We first reported on leaky gut syndrome here on the nmi portal at the end of 2016. In internet forums and Facebook groups as well as on pseudo-medical sites, this “diagnosis” suddenly popped up again and again. The gut would be damaged by our food and our lifestyle, would have holes and would therefore be leaky. This would allow food components, toxins and bacteria to enter the body and cause all kinds of illnesses. From intolerances to asthma and cancer.
The renowned fact check website medizintransparent also looked into the matter in 2017 and came to the same conclusion as us: Leaky gut syndrome does not exist. Or rather, we don’t know how to determine it. There was simply no scientific literature on leaky gut syndrome.
A new assessment of the situation
We then looked again in 2019 and still made no changes to the assessment. And now, at the end of 2023, we’ve done it again. Science has discovered a lot in the last ten years. But does the leaky gut syndrome that pseudo-medical healers propagated back then finally exist? If so, to put it in medizintransparent terms, then these people deserve a Nobel Prize.
Leaky gut in scientific literature
And indeed: Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS) is now appearing in the scientific literature! Renowned manufacturers of probiotics propagate leaky gut (not the syndrome!) in their advertising…. What happened? Have all nutritionists been wrong?
No, they didn’t. The postulated leaky gut syndrome still does not exist. But today we know more about the gut and its connection with diseases than we did 10 years ago. We know that there can be certain (local) inflammatory reactions in the intestine that can be traced back to diet and our modern lifestyle and can be treated well with the right diet and exercise. We know that intestinal bacteria play an important role in many areas of our health. From obesity to depressive moods, bacteria in the gut are important factors. They may well be partly responsible for how well our intestines function and how permeable they are. The increased intestinal permeability in particular, which correlates with the bacterial composition, is now recognized but not yet fully understood. This condition is now referred to in some studies under the term “leaky gut syndrome”. But beware: the intestine is always permeable, otherwise we would starve to death despite our food intake. And above all, we will still not know in 2023 to what extent the change in permeability is the cause or consequence of diseases. So that it is now really incomprehensible: the term “leaky gut syndrome” is used differently in the scientific literature than in the alternative medical hypothesis.
How are you supposed to know your way around …
The conclusion is clear
Many intestinal problems have easily explainable causes, but these are often not found. Switching to a healthy diet and exercise is difficult, but would be the right way to go. This is much more difficult than swallowing probiotics and zeolite. Blaming leaky gut syndrome for all the problems you have is an easy way to put money in the pockets of some non-medical healers.
The Cleveland Clinic writes about leaky gut syndrome:
“Many people have vague gastrointestinal symptoms, and many times the causes are frustratingly elusive In the absence of straight answers, “leaky gut syndrome” has emerged in the mainstream as a catch-all diagnosis for general indigestion — and possibly many other conditions. But true intestinal hyperpermeability is too specific and too extreme to explain most people’s symptoms.
Most people simply have general gut inflammation — the precursor to intestinal permeability. This may be due to a specific disease, or it may be a cumulative effect of poor diet, chronic stress and other common factors. […] A qualified gastroenterologist can help you sort through the possible causes of your specific symptoms.”
Cleveland Clinic, 2022
Sources
1) Leaky Gut Syndrome, Zechmann-Khreis, M., Assessment 2023, nmi-Portal
2) Cleveland Clinic, 2022, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22724-leaky-gut-syndrome, accessed on 8.12.2023
3) Campos, M.; Harvard Health Blog, “Leaky gut: What is it, and what does it mean for you?”, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/leaky-gut-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-for-you-2017092212451, accessed 8.12.2023,
4) Kinashi Y and Hase K (2021) Partners in Leaky Gut Syndrome: Intestinal Dysbiosis and Autoimmunity. Front. Immunol. 12:673708. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.673708
