Doctors strive to address every identifiable cause of the bacterial overgrowth, including diet, lifestyle habits and underlying conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. When levels of those gases are above normal, chances are good you have SIBO.Ī: Treatment for SIBO is highly individualized and complex. Bacteria in the small bowel ferment the sugars, producing hydrogen and/or methane gas. This simple, noninvasive test involves drinking a solution of either glucose or lactulose (both types of sugar). Since that requires an invasive procedure, most doctors diagnose SIBO with a lactulose or glucose breath test. Medications such as narcotics can also slow down the gut and increase your risk.Ī: The most definitive way to determine whether someone has SIBO is to examine microbes from the small intestine. Constipating conditions: Health conditions, such as hypothyroidism, scleroderma and nervous system disorders that interfere with your body’s ability to move waste through the digestive tract increase the risk of SIBO.Women are more likely to suffer from SIBO in part because they are more likely to have IBS, which increases the risk. Bowel adhesions and scar tissue can also cause obstructions that lead to SIBO. Anatomical abnormalities: Ever had bariatric surgery or a procedure to resect part of your intestine? These procedures could result in anatomical changes to the intestines that create an ideal environment for bacteria to grow.

People who have weakened immune systems, including the elderly and people who have HIV, cancer and celiac disease, have a greater risk of developing SIBO. So if you have a health condition that compromises your immune system, you’re at greater risk of developing SIBO. Immune deficiencies: Part of your immune system’s job is to crowd out unhealthy bacteria.Medications that change the pH level of stomach acid (like proton pump inhibitors used to treat acid reflux) can also weaken your body’s natural barriers. When these barriers are weakened because of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), pancreatic insufficiency or other issues, bacteria can seep into the small intestine. Lack of barriers: Natural antimicrobial barriers like stomach acid and pancreatic enzymes prevent bacteria from hanging out in the small bowel.Factors that increase your risk of developing SIBO include: The condition results when there’s an increase in the number of bacteria that end up trapped in the small bowel or an alteration in the type of bacteria that reside there.Ī: There are plenty of potential culprits. The questions people ask me regularly:Ī: SIBO reflects a change in the bacteria in the small intestine. FAQ: Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowthīeyond the bloat, gas and cramping, SIBO may interfere with your body’s ability to absorb food, leading to nutrient deficiencies or imbalances, weight loss and other troubling symptoms. That gas leads to bloating, pain, belching, nausea, diarrhea and constipation. The trouble starts when bacteria that normally grow in other parts of the gut become trapped in the small bowel, ferment and produce gas. After all, that’s where our bodies process and eliminate toxins.

Yet many don’t realize bacteria is to blame for their bothersome symptoms.īacteria in the bowel makes sense. Called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO, this condition may affect up to 80% of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Suffering from bellyaches? Gas? Bloating? You may have an overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine.

Bacterial overgrowth