Leaky Gut Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes & Testing Methods

Healthy intestines keep toxins and overabundant nutrients out of the blood stream. Leaky gut syndrome happens when the mucosal lining of the intestines becomes inflamed, which makes the intestines more permeable than they should be. As the intestines become more permeable, toxins can escape into the body. When the blood is overloaded with toxins, the liver and lymphatic systems become stressed as well, leading to a variety of health problems. Testing for leaky gut is easy and will allow you to take control of your health.

Things You'll Need

• Intestinal permeability test

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Instructions

Leaky gut symptoms and testing

• 1

  Understand the symptoms of leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut symptoms may include bloating, gas, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, constipation, headache, fatigue, memory loss, cramps, allergies, malnutrition, and general poor health. Leaky gut syndrome can compromise your immune and endocrine systems.

• 2

  Take an intestinal permeability test, which is the most common type of test for leaky gut syndrome. You ingest a specified amount of a solution containing lactulose and mannitol, two water-soluble sugar molecules. Over a period of six hours, you will test your urine for elevated levels of lactulose and mannitol.

• 3

  Read your results. Mannitol is absorbed quite easily, while lactulose has larger molecules and is usually only partially absorbed by the intestines. Leaky gut syndrome is very likely if the levels of both sugars in the collected urine are high. A healthy digestive system will show higher levels of lactulose and lower levels of mannitol.