Back to Should We Rethink Beans? Unexpected Study Findings

Strong Support

descriptive

History

In people with inflammatory bowel diseases, the lining of the intestines becomes more porous, and this change is linked to several other long-term health conditions.

Pro

Against

Mechanism

Synthesis from 4 studies

How it works

When the gut lining gets damaged, bacteria and their parts escape into the blood, waking up the immune system and causing long-term inflammation throughout the body. This same process happens in bowel diseases and other chronic illnesses, explaining why leaky gut is a common feature.

Most probable mechanism

In Simple Terms

When the lining of the gut becomes too permeable, bacteria and their parts can leak into the bloodstream, triggering widespread immune responses that cause chronic inflammation and affect organs far from the gut.

Causal chain

Intestinal epithelial tight junctions are disrupted, increasing permeability of the gut barrier

Supported by evidence

which leads to

Bacterial endotoxins, such as lipopolysaccharide, translocate from the gut lumen into systemic circulation

Supported by evidence

which leads to

Circulating endotoxins bind to soluble CD14 and activate monocytes and macrophages via Toll-like receptor 4 signaling

Supported by evidence

which leads to

Activated immune cells release pro-inflammatory cytokines, establishing low-grade systemic inflammation

Indirect evidence only

which leads to

Systemic inflammation contributes to dysfunction in distant tissues and organs, including the nervous system

Indirect evidence only

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (3)

Community contributions welcome

Increased gut permeability and bacterial translocation are associated with fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: implications for disease-related biomarker discovery

Cross-Sectional Study

Human

2023

Untitled Study

Contradicting (1)

Community contributions welcome

Untitled Study

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Merged Assertions

The following assertions have been merged into this one because they express the same claim:

Increased intestinal permeability is a characteristic feature of inflammatory bowel disease and is associated with multiple chronic conditions.

NaN% similar

Similar Assertions

In people with inflammatory bowel disease, the level of intestinal permeability measured by a specific urine test is similar whether their disease is active or in remission, suggesting that the barrier function of the gut remains altered regardless of symptom status.

83%

In people with inflammatory bowel disease, the level of gut barrier leakage does not consistently match the severity of visible inflammation in the intestine as seen during endoscopy.

83%

People with inflammatory bowel disease have a more permeable intestinal barrier than healthy people, even when they are not experiencing symptoms. This is measured by higher levels of two sugars, 13C-mannitol and lactulose, appearing in their urine after ingestion.

79%

If your gut gets too 'leaky,' stuff that should stay in your intestines can get into your bloodstream and possibly set off your immune system in a way that leads to autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s or rheumatoid arthritis.

79%

People with inflammatory bowel disease show increased leakage of a sugar molecule called 13C-mannitol through the small intestine during both active flare-ups and periods of remission, compared to healthy individuals, while another sugar, lactulose, shows no difference in excretion during the same time window.

76%