For most people, the digestive tract is a well-oiled machine: The food you eat travels to the stomach for partial digestion, then on to the intestines where the bulk of the nutrients are extracted and put to work via the bloodstream. But for people with leaky gut syndrome, also known as “intestinal permeability,” that system is disrupted.
“An unhealthy gut lining may have large cracks or holes, allowing partially digested food, toxins, and bugs to penetrate the tissues beneath it,” explains Harvard Health Publishing. “This may trigger inflammation and changes in the gut flora (normal bacteria) that could lead to problems within the digestive tract and beyond.”
However, leaky gut syndrome is not currently considered a medical diagnosis, in part because it’s difficult to distinguish the hypothetical condition from its underlying causes. Read more…
