Some studies show that leaky gut may be associated with other autoimmune diseases (lupus, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis), chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, arthritis, allergies, asthma, acne, obesity, and even mental illness.
For example, digestive conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and Crohn's disease share many of the same symptoms as leaky gut, and are all linked with chronic inflammation, but it's not known how, or if, they are connected.
With leaky gut syndrome, the tight junctions between intestinal cells become loose. This creates gaps that allow harmful substances such as toxins, pathogens, and bad bacteria to enter the bloodstream. These gaps also let digestive enzymes and undigested food particles leak out of the gut.
Leaky Gut and the Connection to Autoimmune Disease
Leaky gut syndrome is almost always associated with autoimmune disease. In fact, reversing symptoms of autoimmune disease depends on healing the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. Any other treatment is just symptom suppression.
A wide variety of other symptoms, including mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, chronic fatigue, brain fog, arthritis, and allergies may result from increased intestinal permeability, Dunn says. In some cases, “leaky gut can manifest without gut-related symptoms,” she notes.
Dysbiosis, or bacterial imbalance, is a leading cause of the leaky gut syndrome. It means an imbalance between helpful and harmful species of bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. Poor diet, comprising proteins found in unsprouted grains, sugar, genetically-modified foods (GMO), and dairy products.
Nowadays, gut microbiota deviations are linked with many diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hepatic steatosis, intestinal bowel diseases (IBDs) and several types of cancer.
The short answer is no, they aren't the same. Leaky gut is characterized solely by hyperpermeable intestinal walls and is not specific to any one health condition. It often occurs during episodes of illness and can be found in IBD, but is not a diagnostic criteria for either Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis.
Leaky Gut is Associated with Chronic Inflammatory Diseases
There are various causes of leaky gut syndrome, including often-overlooked small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), mast cell activation syndrome, and mold illness.
Leaky Gut Assessment (Intestinal Barrier Function)
Blood or stool tests for zonulin can indicate the presence of leaky gut. Blood tests can also show potential causes of leaky gut: high histamine, low DAO, antibodies to intestinal cells, and immune activation to bacteria.
In patients with SLE, impaired intestinal barrier function leads to increased intestinal permeability, allowing pathogens, toxins, and bacteria to leak out of the gut lumen and translocate to other organs, which is called a “leaky gut” (8).
If you have leaky gut syndrome, you should avoid these foods: refined carbohydrates, glutinous grains, white sugar, dairy products, vegetable oils, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, and caffeine.
A Connection Between Fibromyalgia and 'Leaky Gut'? Kumar points to another study that indicates having SIBO increases fibromyalgia pain in areas outside the gut. This may happen due to a somewhat controversial condition called leaky gut.
Neurological conditions related to intestinal permeability
Studies have associated 'leaky gut' with the following conditions: schizophrenia. autism spectrum disorder (ASD) bipolar disorder.
A "leaky gut" occurs when your intestinal lining becomes porous, allowing undigested foods and bacteria into the bloodstream. If left untreated, this condition can lead to chronic brain inflammation, which in turn can lead to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.
Crohn's disease is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. It is an autoimmune disorder, meaning your body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in your body. Crohn's disease is chronic (ongoing), and may appear and disappear at various times.
Imbalance of the normal gut microbiota have been linked with gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and wider systemic manifestations of disease such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and atopy.
Deficiency in either vitamin A or vitamin D results in leaky guts. In addition to gut epithelial cells, the mucosal immune system is a target of vitamin A and vitamin D.
“Leaky gut can happen quickly depending on your diet, medications and stress,” says Dr. La Vella. “The good news is the gut can also heal quickly with stress reduction, eating well and not taking medications that damage the gut or weaken the mucosal lining.”