Leaky gut syndrome

{{short description|Hypothetical medical condition}}

{{About|a proposed medical condition in alternative medicine|the phenomenon ("leaky gut") whereby the intestine wall exhibits excessive permeability|Intestinal permeability}}

{{Alternative medicine sidebar |diagnoses}}

Leaky gut syndrome is a hypothetical and medically unrecognized condition{{cite journal |title=Debunking the Myth of 'Leaky Gut Syndrome' |publisher=Canadian Society of Intestinal Research |url=https://badgut.org/information-centre/a-z-digestive-topics/leaky-gut-syndrome/ |journal=Inside Tract |issue=187 |year=2013}} that is distinct from the scientific phenomenon of increased intestinal permeability commonly known as "leaky gut".{{Cite journal |last1=Bischoff |first1=Stephan C |last2=Barbara |first2=Giovanni |last3=Buurman |first3=Wim |last4=Ockhuizen |first4=Theo |last5=Schulzke |first5=Jörg-Dieter |last6=Serino |first6=Matteo |last7=Tilg |first7=Herbert |last8=Watson |first8=Alastair |last9=Wells |first9=Jerry M |date=2014 |title=Intestinal permeability – a new target for disease prevention and therapy |journal=BMC Gastroenterology |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |page=189 |doi=10.1186/s12876-014-0189-7 |doi-access=free |issn=1471-230X |pmc=4253991 |pmid=25407511}} Claims for the existence of "leaky gut syndrome" as a distinct medical condition come mostly from nutritionists and practitioners of alternative medicine. Proponents claim that a "leaky gut" causes chronic inflammation throughout the body that results in a wide range of conditions, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, migraines, multiple sclerosis, and autism.{{cite journal|doi= 10.1016/j.cgh.2013.07.001|title= Intestinal Permeability Defects: Is It Time to Treat?|year= 2013|last1= Odenwald|first1= Matthew A.|last2= Turner|first2= Jerrold R.|journal= Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology|volume= 11|issue= 9|pages= 1075–83|pmid= 23851019|pmc= 3758766}} There is little evidence to support this hypothesis.{{cite journal |author=Quigley |first=Eamonn Martin |year=2016 |title=Leaky gut – concept or clinical entity? |journal=Curr Opin Gastroenterol |type=Review |volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=74–79 |doi=10.1097/MOG.0000000000000243 |pmid=26760399 |s2cid=40590775}}

Stephen Barrett has described "leaky gut syndrome" as a fad diagnosis and says that its proponents use the alleged condition as an opportunity to sell a number of alternative-health remedies – including diets, herbal preparations, and dietary supplements.{{cite web|url= http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/fad.html|title= Be Wary of 'Fad' Diagnoses|last= Barrett|first= Stephen|author-link = Stephen Barrett|date= 14 March 2009|work= Quackwatch|access-date= 24 October 2013}} Promoters of pseudoscience have claimed that the passage of proteins through a "leaky" gut is the cause of autism.{{cite book|first= Seth C.|last= Kalichman|author-link= Seth Kalichman|title= Denying AIDS: Conspiracy Theories, Pseudoscience, and Human Tragedy|year= 2009|publisher= Springer|isbn= 9780387794761|page= [https://books.google.com/books?id=_mtDBCDwxugC&pg=PA167 167]}} Evidence for claims that a leaky gut causes autism is weak and conflicting.{{cite journal |last1=Rao |first1=Meenakshi |last2=Gershon |first2=Michael David |year=2016 |title=The bowel and beyond: the enteric nervous system in neurological disorders |journal=Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol |type=Review |volume=13 |issue=9 |pages=517–28 |doi=10.1038/nrgastro.2016.107 |pmc=5005185 |pmid=27435372}}

Advocates tout various treatments for "leaky gut syndrome", such as dietary supplements, probiotics, herbal remedies, gluten-free foods, and low-FODMAP, low-sugar, and/or antifungal diets, but there is little evidence that the treatments offered are of benefit.

{{cite web|date=26 February 2015|title=Leaky gut syndrome|url=http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/leaky-gut-syndrome/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180211020641/https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/leaky-gut-syndrome/|archive-date=2018-02-11|access-date=15 August 2016|publisher=NHS Choices}}

None have been adequately tested to determine whether they are safe and effective for this purpose. The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) does not recommend the use of any special diets to manage the main symptoms of autism or leaky gut syndrome.