Diseases Linked to Leaky Gut
1) Autoimmune Diseases
A dysfunctional intestinal barrier is an important cause of autoimmune disorders [R].
Leaky gut can be a source of the whole-body immune activation and Th17/Treg cell imbalance seen in autoimmune diseases [R].
Increased gut permeability may favor the development of:
- Type 1 diabetes [R, R, R].
- Autoimmune hepatitis [R, R].
- Ankylosing spondylitis [R, R].
- Celiac disease [R, R].
- Rheumatoid arthritis [R].
- Lupus [R].
Less than 10% of the people who are genetically susceptible to autoimmune disease, actually develop the diseases [R]. This means that environmental factors are much more important in autoimmune disease development.
In genetically predisposed people, a leaky allows foreign inflammatory agents to enter the body. Then, they trigger the initiation and development of the autoimmune disease [R].
Blocking zonulin, a protein that opens tight junctions, can reduce intestinal permeability. It can also reverse type 1 diabetes in rats and prevent leaky gut in celiac patients exposed to gluten [R, R, R].
A study (DB-RCT) of 342 adults showed that larazotide, a drug that blocks zonulin, reduced signs and symptoms in celiac disease patients [R].
2) IBD
In 110 patients with IBD, impaired intestinal permeability was associated with ongoing bowel symptoms. Increases in permeability correlated with more severe diarrhea [R].
Intestinal permeability is increased in most patients with Crohn’s disease. However, it is also increased in 30% of their healthy relatives (223 healthy subjects) [R].
Noteworthy, the ‘gut leakiness’ in Crohn’s patients and their relatives can be further greatly increased by aspirin [R].
A therapy that blocks TNF-alpha, an inflammation-promoting cytokine, restored intestinal permeability in 23 Crohn’s disease patients [R].
3) IBS
When 36 IBS patients with suspected food intolerance eat the food in question, it immediately disrupted their intestinal barrier, as compared to controls [R].
4) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Increased gut permeability is also a likely cause of the severe fatigue and brain fog in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome [R, R].
A study of 41 with chronic fatigue syndrome patients showed that more than half of them improved when they took supplements that help gut barrier function (such as glutamine and zinc) [R].
5) Diseases of the Nervous System
Increased gut permeability is found in the following diseases:
- Multiple Sclerosis [R, R, R].
- Schizophrenia (those with a history of a childhood celiac disease have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia) [R, R].
- Alzheimer’s disease [R].
- Parkinson’s [R].
6) Depression
A study of 112 people with depression (and 28 controls) showed they have increased antibodies against gut bacteria, suggesting a ‘leaky gut’ [R, R].
A study of 60 alcoholic subjects with leaky gut showed that they are more prone to depression and anxiety [R].
7) Autism
Some studies (53 patients and 73 controls) showed that intestinal permeability is higher in those with autism [R, R].
In fact, both those with autism and their first-degree relatives are more likely to have higher intestinal permeability [R].
Patients with autism on a gluten-free, casein-free diet had lower gut permeability than those on unrestricted diets [R].
However, two other studies (140 subjects) found no abnormal intestinal permeability in autistic children [R, R].
8) Allergies
A study of 41 patients with food allergies or food sensitivities showed thatthey have increased gut permeability. In fact, those with higher intestinal permeability have more severe symptoms [R].
Those with food allergies have leaky gut after eating trigger foods. However, their gut permeability was also increased at baseline, when they were on elimination diets [R, R, R].
A study of 131 allergic children with no symptoms and on elimination diets showed that about a third had increased gut permeability [R].
9) Asthma
Another study on 14 patients with moderate to severe asthma showed that half had abnormal intestinal permeability [R].
10) Eczema, Psoriasis, and Acne
A study of 15 patients with psoriasis showed that they also have higher intestinal permeability than controls [R].
A study of 18 people with eczema showed that they have a compromised intestinal barrier regardless if they had food allergies [R].
11) Obesity
Obese people have leaky guts. Two studies, one with 40 and one with 55 subjects, showed that those with larger waists and worse metabolic parameters had higher gut permeability [R, R].
Higher gut permeability is associated with higher BMI, increased inflammation (IL-6), and lower insulin sensitivity (123 men) [R].
12) Diabetes
Leaky gut is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes (130 people with diabetes and 161 controls) [R].
Increased gut permeability (high zonulin) is associated with pregnancy-induced diabetes (88 pregnant women) [R].
13) Liver Disease
Intestinal permeability is increased in children with fatty liver. Those with higher permeability have more severe disease symptoms (39 patients and 21 controls) [R].
Patients with liver cirrhosis have increased intestinal permeability and intestinal barrier dysfunction [R].
Not all heavy drinkers develop a chronic liver injury. A leaky gut may be a necessary factor for the development of chronic liver injury among heavy drinkers [R].
14) Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Patients with obstructive sleep apnea have a higher risk of having leaky gut (38 patients and 38 controls) [R].
15) Cancer
Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (16 patients) and patients with breast cancer (10 patients and 22 controls) had increased intestinal permeability [R, R].
Increased tight junction permeability precedes the development of colon cancer in rats [R].
In cancer-prone mice, high-fat diet disrupts gap junction proteins, thereby increasing gut permeability. This leads to increased inflammation and development of tumors [R].
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