The term “leaky gut” has become a popular buzzword phrase, but what most people don’t realize is that poor gut health may very well be underlying their mysterious health issues.

Weight gain, autoimmunity, food allergies, skin problems, depression, chronic inflammation and more: a leaky gut is often at the root of the problem. Perhaps that’s why the Father of Western Medicine, Hippocrates, said over 2,000 years ago: “All disease begins in the gut.”

What Is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Scientifically speaking, a “leaky gut” is known as “intestinal permeability.” This means that our intestines are permeable and allow things through that they normally would keep out (like food or toxins).

Simply put, your “gut” (a.k.a. intestinal tract) is a tube that makes up part of your digestive system. It’s not as simple as a hose or pipe; it’s an amazing tube made of live cells tightly bound together. Your gut helps your body absorb fluids and nutrients, digests your food, and houses billions of friendly gut microbes.

It's also selective to what it allows past its barrier. Your intestinal tract purposefully keeps some things from being absorbed, so they pass right on through to the other end to be eliminated as waste. You don't want to absorb many harmful microbes or toxins into your body, right?

It’s important to realize that up to 80 percent of the immune system is located within the gut wall, and the immune system’s first and foremost job is to produce inflammation in response to anything foreign that passes through the gut wall (like undigested food particles, toxins, bacteria, etc.).

Absorption of fluids and nutrients happens when they're allowed through this cellular tube into the circulation. And this is great... as long as what's being absorbed are fluids and nutrients. The blood and lymph then carry the nutrients to your liver, and then around to the rest of your body; this is so that all your cells, all the way to your toenails, get the nutrition they need to be healthy and grow.

How does a gut become “leaky?”

The gut can become leaky if the cells get damaged, or if the bonds that hold the cells together get damaged. Leaky gut can be caused or worsened by a number of diet and lifestyle factors. Dietary factors like too much sugar or alcohol or even eating things that you're intolerant to can all contribute to leaky gut. Lifestyle factors like stress, lack of sleep, infections, and some medications can also be culprits in this area. Sometimes, if the balance of gut microbes inside the gut is thrown off, this can also contribute to a leaky gut.

Any contributing factors that alter the balance in your gut may cause our gut to become "permeable" or leak. At this point, incompletely digested nutrients, microbes (infectious or friendly), toxins, or waste products can more easily get into our bodies.

As you can imagine, this is not a good thing.

What are the symptoms of a leaky gut?

Because so much of your immune system is around your gut, the immune cells quickly recognize a “foreign invader” and start their response. This is normal and good if the gut is working properly and not allowing too many things to “leak” in.

But when that happens too much,