Leaky Gut: The Hidden Root of Inflammation, Fatigue, and Autoimmunity

If you’ve been feeling bloated, inflamed, fatigued, foggy, or frustrated by vague symptoms that seem to come and go—or if you've been told "everything looks normal" while still feeling off—there’s a good chance your gut may be the missing piece.

And more specifically, something called leaky gut could be at the root of it.

In this post, we're going to break down:

• What leaky gut actually is
  
  
• Why so many people are dealing with it today (hint: it’s not just about what you eat)
  
  
• What types of symptoms and conditions it can trigger
  
  
• And most importantly—how to begin healing it from a root-cause, functional medicine perspective
  
  

What Is Leaky Gut?

Your gut lining is incredibly thin—just one cell thick—and it’s designed to act as a gatekeeper: letting in nutrients your body needs while keeping out the things it doesn’t, like toxins, bacteria, and undigested food particles.

When this barrier becomes damaged and the “tight junctions” between those cells loosen, it leads to something called increased intestinal permeability—aka leaky gut.

When that happens, things that are supposed to stay inside your digestive tract begin to leak into your bloodstream. Your immune system sees those invaders as threats and reacts with an inflammatory response. Over time, this immune activation can contribute to:

• Food sensitivities
  
  
• Chronic inflammation
  
  
• Autoimmune conditions
  
  
• Mood imbalances
  
  
• Skin issues
  
  
• Fatigue
  
  
• And even metabolic problems
  
  

Why Is Leaky Gut So Common Today?

Our bodies were not designed for the modern environment we live in. Here are a few of the biggest contributors to gut damage in today’s world:

1. Ultra-Processed Foods

Refined sugar, seed oils, artificial additives, and emulsifiers disrupt the gut lining and harm your beneficial bacteria.

2. Medications

Common drugs like NSAIDs, antibiotics, acid blockers, and hormonal birth control can damage the gut lining or alter your microbiome.

3. Environmental Toxins

Chemicals like glyphosate (used in pesticides), BPA (from plastics), mold, and heavy metals can directly impact gut health and increase permeability.

4. Chronic Stress

Stress shifts your body into fight-or-flight mode, which suppresses digestion, reduces protective immune compounds like secretory IgA, and increases inflammation in the gut lining.

5. Lack of Fiber & Diversity

Most people today are consuming far less fiber and plant diversity than our ancestors, which starves beneficial bacteria and weakens gut integrity.

It’s a perfect storm—and your gut ends up taking the hit.

What Can Leaky Gut Lead To?

Here’s the tough part: leaky gut rarely shows up on standard lab work, and its symptoms often look different for everyone. But left unaddressed, it can lead to:

• Systemic inflammation
  
  
• Food sensitivities and histamine intolerance
  
  
• Autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis
  
  
• Anxiety, depression, and brain fog (thanks to the gut-brain axis)
  
  
• Skin conditions like acne, eczema, and rosacea
  
  
• Blood sugar imbalances and poor metabolic function
  
  

In fact, Dr. Alessio Fasano—one of the world’s top researchers on autoimmunity—says that leaky gut is a prerequisite for developing autoimmune disease.

How to Heal Leaky Gut (The Functional Medicine Way)

The good news? You can heal.

In functional medicine, we use a step-by-step process called the 5R Protocol to restore gut health. Here’s how it works:

✅ 1. Remove

Remove inflammatory foods (like sugar, gluten, seed oils, and processed foods), environmental toxins, and underlying infections like Candida or SIBO.

✅ 2. Replace

Support digestion with things your body may be missing—like stomach acid, digestive enzymes, or bile. Herbal bitters, apple cider vinegar, or ginger tea can also help.

✅ 3. Reinoculate

Rebuild your microbiome using fermented foods (if tolerated), prebiotic fiber (like garlic, onions, and asparagus), and high-quality probiotic supplements.

✅ 4. Repair

Use gut-healing nutrients like:

• L-glutamine
  
  
• Collagen or bone broth
  
  
• Zinc carnosine
  
  
• Omega-3s
  
  
• Vitamin A and D
  
  
• Quercetin
  
  

These help strengthen the gut lining and reduce inflammation.

✅ 5. Rebalance

This is the lifestyle piece—and it matters a lot. Addressing stress, getting quality sleep, regulating your nervous system, and supporting your circadian rhythm all help your gut heal and stay resilient.

Final Thoughts

If you’re dealing with symptoms that don’t have clear answers—or if you’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue, or hormonal issues—it’s worth asking: Could my gut be the root of this?

Healing leaky gut doesn’t happen overnight, but it is possible. It starts with listening to your body, removing what’s not serving you, and intentionally creating an environment where your body can repair.

If you’re ready to start that journey, I’d love to help.

💡 Want to Go Deeper?

Check out my latest podcast episode:
🎧 Leaky Gut: The Hidden Root of Inflammation, Fatigue, and Autoimmunity → Click here to listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

And if you're ready for a step-by-step plan to reclaim your energy and reset your body from the inside out, my 8-week coaching program, Lifestyle School for Weight-Loss, was made for you. We focus on healing the gut, balancing hormones, regulating blood sugar, and building a lifestyle that actually works long term.

👉 Learn more about Lifestyle School here → HERE