If you’ve experienced any of the symptoms of Leaky Gut Disease, then the chances are you spend more time thinking about your gut than you want.

The truth is that most people don’t want to have to think about their gut at all. But did you know that it’s very important, responsible for around 80% of your immunity? Your gut is the way that many foreign antigens enter the body, and the mucosal barrier of the gut is the only thing that can stop your body from being exposed to many harmful substances.

When that barrier is damaged, you experience Leaky Gut Disease or Syndrome. It isn’t really a disease but rather a nickname for “increased intestinal permeability.” Disease or no disease, Leaky Gut — that increased intestinal permeability — can leave you open to a wide variety of illness and symptoms. Symptoms that can include everything from acne and skin rashes to bloating and constipation, from fatigue and joint pain to indigestion and irritable bowel, from shortness of breath and poor memory to anxiety and recurring infections.

So how do you “get” Leaky Gut? Well, among other things, by living in the modern world. One of the primary factors that can lead to Leaky Gut is a poor diet. When a diet is low in fiber, the transit time of food in the digestive system slows down and that allows the toxic by-products of digestion more time to irritate the gut’s protective mucosal lining. When the lining is irritated and damaged, it can’t perform its “barrier function” and prevent toxins from entering the blood stream. The highly processed foods of the modern diet are notoriously low in fiber as well as the nutrients the body needs for repairs. What’s more, these “modern” foods contain high levels of additives, fats, and sugars (all of which can promote inflammation of the gut) and low levels of necessary nutrients such as zinc.

There are more modern culprits, including medicine. Many of the medicines used today can aggravate the symptoms – even medicines you may take for Leaky Gut itself! NSAIDs are known to contribute to damage of the mucosal lining, and birth control drugs can stimulate the growth of fungi which damages the lining. Some cancer treatments can also disrupt the way our digestive system works.

Some other factors that can contribute include yeast, parasites, chronic stress, immune overload, excessive alcohol consumption and gastrointestinal disease.

All of this may make you think that you just have to live with your condition: The causes of Leaky Gut Disease probably seem unavoidable. And many people feel they can manage their symptoms enough to “get by.”

Unfortunately, what begins as a few small complaints can quickly develop into a worsening condition with symptoms that increase as time goes by. The damage to the gut will worsen with time, and so will the ability of the body to manage seemingly small symptoms. If action isn’t taken to reverse the damage then it gets harder and harder for the body to make the enzymes it needs to repair itself.

The good news is that Leaky Gut Disease doesn’t have to progress – there are a number of things you can do to make it better, but those would make another article.

Natalie MacBride thinks life is too short not to feel good about it… and not to just plain feel good yourself. For more information to make you feel happier, visit her at Leaky Gut Disease and Natural Healing with Food.