Leaky Gut: What Is A Leaky Gut & What Are Its Causes

In the process of digestion, the food we swallow moves down the esophagus into the stomach. There, the food is broken down and moved to the small intestine. The small intestine absorbs water and nutrients from it and the waste products move to the large intestine. The large intestine works on absorbing the water and hardens the waste, making it easier for it to pass.

The water absorbed by the large intestine is transferred to your bloodstream with the help of a tight barrier that controls what gets absorbed into the bloodstream. However, when this tight barrier, formed by the intestinal lining, has large holes or cracks, the other partially digested food also penetrates the barrier. This is what is known as a leaky gut.

A leaky gut is when the permeability of the intestine is affected. However, this doesn’t mean that a healthy intestine is not permeable. The gut lining should be strong enough to block the non digested food but also pass water. However, in some intestines, this lining is not that strong making it damaged and not performable as a barrier.

What Causes Leaky Gut Syndrome?

The leaky gut syndrome is caused for 4 main reasons: 

  1. Dysbiosis or bacterial imbalance: The imbalance between the good and bad bacteria in your gut can cause the leaky gut syndrome.
  2. Bad diet: Many food items that we consume on a daily basis can affect the gut lining. Some proteins found in grains, sugar, GMOs, and dairy products may affect it.
  3. Stress: Being stressed most of the time not only affects your mood. It affects the entire working of your body, including the weakening of your immune system. When you are stressed, your immune system won’t be able to eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses that cause a leaky gut.
  4. Excess toxins: An excess of toxic substances on a daily basis also causes damage to your gut lining.

If you have a leaky gut, it is important to talk to a doctor about it. To heal from it, you will have to make changes to your lifestyle, diet and take some medication that helps fix the broken barrier. The best way to do that is with the help of an expert. At SMILES, we have expert gastroenterologists who can guide you through the process of healing from a leaky gut. Book an appointment, today!