The are a few, specific and common things that cause leaky gut syndrome.

Leaky gut syndrome is a digestive condition where gaps in your intestinal walls allow bacteria and other toxins to pass into your bloodstream. Not much is known about this condition but it is believed to contribute to a range of other medical conditions. 

Symptoms can include bloating, gas, cramps, food sensitivity, pain, IBD, IBS, autoimmune disease, thyroid problems, and inflammatory skin conditions. 

If you’re currently experiencing one or a combination of these symptoms, without knowing the exact cause, you may have leaky gut syndrome. I’ll be publishing a separate article on which foods to avoid if you have leaky gut syndrome so you may want to read that [1, 2, 3]. 

If you already know what causes leaky gut, here are 17 tips to heal it.

Avoid Or Address These Leaky Gut Syndrome Causes

Prevention is always better than cure, especially against conditions that have yet to be fully understood. This article lists the possible causes of leaky gut syndrome. Read on if you want to avoid getting a leaky gut or if you want to avoid getting it again in the future. 

1. Suffering Various Injuries

Avoid injuring yourself to avoid getting a leaky gut. 

A study on 29 intensive care patients showed that injuries actually increase intestinal permeability for 72 to 96 hours after trauma. The graver the injury, the more the permeability. 

In one study, it was shown that subjects suffering from burn injuries showed signs of imbalance in gut bacteria and intestinal permeability [4, 5, 6]. 

Check out this article that reveals how to quickly reduce pain from various injuries.

2. Undergoing Chemo or Radiation Therapy 

Watch out for leaky gut syndrome if you’re planning to undergo chemo or radiation therapy.

Studies show that radiation therapy increases intestinal permeability in humans, rapidly disrupted tight junctions in mice, and increased gut permeability in monkeys. 

Several studies have shown that chemotherapy likewise increases gut permeability in humans, although the exact reason why has yet to be found [7, 8, 9]. 

3. Disturbing Your Circadian Rhythm

If you work at night and sleep in the morning, you’re more likely to suffer a leaky gut.

Your circadian rhythm is more than just the amount of sleep you get, it also affects your quality of sleep and other aspects of health. One of these health benefits is the maintenance of the intestinal barrier. 

In one study, people who worked at night were shown to be prone to alcohol-induced leaky-gut when compared to their day-working counterparts [10, 11, 12].  

Speaking of which…Can’t Sleep Without Counting Sheep? How to Cure Insomnia Forever!

4. Imbalance In Gut Bacteria

It’s been speculated that an imbalance in gut bacteria diversity can contribute to a leaky gut. 

Not all bacteria in your gut is bad. Some bacteria actually help in the digestion process. Dysbiosis or imbalance in gut bacteria can cause gut barrier dysfunction in several disorders and diseases. 

One study on 100 overweight pregnant women showed those with leaky guts had a lower diversity of gut bacteria [13, 14, 15]. 

5. Not Getting Enough Nutrients In Your Diet

Making sure you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients will help maintain the gut barrier. 

Studies show that the mineral Zinc actually plays a role in keeping this barrier intact. One study in 25 children showed that a Zinc imbalance may be connected to abnormal intestinal permeability. 

Another study also showed that vitamins A and D are crucial for our intestinal barrier to function properly.  Vitamin A and D deficiency was connected to a weaker intestinal barrier in both rats and mice [16, 17, 18].

We’ve got a fantastic cookbook loaded, with 70+ easy to make, nutrient dense recipes. Check it out here. 

6. Getting An Infection

Since maintaining your intestinal barrier requires a balance of gut bacteria, getting infected with harmful bacteria throws off this balance and increases intestinal permeability. 

These harmful bacteria enter your body through tight junctions which are areas where the membranes of two adjacent cells join together to form a barrier. H. pylori, the germ that causes stomach ulcers, is an example of these bacteria. 

Studies also show that those suffering from malaria, candida fungus, or even tapeworms were also susceptible to a leaky gut [19, 20, 21]. 

7. Living Under Constant High Stress

Constant high stress doesn’t just affect your mind, it also affects your intestinal health. 

One study showed an increase in intestinal permeability and inflammation in individuals with stress hormones from the HPA axis such as CRH. 

One study on 23 healthy volunteers giving a public speech found heightened levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and increased intestinal permeability. 

Maternal separation was also found to increased gut permeability in rats [22, 23, 24]. 

If stress is an issue for you, here are 8 lifestyle changes to reduce stress.

8. Getting Inflamed From Eating Gluten and Other Allergens

Studies have linked inflammation to increased gut permeability. 

One way of getting inflamed is through an allergic reaction. In fact, some reactions, called “delayed hypersensitivity reactions, can still cause inflammation despite not actually being allergenic. 

So avoid foods like gluten, seafood, eggs, nuts, soy, etc if you’re sensitive to them [25, 26, 27].

9. Drinking Too Much Alcohol

Ease up on the alcohol if you want to avoid a leaky gut. Not only does it contain empty calories, but it also contains substances that harm your cells, liver, and gut health. 

One study showed alcohol contributing to intestinal permeability. One study on 36 alcoholics showed that the subjects suffered from increased intestinal permeability for up to 2 weeks after drinking. 

Red wine is alright, though, as one study showed, provided that it’s only drunk moderately. Just make sure you’re not suffering IBD as red wine will increase intestinal permeability [28, 29, 30].

10. Babies Have A Higher Risk

Don’t be alarmed, but your baby may have a leaky gut. This is natural in babies because it allows them to absorb immune substances from their mom’s milk. 

Science suggests that preterm babies actually have a leakier gut than full-term babies for their first two days of life.

However, another study did show that 75% of 62 preterm babies had lower intestinal permeability when fed mostly human milk when compared to those fed with low amounts of human milk or baby formula alone [31, 32, 33].

11. You’re Aging

It’s been theorized that our gut barrier simply weakens as we age as studies have shown higher rates of intestinal permeability in older people. 

But, this may only be half true as one study on 215 adults showed that age doesn’t directly deteriorate our gut barrier. Instead, it’s caused by chronic inflammation and minor diseases that we tend to suffer more as we age.  

One study on elderly people found a connection between higher levels of intestinal permeability and inflammation as well as lower muscle strength and decreased physical activity. 

A leaky gut allows bacteria to pass through your intestinal walls into your bloodstream. Although this condition isn’t fullyunderstood, it may contribute to other diseases. Avoid these 11 leaky gut causes to prevent yourself from suffering this condition [34, 35, 36].

Health by choice, not by chance.

Great health really is by choice, here’s how to choose it.