint, muscle pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, or fibromyalgia, are symptoms.
• Memory problems, mood swings, agitation, and other neuropsychiatric conditions are symptoms of a leaky gut and a few skin problems like psoriasis.
• Infections like respiratory infections, vaginal infections, or bladder infections are symptoms of leaky gut problems.
• Lack of energy after eating, like fatigue or chronic fatigue, are symptoms of it.
• Some kinds of allergies to foods are a symptom.
• Craving for foods like craving for carbs is a symptom.
• Skin acne, skin irritations, skin lesions, and other skin problems are symptoms of it. 
• Some variety of nutritional deficiencies like anemia is a symptom.

When Can One See Symptoms Of Leaky Gut?

In many cases, one may experience leaky gut symptoms from childhood or at the beginning of adulthood. These symptoms are functioning. Diet, stress, inflammation levels, infections, and environmental toxins can influence these symptoms.

Most of these symptoms and digestive disorders are clear signs of overgrown bacteria or microorganisms or the gut inflammation they cause. As you may have known, that leaky-gut allows unwanted, unwelcome, and undigested food particles and bacterial fragments to enter the bloodstream, and one may have symptoms anywhere in the body. It happens because your immune system tries to tackle these intruders and responds by releasing compounds called inflammatory cytokines (it creates inflammation). A variety of inflammatory symptoms depends on the area where this issue is occurring. 

What Causes Leaking Gut? What Are Risk Factors?

There are a few risk factors that play a crucial role in helping the leaky gut to develop. Some researchers have found that the following risk factors are responsible for leaky gut problems.

• If a person has a poor-diet having higher sugar, processed foods, and carbs, content is at risk. 
• If you have a diet with higher gluten content, you are at risk. A person having celiac or Crohn’s disease is at risk of leaky gut problems.
• A person with chronic stress levels and using NSAIDs or alcohol frequently are at risk. 
• If you do not take plenty of sleep or ignore the disturbance to your sleeping cycle, then you are at risk. 
• If a person does overtiring work or doing more exercise, he is at risk of leaky gut problems. 
• If a person has gut infections like SIBO or dysbiosis, he is at risk of leaky gut problems.

Medical Diagnosis Of Leaky Gut:

In medical conditions, symptoms of leaky gut problems are common. Therefore, if you think you have to undergo a medical check-up of your body, then keep in mind that doctors will suggest following medical check-ups.

Bowel Disease & Disorders:

If you have symptoms of leaky gut problems, your doctors will come to know by physically examining you. For joint pain, doctors prefer blood tests to know about inflammation. For abdominal pain, doctors prefer imagining like ultrasound tests.

For intestinal hyperpermeability, doctors use the word LEAKY GUT. But, it does not mean you have this problem.

Urine Test:

A urine test is essential to know about increased intestinal permeability. Still, medical professionals do not think it is reliable.

For a urine test, doctors suggest drinking a solution of probe molecules (mannitol and lactulose). They take these samples at a specific time and calculate the ratio of lactulose and mannitol. 

If they find out that both molecules have higher-levels, it means there is an increased intestinal permeability. However, the exact establishment of leaky gut problems is still controversial, and this diagnosis tests too. Therefore, taking proper care after understanding the symptoms of leaky gut problems is essential to avoid severe diseases.

How To Improve From Leaky Gut?

No doubts that improving from leaky gut problems means to understand self-care and treatments. The treatment does not only mean to use medical treatment. One has to start with changing diet plans to address leaky gut problems at the primary level. Changing diets means to change intestinal bacteria. One can also do it with probiotics and anti-inflammatory medications or antibiotics that doctors suggest. Let us discuss a few ways to address the leaky gut problems. 

Change Diet:

There is a lot to understand while considering dietary changes. You have to choose fresh and healthy vegetables. It reduces inflammation and helps to improve. If people have been diagnosed with celiac diseases, they are required to eat a gluten-free diet. It helps them control symptoms of it, conditions, and inflammation. People having celiac diseases have leaky gut problems because of intestinal inflammation.

Use Of Probiotics:

Probiotics are supplements that can balance bacterial growth in the intestines. One can find probiotics in many foods, like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and fermented foods.

Use Supplements:

You may have observed that most people, who go to the gym for exercise, use supplements to meet their daily requirements of proteins and amino acids. Like that, companies sell some-supplements and products by claiming that they can balance bacteria or correct gut bacteria. However, you have to be wary about such products, because no research is made and found that they are helpful.

Medications:

Medications are anti-inflammatory and support against inflammation. Doctors may suggest steroids, medicine, antibiotics help intestinal hyperpermeability. Still, there is no guaranteed way to treat it. Therefore, before taking any medication, you should seek advice from professional doctors and experts.

Changing Habits:

Sometimes, it becomes hard to recognize a person for a leaky gut diagnosis. Therefore, one can bring changes to habits to cure leaky gut problems. Most people use supplements and specific diets. However, they can change their behaviors that can bring significant changes to the leaky gut problems. You can adopt one of the following changes or more than one change to cure leaky gut problems. 

• Control your stress levels, and it will work best.
• Get plenty of sleep (approximately 7-9 hours/night).
• Control your alcohol consumption. 
• Try alternatives to NSAIDs.

What Are The Benefits Of Supplements?

Following are the benefits of supplements. You can suggest these supplements according to your requirements.

• Probiotics:- can encourage a healthy gut microbiome to help to maintain the intestinal barrier. 
• L-Glutamine:- these are amino acids having a significant property for the gut lining and stress levels.
• Vitamin D:- it helps in maintaining the immune system and prevent future health problems. So, go and expose yourself to the sun.

Final Thoughts:

Did you understand everything about leaky gut problems? In this article, I have concluded a detailed analysis of leaky gut symptoms. I have also covered how to treat leaky gut problems. If you think you have any signs of leaky gut problems, try to change your diet and habits by taking advice from professionals and doctors. One must take care and take steps towards a healthy lifestyle before this problem becomes severe.