When the lining of your gut becomes too leaky, it lets bacteria and food particles escape into your bloodstream, which can confuse your immune system and cause it to attack your own body.

When the gut lining gets damaged, foreign particles from food and bacteria can leak into the body and trick the immune system into attacking the body's own tissues, like it's fighting an invader.

In some animals that are genetically prone to it, a 'leaky gut' might come before type 1 diabetes and help trigger it by letting gut bacteria sneak into the body and turn on the immune system near the pancreas.

Some food ingredients like emulsifiers, too much salt, and saturated fats might mess up your gut by weakening the barriers in your intestines and changing your gut bacteria, which could lead to diseases where your immune system attacks your own body.