14 Signs of An Unhealthy Gut
It’s no question that our gut health plays a huge role in our overall health and well-being. In the media, in our grocery stores, and in the medical community, gut health has become all the rage.. and it’s for a good reason!
The gut is home to trillions of microbes, collectively known as the gut microbiota, that play a crucial role in maintaining our physical and mental health. Our gut is also a physical and chemical barrier, between our inner and outer environments, playing a super important role in protecting our health. And of course — our gut is our digestive system — where we breakdown, process, and absorb key nutrients that our bodies need to thrive 💪
What’s sneaky is that beyond obvious digestive symptoms (which we’ll talk about in a sec), there are a whole host of other signs and symptoms that could mean that your gut is in need of some TLC.
But how do we know whether our gut is in good shape, or not?
I’ve gotchu 😎
In this article, we’re covering some of the signs of an unhealthy gut (14 in fact) — some of them might surprise you!
Let’s dive in 👇
14 Signs of an Unhealthy Gut
Digestive Issues
Let’s get one of the more obvious ones out of the way here: digestive symptoms. Hands down one of the most common signs of an unhealthy gut is, of course, digestive symptoms. This might look like bloating, constipation, gas, acid reflux, indigestion, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
While these symptoms can be indicative of underlying issues in other areas of the body (say, our hormones!), generally when we see tummy troubles like these creep up, especially when they’re chronic or impacting your quality of life, it’s worth a look into your gut to see what’s going on.Food Intolerances
Are you that person who has a list of 5 or 10 “safe foods?” I’ve been there too 👋 If you experience sensitivity or intolerances to foods — whether symptoms occur immediately, or even days later — it may be a sign of a compromised digestive system, or imbalanced microbiome! Increased permeability of the gut lining (aka “leaky gut”), can allow undigested food particles to enter the bloodstream and trigger an immune response, which is where we see symptoms like skin issues, brain fog, fatigue, etc. associated with food sensitivities.
A compromised gut lining can also mean that our body isn’t able to produce the right enzymes it needs to breakdown certain foods, which can result in food intolerances. Imbalances in our microbiome (something called dysbiosis), can also contribute to food sensitivities.Fatigue and Low Energy 😴
Compromised digestion and poor gut health can lead to fatigue and low energy levels. This is a big one that I see with my 1:1 clients in clinic! The fatigue-gut connection could be due to the gut's role in absorbing nutrients and producing energy for the body (if your digestion is compromised and your body isn’t absorbing nutrients properly, it’ll be hard for the body to produce energy effectively!), the presence of things like parasites or H.Pylori infections, or chronic stress and low-grade inflammation stemming from the gut. If fatigue is something you’re dealing with — especially that I-drag-my-butt-outta-bed-every-morning-kinda-fatigue — it may be worth looking into your gut health!Skin Problems
Struggling with eczema, acne, psoriasis, rosacea, or urticaria? Look no further than your gut health! There is a ton of literature linking different skin conditions, with poor gut health. Gut infections like H.Pylori (a bacterial infection of the stomach), have been connected to skin conditions like rosacea and acne. [1] Imbalances in the gut microbiome can contribute to inflammatory skin concerns; like we can see in the overgrowth of Staphylococcus aureus and acne. [2] If skin issues are a major concern of yours — while stress, nutrition and lifestyle are really important considerations — don’t forget to dive into your gut health if you can’t get the needle moving!Autoimmune Conditions
Different digestive concerns (such as inflammatory infections, intestinal permeability (aka “leaky gut,” etc.) have been linked to autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and beyond. While we’ve still yet to learn a lot about the relationship between our gut and the development and prevalence of autoimmunity, there is promising researching showing the relationship between both the gut microbiome (and more specifically imbalances in the microbiome; aka dysbiosis), leaky gut, and autoimmune diseases. [3]Mood Disorders
Have you ever heard of the gut referred to as the second brain? Ever heard of the gut-brain connection? 🧠 This connection refers to how the gut can influence our mood and cognitive function, and likewise how our mood, brain health, etc., can impact our gut health and digestion. Research has shown that gut dysfunction (especially altered microbial populations) can lead to mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Intestinal permeability (leaky gut), has the potential to impact our cognitive function and contribute to things like brain fog due to neuroinflammation.Joint Pain
This one surprises a lot of people! Joint pain, aches and pain in the muscles, and stiffness may actually be a sign of an unhealthy gut. This is where leaky gut comes back into the picture, yet again. Intestinal permeability can lead to systemic inflammation; which can ultimately lead to inflammation in the joints. This is one of the ways our gut health may have an influence in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. [4] If you struggle with joint or muscle pain yourself — or know someone who does — this is your sign to dig into your gut health!Headaches
Struggle with headaches? Migraines? The gut may have a role to play here. Especially a ‘leaky’ one. Inflammatory and immune responses due to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) making their way into general circulation via a permeable gut lining, may play a role in the development and severity of migraines.
LPS are components of the cell structure of gram-negative bacteria. They can cause inflammation in the body due to the response of proinflammatory cytokines. If you’ve considered your water intake, nutrient status, and hormones as causes of your headaches — be sure to look into your gut, next!Sleep Issues
While we still have a lot to learn about the interconnection between sleep and our gut health — there are a number of ways in which we know our gut microbiome & digestion play a role in sleep issues. Our circadian rhythm — our body's “internal clock” — is closely connected to our microbiome. These microbes may play a role in regulating our sleep cycle, potentially due to the interaction between them & circadian genes. Stressors stemming from the gut (such as parasites, pathogens, dysbiosis, etc.), can impact our HPA axis, contribute to chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels in the body, which can also impact our sleep. [5]Weight Fluctuations
Weight fluctuations, particularly unexplained weight gain, can be connected to digestive imbalances and the microbiome. Research has shown that an imbalance in gut bacteria can affect metabolism and lead to changes in our weight. Akkermansia muciniphila — a keystone species that has been gaining a lot of limelight recently — is known to modulate basal metabolism, and has been correlated with obesity. [6] Likewise, the ratio between two bacterial phyla — firmicutes and bacteroidetes — can actually influence insulin sensitivity, caloric extraction from food, and play a role in fat deposition in the body. [7]Hormonal Imbalances
Our gut and our hormones are very very intimately connected: our gut can influence our thyroid hormones, our reproductive hormones (which means it can impact our menstrual cycles), and even our stress hormones (like cortisol). There is a collection of microbes in the gut microbiome referred to as the ‘estroblome.’ These microbes produce an enzyme called ‘beta-glucaronidase’ which has the potential to metabolize (break down) estrogen, and impact estrogen balance in the body. Ultimately this is where things like PMS and estrogen-dominance symptoms can relate back to our gut.
Dysbiosis, infections, or intestinal permeability can contribute to inflammation, and cause stress on our system, which can impact cortisol levels. Likewise, dysbiosis in the gut has been connected to various thyroid autoimmune conditions. This is why I always love to work with my clients, both on the gut health and their hormone health in tandem, due to how closely interconnected these systems are! [8]Bad breath
Halitosis (aka bad breath) can absolutely be related back to your gut health! While yes your oral health is of course a major major contributor, chronic bad breath can be a clue into something deeper happening in the gut. If you’ve been struggling with this — and you’ve ruled out anything in your mouth as a contributor — definitely be sure to consider this! Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacterial that often infects the stomach (a common infection I see in clinic all the time!), has been correlated with halitosis. [9][10]Impacted Immunity
Do you find yourself getting sick all the time? Catching every bug that goes around? 🤒 Our gut and our immune system are hugely interconnected — upwards of ~80% of our immune system, actually *lives* in the GI tract. Needless to say, the gut plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy immune function. The health and balance of our gut microbiome is one of the major influences on our immune function.
A compromised mucosal barrier and gut lining (where the immune system actually resides), can impact immune function as well. In the case of leaky gut — where proteins from foods, LPS from microbes, etc. can enter into our circulation — our immune response can become dysregulated (which is where autoimmunity can also come into the picture!). If you’re one of those people who’s sick all the time — don’t forget to love on your gut!Chronic Inflammation
We’ve covered inflammation a lot here. As it relates to our gut health — inflammation can be localized in the gut (causing problems), or the gut can contribute to low-grade inflammation systemically, which can lead to issues outside of the GI tract. Inflammation localized in the GI tract can lead to things like esophagitis and gastritis, and even pathologies like IBD (inflammatory bowel disease).
Systemic inflammation — stemming from dysbiosis, infections in the gut and/or leaky gut — can contribute to a whole-host of “extra-intestinal” symptoms, like fatigue, skin issues, aches & pains, joint pain, autoimmunity, food sensitivities, brain fog, and more.
Needless to say — there are a LOT of ways our gut health can impact our overall health, and contribute to a variety of symptoms 😅 And not just isolated to our digestive system, but our entire body.
If you experience any of the imbalances or issues mentioned above, it may be a sign that it’s worth digging deeper into your gut health to see whether it's playing a role.
If you’re interested in diving deeper — I have a number of free resources that you can check out here, as well as a few incredible programs and online courses to get more personalized support, access to functional testing, and more.
[1] Yang, Xingzhe. “Relationship between Helicobacter Pylori and Rosacea: Review and Discussion.” BMC Infectious Diseases, vol. 18, 11 July 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6042414/#:~:text=pylori%20infection%20is%20closely%20related, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-018-3232-4.
[2] Abdi, Fatemeh, et al. “Staphylococcus Aureus in Acne Pathogenesis: A Case-Control Study.” North American Journal of Medical Sciences, vol. 4, no. 11, 2012, p. 573, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3503376/, https://doi.org/10.4103/1947-2714.103317.
[3] Christovich, Anna, and Xin M. Luo. “Gut Microbiota, Leaky Gut, and Autoimmune Diseases.” Frontiers in Immunology, vol. 13, 27 June 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.946248. Accessed 2 Aug. 2022.
[4] Zhao, Ting, et al. “Gut Microbiota and Rheumatoid Arthritis: From Pathogenesis to Novel Therapeutic Opportunities.” Frontiers in Immunology, vol. 13, 8 Sept. 2022, p. 1007165, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9499173/, https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1007165.
[5] Li, Yuanyuan, et al. “The Role of Microbiome in Insomnia, Circadian Disturbance and Depression.” Frontiers in Psychiatry, vol. 9, 5 Dec. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6290721/, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00669.
[6] Xu, Yu, et al. “Function of Akkermansia Muciniphila in Obesity: Interactions with Lipid Metabolism, Immune Response and Gut Systems.” Frontiers in Microbiology, vol. 11, no. 219, 21 Feb. 2020, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.00219.
[7] Magne, Fabien, et al. “The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio: A Relevant Marker of Gut Dysbiosis in Obese Patients?” Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 5, 19 May 2020, p. 1474, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7285218/, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12051474.
[8] Knezevic, Jovana, et al. “Thyroid-Gut-Axis: How Does the Microbiota Influence Thyroid Function?” Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 6, 12 June 2020, p. 1769, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7353203/, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061769.
[9] HajiFattahi, Farnaz, et al. “Relationship of Halitosis with Gastric Helicobacter Pylori Infection.” Journal of Dentistry (Tehran, Iran), vol. 12, no. 3, 1 Mar. 2015, pp. 200–205, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4663310/.
[10] Dou, Wenhuan, et al. “Halitosis and Helicobacter Pylori Infection.” Medicine, vol. 95, no. 39, Sept. 2016, p. e4223, https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000004223. Accessed 10 Aug. 2022.
