Can Leaky Gut cause behavioural or cognitive symptoms?
- Apr 22
- 2 min read
It’s not uncommon to see leaky gut in people who also have methylation issues — but that doesn’t mean one causes the other.
Methylation is a biochemical process that’s vital for almost every cell in the body. It impacts detoxification, neurotransmitter production, hormone regulation, and much more.
When methylation is inefficient, the body can struggle in a number of ways — most talked about is media is the liver, where detox pathways rely heavily on methyl groups to function properly.
Now, leaky gut is something else entirely. It happens when chronic inflammation in the gut
causes the tight junctions (the small gaps between gut lining cells) to widen. When this happens, larger molecules that aren’t supposed to get through the gut wall can enter the bloodstream. This isn’t good.
Here’s what can happen next:
These larger molecules can trigger immune responses, leading to toxicity or increased inflammation — both of which are harder to manage if your methylation pathways are already under pressure.
They can also cause a phenomenon called molecular mimicry, where the immune system mistakes a food molecule for something else in the body. A classic example is partially broken-down gluten proteins, which can resemble thyroid tissue and disrupt thyroid function in susceptible individuals.
For many of my clients, what concerns me more is the link between leaky gut and what’s called leaky brain.
When the gut lining becomes inflamed and permeable, that inflammation doesn’t just stay in the gut. It often becomes systemic — affecting the blood-brain barrier, which is meant to
protect the brain from inflammatory molecules and toxins. When that barrier is compromised, we get what’s known as neuroinflammation.
And neuroinflammation doesn’t stay quiet. It can contribute to:
Mood regulation challenges
Sleep disturbances
Heightened anxiety
Sensory processing issues
Difficulty with focus or cognition
In neurodivergent individuals, these symptoms can be misinterpreted as “behavioural” — when in fact they’re often physiological. Often neuroinflammation is what causes some neurodivergent persons to struggle more with every day life than others. It's also linked to other mental health issues in the overall population; anxiety, depression, brain-fog, stress and fatigue.
For your review of your gut health and how it impacts your overall health and well-being, please book in for an initial consultation, and let us assist you to become a healthier, happier version of yourself. The 'complex' consultations allow for a further 15min time, if you feel that your health is more "complex".
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