A substantial body of scientific evidence indicates that increased intestinal permeability (often termed ‘leaky gut’) contributes significantly to the pathology of both high blood pressure (hypertension) and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). While several key mechanistic studies were conducted using rat models, these findings are highly relevant to human pathology and have been corroborated by human clinical and epidemiological data. The consistency of these findings, particularly the mechanisms involving chronic inflammation, suggests a powerful causal role for intestinal permeability in the development and progression of these conditions.

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Findings

Study Title	Key Finding on Permeability Link	Link (URL)
Hypertension-Linked Pathophysiological Alterations in the Gut	The increase in blood pressure in hypertensive rat models was directly associated with increased intestinal permeability (a ‘leaky gut’) and decreased tight junction proteins, indicating gut pathology is a key factor in hypertension.	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27799253/
Gut Microbiome and Neuroinflammation in Hypertension	Gut epithelial dysfunction, which results in increased permeability, allows inflammatory mediators and microbial products to enter the circulation, contributing to neuroinflammation and unbalanced nervous system control of blood pressure.	https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.121.319816
Hypertension in rats is associated with an increased permeability of the colon to TMA, a gut bacteria metabolite	Hypertensive rats showed increased gut-blood barrier permeabilityto the bacterial metabolite Trimethylamine (TMA), suggesting that the leaky gut facilitates the uptake of compounds that are converted into the known cardiovascular risk factor TMAO.	https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0189310
Biomarkers of intestinal permeability are linked to incident cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular events	This epidemiological review concluded that elevated markers of intestinal hyperpermeability predict the future development of cardiovascular events (like heart attack and stroke) in humans, positioning gut barrier dysfunction as an independent risk factor for CVD.	https://journals.physiology.org/doi/10.1152/ajpgi.00120.2025

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) Findings

Study Title	Key Finding on Permeability Link	Link (URL)
Leaky gut and diabetes mellitus: what is the link?	This review established that a compromised intestinal barrier leads to increased intestinal permeability, which enables bacterial toxins (like LPS) to access the circulation, triggering the low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance that drive T2DM.	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21382153/
A mechanism by which gut microbiota elevates permeability and inflammation in obese/diabetic mice and human gut	This study found that the gut microbiota in obese/diabetic subjects has a reduced capacity to metabolize ethanolamine, causing its accumulation, which then induces intestinal permeability and subsequently glucose metabolic dysfunctions.	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36948576/
Increased intestinal permeability as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes	Human subjects with T2DM showed significantly higher circulating levels of intestinal permeability biomarkers (e.g., LBP and iFABP), suggesting that measuring a “leaky gut” could be used as a tool for predicting T2DM risk.	https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309143282_Increased_intestinal_permeability_as_a_risk_factor_for_type_2_diabetes
Increased intestinal-fatty acid binding protein in obesity-associated type 2 diabetes mellitus	The paper demonstrated that patients with obesity and T2DM have elevated levels of I-FABP (a marker of intestinal cell damage), underscoring the association between increased intestinal permeability and the pathogenesis of obesity-related T2DM.	https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0279915
Gut microbiome and type 2 diabetes: where we are and where to go?	Microbial imbalance (dysbiosis) in T2DM patients is linked to the disruption of intestinal barrier functions and tight junctions, leading to increased gut permeability and promoting insulin resistance.	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30366260/
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Is Associated with More Serious Small Intestinal Mucosal Injuries	Subjects with T2DM showed higher Lewis scores (a measure of small intestinal damage and inflammation), which clinical and experimental research links to increased gut permeability in DM.	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27598308/