So we talked about how effective the low FODMAPs diet can be to reduce digestive symptoms. For some people, following the low FODMAPs diet (and treating SIBO) will be enough to make most of their symptoms disappear. But sometimes it's not enough, and this is when you need to start tweaking your diet and digging a bit further to find the root cause of your health issues!

If you experience any other health issues like headaches, frequent cold and flu, fatigue, joint pain, skin issues, anxiety, depression, auto-immune diseases (like Hashimoto's), then you might have a condition called Leaky Gut.

Leaky gut is common in anyone who suffers from digestive issues, so if your bowel function is less than optimal (especially if you have food intolerances..more on that coming up), you might have it and should definitely take the quiz below.

However, it's important to know that about 30% of people with leaky gut have little or no digestive issues at all, so don't rule it out even if you have a good bowel function.

ACTION STEP: Download the quiz below to find out if you might have a Leaky Gut.

What exactly is a Leaky Gut?

Think of the lining of your small intestine as a net with extremely small holes in it that only allow specific substances to pass through. Your gut lining works as a barrier keeping out bigger particles that can damage your system.

When someone has a leaky gut (also referred to as increased intestinal permeability), the ‘net’ in your digestive tract gets damaged. Now things that normally could not pass through are able to make their way through.

Some of the things that can now pass through include proteins like gluten, bad bacteria and undigested foods particles.

When these food particles and other proteins enter the bloodstream through a leaky gut instead of being properly broken down and absorbed, they are now “foreign invaders” and must be destroyed.

Your body immediately responds by activating the immune system to protect your body from those unknown invaders. This can create all sorts of problems like a compromised immune system (catching every cold and viruses around), allergies, chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, fatigue, joint pain, skin issues, as well as digestive issues, and food intolerance.

There is a strong body of evidence pointing to leaky gut syndrome as a major cause of autoimmune diseases (like Hashimoto’s, Rheumatoid arthritis, etc).

So you did the questionnaire, and you think you might have a leaky gut... but why?

The cause of Leaky Gut is widely debated. However, here are some of the main contributors. In my experience, most people will have a few of those risk factors, which will over time lead to a progressive worsening of their symptoms, and an increasing number of food sensitivities.

Diet: Consuming high amounts of refined sugars, processed foods, preservatives, refined flours and flavourings can cause inflammation in the gut, and also have a negative impact on the gut bacteria (more on that in the next lesson).

Chronic stress: Chronic stress affects the immune system, which over time can lead to a leaky gut.

Inflammation/ imbalance in gut bacteria/Antibiotics: Any type of inflammation in the gut can lead to Leaky Gut. This can be brought on by low stomach acid, yeast overgrowth (Candida), bacteria overgrowth (SIBO), infection, parasites and excessive environmental toxins. Antibiotics are also a big contributing factor as they impact the balance of bacteria in the gut.

Medications: Pain killers like aspirin and ibuprofen can irritate the intestinal lining and eventually lead to a leaky gut.

Zinc deficiency: Many people are deficient in this critical nutrient, which plays an important role in maintaining gut integrity, and healing.

Go to the next lesson to learn how eliminating food sensitivities can make you feel a whole lot better!