Best Probiotics for a Leaky Gut - Microbiotic Plus Probiotics
A leaky gut is an all-too-real condition that is linked to dozens of health problems that include gastric ulcers, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), diarrhoea, chronic fatigue syndrome, several auto-immune disorders and weight gain.
So it’s important to know how to use probiotics for a leaky gut – and which probiotic strains really work.
What is a ‘leaky gut’?
The lining of your intestine is made of millions of cells. These cells normally join tightly together to create a barrier between your gut and the bloodstream and keep pathogens – bacteria or viruses – from entering circulation.
But that barrier must also contain microscopic gaps to allow nutrients from food you have digested to be absorbed into the bloodstream.
It’s a fine balancing act.
In an unhealthy gut, the lining – called the epithelium – can weaken, so larger gaps develop in the barrier. These loose junctions allow toxins and bacteria to leak into the bloodstream and body. This triggers inflammation in the gut and then throughout the body. It’s now established that inflammation is a key driver of most later-life illnesses.
The loose junctions – ie. leaky gut or, to use the medical term, ‘increased intestinal permeability’ – lead to a chain-reaction of immediate health problems. These include bloating, gas, cramps, food sensitivities, poor absorption of vitamins and minerals, fatigue, headaches, joint pain and even mood disorders.
Even more seriously, it is linked to several auto-immune diseases.
In fact, Harvard Health's newsletter says: “The research world is booming today with studies showing that modifications in the intestinal bacteria and inflammation may play a role in the development of several common chronic diseases.”
What causes these loose junctions?
Though genes are a factor, as is gluten if you are intolerant, frequent culprits are a diet low in fibre, low in plant foods and high in sugar, saturated fats, alcohol and over-processed foods.
Age also plays a part because as you get older, cells are damaged more easily and repair more slowly, so the gut becomes more vulnerable. Chronic stress can also be a factor, as can NSAID drugs and antacids.
The result is that the ratio of good to harmful bacteria in the gut gets out of balance. That then leads to inflammation which is a primary cause of later-life illnesses and indeed accelerated ageing.
A 2020 study published by the American Society for Clinical Investigation confirmed that:
“Leaky gut and inflammation are commonly associated with poor health of older adults” and made worse “in individuals with obesity, diabetes, or reduced physical function”.
The study further confirmed that a multi-strain probiotic “decreased epithelial permeability, which in turn reduced inflammation in local tissues and in immune cells”.
The study concluded that:
“Our findings indicate that probiotic therapies could be beneficial for preventing aging-related metabolic dysfunctions, physical decline, and inflammation, and they may promote healthy aging”.
How can a probiotic supplement help?
When you take a probiotic supplement, it immediately adds billions of ‘good’ bacteria to your gut. If these are the right strains, these then colonise the gut and, over time, crowd out and overcome the harmful bacteria.
In other words, a probiotic supplement restores the correct ratio of good to bad bacteria.
This then stabilises the barrier between the intestines and bloodstream – essentially ‘tightening up’ the loose junctions.
A probiotic supplement can also correctly balance the stomach’s pH and create enzymes that destroy harmful bacteria. (Candida and yeast infections are examples of what can go wrong when bad bacteria take over.)
What strains of probiotic are proven to help correct a leaky gut?
Not all probiotic strains will help tackle a leaky gut. The following strains do, and the combination or synergy is important. Indeed, multi-strain probiotics are often called ‘synbiotics’. Study references are given at the end of this article.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
L. rhamnosus is known to adhere to and support the intestinal wall, tightening junctions and decreasing the symptoms of leaky gut.
L. rhamnosus also stimulates the immune system and research shows it is helpful to people who suffer from IBS.
One of the most comprehensive studies on probiotics and gut barrier health confirms that:
“Lactobacillus rhamnosus is one of the best-studied probiotic bacteria in clinical trials for treating and/or preventing several intestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases.
“L. rhamnosus“ promotes digestion, boosts immune system, increases resistance to infection and inhibits growth of pathogenic bacteria and disruption of tight junctions and barrier function.”
Lactobacillus plantarum
L. plantarum keeps the wall between your digestive tract and your bloodstream strong and intact and reduces permeability of the gut wall. The probiotic also treats diarrhoea effectively. L. plantarum supports the production of l-lysine, which is essential to healthy immune function.
Lactobacillus acidophilus
L. acidophilus helps to make the gut wall less permeable. It also helps treat other conditions, including IBS, vaginal infections, asthma, lactose intolerance and diarrhoea. Lactobacillus acidophilus also produces acids for digestion, some B vitamins and enzymes that support the absorption of essential nutrients.
Lactobacillus casei helps reduce intestinal permeability directly, and supports L. acidophilus to flourish in the gut.
Bifidobacterium bifidum
B. bifidum produces its own natural antibiotic substances that kill harmful bacteria and lessen the permeability of the intestinal wall.
B. bifidum colonises in the colon in both men and women, and in the vagina. It supports the production of B-complex vitamins, while supressing the production of histamines, which otherwise can trigger allergic reactions.
NOTE: A randomised double-blind trial published by Cambridge University Press in 2017 studied a combination of the above three strains – Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium bifidum – on patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). This is a difficult-to-treat chronic autoimmune and inflammatory disease with its greatest impact on the joints of the body.
Over 8 weeks this combination showed significant improvements on multiple markers – especially inflammation and quality of life.
Bifidobacterium longum
Research confirms that Bifidobacterium strains reduce intestinal wall permeability and can even seal a leaky gut.
People who are low in B. longum are more likely to suffer from allergies, in addition to leaky gut syndrome. This probiotic strain is involved in the production of biotin – which helps stop Candida yeast from spreading.
Bacillus coagulans
New research shows that the key to healing ‘leaky gut’ is that the probiotic strains should stimulate the production of an amino acid called taurine. Because taurine is needed to tighten up the loose junctions in the gut wall.
Bacillus coagulans is an especially powerful probiotic strain that does promote the production of taurine and combines well with the above strains. However, it is expensive and only a few probiotic supplements contain it.
It’s worth seeking out, however, as a recent study showed that a combination of Bacillus coagulans, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus acidophilus with some prebiotic fibre was able to “improve metabolic factors and reduce inflammation” especially in patients with type-2 diabetes.
You may not have diabetes, but overwhelming research shows that any food or supplement that improves insulin sensitivity is positive even in healthy people.
There are an increasing number of good probiotic supplements on the market. One that includes all the above strains – including Bacillus coagulans – is Microbiotic Plus. It has 9 strains and 12 billion CFUs per capsule.
Click here to read more about MicroBiotic Plus for Leaky Gut
Leaky Gut FAQs
What do doctors say about leaky gut syndrome?
It’s fair to say that not all doctors recognise it – because it’s a diagnosis that few were taught about at medical school.
Donald Kirby is Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic. In his opinion, “Physicians don’t know enough about the gut, which is our biggest immune system organ.”
That is changing – as the huge amount of research from the last decade testifies – see references below. They confirm that without a healthy gut, you can’t have a healthy immune system – and without a healthy immune system, you are vulnerable to infections, accumulating cell irregularities and autoimmune disease.
How could leaky gut trigger auto-immune disease?
Zonulin is a protein that, in excess amounts, weakens the normally tight junctions in the gut cell wall. This, as we have seen, leads to inflammation and sometimes an excessive immune reaction against this inflammation – where your immune system turns rogue and begins attacking your own tissues.
Eating gluten may trigger this dangerous cascade. University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers have discovered that gluten “activates zonulin signaling ... leading to increased intestinal permeability.”
What foods help decrease the risk of leaky gut?
♦ Foods that contain probiotics – which include kefir, sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, pickles, sourdough bread and some yogurts (although most supermarket brands are pasteurised which kills many of the probiotics).
♦ Indirectly curcumin, vitamin D, zinc, beta carotene, high fibre fruits and vegetables and eggs. These all help support a healthy gut. Bone broth is a folk remedy with a scientific basis.
What factors increase the risk for a leaky gut?
♦ Excess refined carbohydrates, white sugar, dairy products, vegetable oils, artificial sweeteners and a low fibre diet. Gluten, if you are gluten intolerant or sensitive.
♦ A course of antibiotics unfortunately destroys good bacteria along with the bad – so a probiotic supplement is very helpful afterwards to help rebalance your gut microbiome.
♦ Inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle slow down gut function – so keep moving!
Should I follow an Anti-Inflammatory Diet?
An anti-inflammatory diet will help improve leaky gut symptoms – and indeed is central to health at all ages.
Some foods you can include in an anti-inflammatory diet include
- Mediterranean-style foods – tomatoes, olive oil, green leafy vegetables
- Omega 3 rich foods like salmon, tuna
- Fruits, particularly strawberries, oranges, blueberries
- Nuts, particularly almonds, and walnuts
How long should I take probiotics to see an improvement in Leaky Gut?
This depends on many factors. How serious is your intestinal permeability? How well are you managing stress? Do you have any other gut issues such as Candida or yeast infection?
However, you should take a probiotic supplement for at least one month, if not two, to see an improvement.
How many billions of Probiotics CFU should I take to heal Leaky Gut?
(CFU means colony forming units)
Less than about 7 billion per capsule is unlikely to make much difference – because there are trillions of microbes in your gut. However, taking too high an amount can be a shock to your body. A good amount is 12 billion per capsule – as in Microbiotic Plus – but you can take two per day to double that total safely. But going too high may just cause diarrhoea. More is not necessarily better!
Click here to read more about MicroBiotic Plus for Leaky Gut
If the probiotic supplement is from a reputable brand, it will survive the harsh acid environment of the stomach and begin to colonise. That’s the key to improving the ratio of good top bad and healing the gut.
This article was written by Colin Rose, a Senior Associate Member of the Royal Society of Medicine, who has been writing on health science for over 30 years.
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