Health should be at the forefront of everyone’s minds, but no one worries about the health of kids more than parents. Having a child with an unknown illness is stressful, and all a parent wants is for their child to be back at 100% again.
There is a slew of different maladies that can affect children, and leaky gut is a relatively common, but bothersome illness. Pediatricians are often asked how to cure leaky gut, and contrary to some beliefs, it is possible to fix leaky gut in a child of any age.
By understanding leaky gut and remedies, you can successfully help fix leaky gut syndrome in kids.
What is Leaky Gut
Despite what the name might suggest, the leaky gut syndrome does not mean there’re holes in your child’s guts. There are no ulcers or holes in your child’s intestines. Leaky gut simply means the intestinal wall has lost integrity and lets too many larger molecules pass through the intestinal wall into your child’s bloodstream.
You may also hear leaky gut called intestinal permeability or hyper-permeability, but all three terms refer to the same condition. Permeability specifically means the usually tight and selective process for intestines to digest and absorb food has become loose and flimsy, which lets molecules through where it should not be going through.
What Causes Leaky Gut
Leaky gut is a rather common illness because it can have a wide variety of causes. Some of the most likely causes are:
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Bad reaction to antibiotics
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Ingesting Candida or other fungal species
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An undiagnosed food allergy or sensitivity
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Intestinal flu or virus
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Food poisoning
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Non-celiac gluten sensitivity
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Poor response to routine vaccinations
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Chronic stress
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Traumatic brain injury or concussion
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C section birth because the baby misses exposure to helpful vaginal flora
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Mom takes antibiotics during pregnancy or at delivery
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Radiation Therapy
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Underweight babies, children, or teens are more at risk to develop leaky gut
Most of these causes are common occurrences, and kids likely have at least one of the issues on the list. All of these issues require attention, but being underweight is the most critical issue to fix if you want to address leaky gut.
As your child grows, they need raw material and energy to grow and repair tissue. If your child is 15 percentile points off their projected pattern, your child will continue to battle leaky gut.
It can be tricky to tell if your child is deviating from their expected growth pattern, but learning more about the measurement system and talking with your family doctor can help you determine if your child is underweight.
Alternatively, if your child is not underweight, the cause of leaky gut could be what they’re eating. Intolerances or allergies can wreak havoc on the body, and a healthy, tolerable diet is key to keeping children healthy.
The food your child eats is also the material that will be used to repair a leaky gut, so a proper diet is helpful in preventing leaky gut and also fixing it.
Fixing Leaky Gut
Repairing and fixing leaky gut syndrome is not a one-size-fits-all affair. Any acute injuries, like a brain injury, should be treated first before turning to chronic issues. One of the first steps is to create a custom diet for your child.
Do not rely on a generally healthy child diet; consult your family doctor to develop a practical meal plan that will get your child back on track. The tailored but not overly restrictive diet should heavily feature protein as kids need 1 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day to maintain a healthy growth timeline.
Stress and sleep also play significant roles in your child’s health, with both issues contributing to leaky gut. Take active steps to identify sources of stress in your child’s life and reduce their chronic stress.
Use positive language to help your child work through issues instead of adding stress by telling them stress is causing their illness. The same tactic works for new dietary plans, frame the changes in a positive light, so the change is not stressful.
Sleep schedules can be challenging to set for young children who want to keep playing past bedtime, but it is critical to ensure your child receives the recommended amount of sleep for their age.
Growing children need their rest to recover their energy and prepare for the next day, and sleep is also critical for repairing internal issues like leaky gut.
Having a sick child is scary for any parent. Leaky gut is a common issue affecting millions of children. While the syndrome sounds scary, it can be fixed. Seek help to determine the cause of your child’s leaky gut and develop a plan to fix it.
At the least, ensure your child is eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and is not overly stressed to keep their internal systems running smoothly.
