Leaky Gut Symptoms
Written by 
Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on
May 19, 2025
Written by
Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on May 19, 2025
—
Reviewed by 
Hannah Wright
If you’ve ever felt like your gut is out of sync—bloating after meals, brain fog that won’t lift, or strange food reactions—you’re not alone. These could be signs of leaky gut syndrome, a theoretical diagnosis that’s gaining attention in both research and functional medicine circles.
Though it’s not yet an official medical diagnosis, many people find that addressing a leaky gut—which is a real occurrence—improves a wide range of symptoms, from poor digestion to off-moods and skin problems.
So, what is a leaky gut, really? And what can you do about it?
What Is a Leaky Gut?
Leaky gut syndrome—more formally known as increased intestinal permeability—describes a measurable situation where the lining of your intestine becomes compromised.
Normally, the cells of your intestines are packed together with just enough room to regulate what stays in your gut (waste, harmful microbes, and toxins) and what gets absorbed into your bloodstream (nutrients and water). This quality means your gut is semi-permeable.
But when these tight junctions loosen, it’s as if your gut wall becomes a sieve instead of a filter. Undigested food particles and metabolites can “leak” into your bloodstream, triggering your immune system to respond to these threats 1. This can lead to widespread inflammation and, over time, a cascade of symptoms.
Things that compromise the gut lining may also harm the gut microbes and tell the body to make too much of a protein called zonulin, which helps regulate gut permeability. Too much zonulin may cause the intestines to become leaky.
As I mentioned earlier, leaky gut isn’t a formal medical diagnosis, but increased intestinal permeability is real and linked to an array of chronic conditions. This makes leaky gut a helpful concept for understanding and managing chronic symptoms tied to the gut.
Leaky Gut Symptoms
Because your gut affects far more than digestion, leaky gut symptoms can show up in expected or surprising places.
Digestive Symptoms
These are the most common symptoms—and often the first to appear:
- Gas and bloating
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Reflux or heartburn 2
- Symptoms of digestive disorders like IBS, IBD, celiac disease, or SIBO
These symptoms are often related to microbial imbalances (like bacterial overgrowths) that inflame and weaken the gut lining.
Whole-Body Symptoms
Once inflammation takes root, other symptoms can appear almost anywhere in the body, such as:
These issues likely stem from immune reactions and widespread inflammation that can arise when the gut barrier fails to do its job well.
What Causes Leaky Gut?
It’s not clear yet what causes a leaky gut, but you can think of it as a warning light—your body signaling that something is out of balance. Potential insults to the gut lining include:
- Inflammation from infections or disease 10
- Eating a lot of ultra-processed foods 11
- Drinking any amount of alcohol 12
- Eating a high-fat diet 13
- Chronic high stress 14
- Sleeping poorly on a regular basis 15
- Overuse of NSAIDs like ibuprofen 16
We’re also not sure whether a leaky gut can cause or be caused by these other conditions that often occur at the same time:
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) 17 18
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) 1
- Celiac disease 19
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) 20
- Dysbiosis (imbalanced gut microbes) 6
- Mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease 21
- Rheumatoid arthritis 5
The association between a leaky gut and these conditions is strong, which may be why when we take functional steps to heal the gut, symptoms related to each of the conditions can get better.
How to Improve Leaky Gut Symptoms
The good news? You don’t need to micromanage every symptom. The most effective way to support a leaky gut is to focus on proven ways of healing the gut itself. In our clinic, that means taking a three-pronged approach:
- Diet
- Lifestyle habits
- Targeted supplements
1. Diet: Start With Anti-Inflammatory Foundations
Nutritious foods are powerful tools for healing your gut lining 22. Think of it like this: if you had a rash from a deodorant, you wouldn’t just put on cortisone cream—you’d stop using the deodorant. Similarly, if your gut is reacting to something you’re eating, continuing to eat it only prolongs the inflammation.
These diets have research showing their benefits for a leaky gut:
- Mediterranean diet: In a clinical trial, women who followed the Mediterranean diet for 3 months had lower levels of leaky gut markers, likely due to increased short-chain fatty acids (from fiber) and omega-3s (from fish) 23.
- Low FODMAP diet: Another clinical trial showed that IBS-D patients who ate a low FODMAP diet for 12 weeks had reduced leaky gut markers 24.
For many people, starting with a Mediterranean diet is enough. If their symptoms don’t improve much after about a month, layering on a more targeted approach like a low FODMAP diet may lead to healing. But if I have clients whose symptoms still persist after several weeks of low FODMAP, I guide them to use an elemental diet.
An elemental diet is a powerful short-term tool for reducing gut inflammation, treating conditions like Crohn’s, IBS with SIBO, and even rheumatoid arthritis 25 26 27.
And remember—don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Being 80% consistent is often enough to see change.
2. Lifestyle: Small Shifts, Big Results
Chronic stress, poor sleep, and intense long workouts can worsen gut health and may contribute to a leaky gut. Many people get wooed by fancy supplement protocols and special diets, but some simple behavior changes can significantly improve symptoms of a leaky gut.
You don’t necessarily need to do all the things to experience a benefit. Chances are, you’ll notice that just a couple of these are out of balance.
- Managing stress is essential for gut health 14 28—for example, mindfulness practices can lower inflammation and strengthen immune function, helping to prevent or improve leaky gut 29.
- Reduce stress with daily meditation, at least 2 hours/week in nature, journaling, or cognitive behavioral therapy
- Exercising, especially at a moderate intensity for less than 60 minutes, can support gut health and help repair a leaky gut—but intense workouts longer than an hour can make it worse 30.
- Get regular, moderate (and some vigorous) exercise 3–5 times per week for less than 1 hour per session
- Sleeping well may help prevent a leaky gut 15. Prioritize quality sleep by:
- Maintaining a consistent routine and getting 7–9 hours each night.
- Eating and exercising earlier in the day.
- Avoiding caffeine 12 hours before bedtime 31.
- Avoiding blue light for 1–2 hours before bedtime.
- Avoiding alcohol or reduce it significantly, especially close to bedtime.
- Switching out NSAIDs with other chronic pain relief options sometimes.
3. Supplements to Heal a Leaky Gut
There are lots of leaky gut supplements that benefit intestinal barrier function and gut health. These are the top four I encourage my clients to try:
- Probiotics—especially Lacto/Bifido blends—can help heal a leaky gut by reducing inflammation, lowering bacterial toxins, and restoring healthy gut bacteria 32 33.
- Bovine colostrum shows strong potential for improving leaky gut, with 80% of studies in a meta-analysis reporting positive effects 34.
- Immunoglobulins can reduce leaky gut and inflammation markers, as one randomized controlled trial (gold-standard study) showed they did for HIV patients who took them for 6 months 35.
- Glutamine can improve gut barrier function and reduce symptoms in patients with a leaky gut—one randomized controlled trial found an 80% improvement in symptoms 36.
- Zinc may help protect the gut lining by boosting proteins that hold gut cells together. In one study, people who did intense workouts had a 3x increase in gut leakiness—but after 14 days of taking zinc carnosine, that spike dropped by 70%. It’s best to get zinc from foods, such as oysters, beef, crab, oats, pumpkin seeds, pork, lentils, and sardines 37.
With so many natural products marketed for gut health, it’s tough to know which supplements are actually worth it. On top of that, trying to buy and keep track of five or more different supplements can quickly become expensive and exhausting.
Dissatisfied with many of the products available to my clients, my team and I have created several of the above supplements, including:
Don’t Let a Leaky Gut Ruin Your Life
A leaky gut may be behind more symptoms than you think—from digestive distress to brain fog and fatigue. But the path to healing isn’t complicated.
Rather than trying to chase each symptom, I suggest focusing on your gut: Eat an anti-inflammatory diet, build sustainable healthy habits, and maybe use a few targeted supplements to support your body’s natural repair process.
You don’t need to do it all at once—just take the first step.
Ready to get started? Download our Gut Reset Guide and begin restoring balance from the inside out.
Dr. Michael Ruscio is a DC, natural health provider, researcher, and clinician. He serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Bridgeport and has published numerous papers in scientific journals as well as the book Healthy Gut, Healthy You. He also founded the Ruscio Institute of Functional Health, where he helps patients with a wide range of GI conditions and serves as the Head of Research.➕ References
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