Your gut is a naturally permeable structure, allowing it to absorb vital nutrients in the form of small molecules. The basic function of the cells that line the intestinal wall is to regulate this permeability.
But in some cases these cells can be disrupted and damaged.
Infections, stress, age-related weaknesses, and certain toxins all contribute to these tight junctions between cells breaking apart.
According to proponents of the leaky gut hypothesis, the tight junctions being opened up causes your bowel lining to become irritated and “leaky”.
Once this has occurred, all those nasty toxins, microbes, undigested food particles, and whatever else happens to be moving around in there, can escape from your intestines, make their way into your bloodstream and travel throughout your body.
This freaks your immune system out, forcing it to target these escapees as hostile invaders, or pathogens, and attacks them.
The ensuing immune response, similar to that experienced by celiac disease and Crohn’s sufferers, is what practitioners who support the leaky gut hypothesis believe to be causing a set of miserable symptoms that would otherwise be categorized under a different diagnosis.
Is Leaky Gut Real?
It’s not really clear.
It is possible to have inflammation and irritation of the intestinal lining, but it’s generally not caused by “inflammatory foods” as many claim.
Typically, this occurs in times of extreme stress or illness, and it’s not as common as many people would have you believe. There’s also little evidence that sugar, dairy, grains, or other “trigger” foods actually cause leaky gut in otherwise healthy people.
Controversy Over Diagnosis
Most experts aren’t in agreement when it comes to leaky gut syndrome. The practitioners who support the illness are typically alternative medicine doctors who claim that a number of foods, toxins, and other things cause leaky gut.
The official medical societies for gastroenterologists, rheumatologists, and internists don’t mention it at all on their websites, because it’s not considered a medically accurate term for what’s occurring.
Your best bet is to stick to a healthy diet, exercise, and manage stress properly.
What’s your take on leaky gut? Have anything else you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments below!
Legion Featured Author
Mike Matthews
Mike Matthews is the founder of Legion as well as the author of several award-winning fitness books, including Bigger Leaner Stronger, Muscle for Life, and The Shredded Chef.
His simple and science-based approach to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy has sold over a million books and helped thousands of people build their best bodies ever, and his work has been featured in many popular outlets including Esquire, Men’s Health, Elle, Women’s Health, Muscle & Strength, and more, as well as on FOX and ABC.
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Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you live in the UK or Canada, your order ships free when it’s over $99.
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We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you’re outside the USA, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
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Some popular pre-workouts are all-natural. Some contain the right mix of high-quality ingredients. Some provide clinically effective doses. But only Pulse checks each of these boxes.
Pulse doesn’t just “contain natural ingredients''—every ingredient is naturally sourced from plants and animals. Pulse contains no artificial or synthetic substances of any kind.
Every serving of Pulse contains 15.1 grams of active ingredients that have been shown to be safe and effective in peer-reviewed scientific research.
Every active ingredient in Pulse is backed by published scientific studies that show benefits in healthy humans.
Pulse contains no harsh stimulants that wind you up and burn you out. Instead, it contains a 1:1 ratio of caffeine and L-theanine, which produces a smooth energy rush and comfortable comedown.
We carefully examined 508 pages of scientific research to find out exactly what should and shouldn’t be in a pre-workout supplement.
Every bottle of Pulse is guaranteed to provide exactly what the label claims and nothing else—no heavy metals, microbes, allergens, or other contaminants.
While these types of chemicals may not be as dangerous as some people claim, studies suggest that regular consumption of them may indeed be harmful to our health. And that’s why we don’t put any of them into our products.
Before you buy a sports supplement, you should know that it's clean, safe, and transparent. And that's exactly what Labdoor's third-party testing and certification means.
It's hard to know for sure, but this probably makes Pulse the most-popular all-natural pre-workout supplement in the world.
If you don’t absolutely love this product, just let us know, and we’ll give you a full refund on the spot. No forms or return necessary.
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Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab by Labdoor™, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.
Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.
This product doesn’t just “contain natural ingredients”—every ingredient is naturally sourced from plants and animals. This product contains no artificial or synthetic sweeteners or flavors of any kind.
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