[atombender]

Note that "leaky gut syndrome" is pseudoscience; there's no such thing recognized by the medical community. What is real is leaky gut, or intestinal permeability.

We absolutely know for a fact that some people can have dysfunction of the tight junctions which make up the lining of the intestines. We don't know too much about it, but the idea that bacteria and endotoxins can pass through the gut wall and into the bloodstream is established fact at this point. "Endotoxin" has the sound of a pseudoscientific word, but it simply refers to the lipopolysaccharides that bacteria use to build their outer membranes.

People with some autoimmune diseases have been found to have circulating endotoxins and other bacterial byproducts in their peripheral blood, though the process (bacterial translocation) and the mechanism by which these affect the body are both poorly understood. There's been very little research into what processes can cause intestinal permeability and gut dysbiosis in autoimmune patients. For example, it's unclear if it's the cause of the autoimmunity (permeability leading to SIBO-like bacterial overload leading to an aberrant immune response), or if the autoimmune disease causes it (systemic inflammation leading to permeability).

I've not seen any peer reviewed evidence about nightshades or glycoalkaloids. There's some research on curcumin and quercetin that's interesting.

[objetovoador]

> Note that "leaky gut syndrome" is pseudoscience; there's no such thing recognized by the medical community. What is real is leaky gut, or intestinal permeability.

This seems like oversubtle reasoning that cruelly dismisses legitimate suffering from an actual disease process.

You seem to admit there's a convincing scientific basis.

Leaky gut syndrome is pseudoscience but intestinal permeability is real? Ok. It seems like medical science isn't advanced enough to sort out most gut disease, it manifests in somewhat strange and seemingly mysterious ways, and people suffering are left to discuss amongst themselves online in order to find some relief after being shrugged away by doctors (or worse hurt by inappropriate medical procedures/medicines like antibiotics, etc.).

So instead of just condescendingly labelling them anti-science whackos ("pseudoscience"), perhaps we should be compassionate and recognize the condition?

[atombender]

There's a clear distinction. While leaky gut is a real medical term, it has been misused by people who believe it to be the cause of a multitude of ailments (for which the same community of course offers "detox" advice), with no scientific evidence. You can read more here: https://badgut.org/information-centre/a-z-digestive-topics/l....

[objetovoador]

Well I've got confirmed dysbiosis (GBT) from overprescribed antibiotics and from my experience, and reading up in those communities you're so contemptuous about, I get the sense that gut dysfunction manifests in seemingly random ways, a whole constellation of weird symptoms. You just feel horrible, sometimes there's no clear cause and effect, it seems random.

I agree there is a lot of just blatant nonsense and maybe they do misuse leaky gut but I think the medical community has a habit of vilifying people who are suffering real problems. I can't tell you how many times I've had a real medical issue (be it a bacterial infection, virus, or most recently, gut dysbiosis) and my doctor blames it on anxiety and offers me lexapro.