SIBO Symptoms

 

There are many symptoms associated with SIBO, and many of them can ‘imitate’ other gastrointestinal disorders. For this reason, if you have any of the following symptoms it’s best to get tested for SIBO using a SIBO breath test.

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Diarrhoea

• Bloating

• Malnutrition

• Weight loss

• Joint pain

• Fatigue

• Skin conditions such as acne, eczema, and rashes

• Asthma

• Depression

 

Causes of SIBO

While there is no one exact cause of SIBO, the following conditions are thought to be underlying causes of SIBO:

• Aging

• Chronic pancreatitis

• Diabetes

• Diverticulosis

• Structural defect in the small intestine

• Injury

• Fistula

• Intestinal lymphoma

• Scleroderma

• Recent abdominal surgeries

• Immune system disorders

• Celiac disease: Can be a major trigger as it leads to poor small intestinal functioning

• The use of certain medications: Immunosuppressant’s, PPI’s

 

Celiac disease is of particular concern when it comes to SIBO. In fact, a study from the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that 66% of patients who had Celiac disease but followed a gluten-free diet still tested positive for SIBO.

If you have Celiac disease, it may be best to be tested for SIBO as well.

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SIBO Complications

Just like with any condition, if SIBO goes untreated, complications could arise. When the bacteria are left to widespread, malabsorption could occur, as well as deficiencies, especially B12 deficiency. Many people are already at risk of developing a B12 deficiency such as vegetarians, vegans, and those who take proton pump inhibitors or other antacids. SIBO increases the risk even further.

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Megaloblastic anaemia has also been directly linked to SIBO. It’s critical to treat the bacteria overgrowth as soon as possible to prevent any of these complications from occurring.

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SIBO Treatment Options

The most common way to treat SIBO is with antibiotics. However, proper dietary and lifestyle changes are also required for long-term healing. The issue with antibiotic treatment is that antibiotics not only kill the bad bacteria, but they take the good bacteria with it. Treating SIBO only with antibiotics can be difficult.  So, make sure to also take probiotics.

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There are many dietary and supplemental approaches that have been successfully shown to help treat this complex gastrointestinal disease, including:

• A Low-FODMAP diet (not done at the same time as the antimicrobial supplements)

• Consuming small amounts of food at meal times

• Consume  5-6 small meals per day

• Avoid overeating

• Antimicrobial supplements

• Probiotic rich foods

• Probiotic supplementation

 

SIBO Lifestyle Changes

There are certain lifestyle changes someone with SIBO can make to help jumpstart the healing process. Some of these changes include chewing your food thoroughly. It’s important to remember that digestion begins in the mouth so the better you chew your food, the better you assist your body in properly digesting the food you consume.

Next is hydration. With SIBO it’s critical to stay hydrated and to manage your stress levels. Regular exercise, yoga, and Heartmath are excellent ways to help balance the stress that comes with life. The digestive system is significantly impaired with high-stress levels, so stress reduction is a key component when dealing with SIBO.

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The SIBO Diet

One of the best ways to treat SIBO is with dietary changes. There is a specific diet approach used to help treat this bacterial overgrowth. The diet is a FODMAP elimination diet.
FODMAPS are foods that are not completely absorbed in the body. These foods can then start fermenting in the digestive tract. This fermentation can lead to more bacteria which can exacerbate SIBO symptoms. Here are some of the foods avoided when first starting the FODMAP elimination diet:

• Fructose

• Lactose: Conventional dairy products

• Fructans: Wheat, garlic, onions, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, artichokes

• Galactans: Brussels sprouts, soy, legumes, cabbage

• Polyols: Xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, maltitol

 

During the first phase of the FODMAP elimination diet, some of the foods to consume include:

• Grass-fed beef

• Wild caught salmon

• Free range eggs

• Almond milk

• Coconut milk

• Leafy greens

• Squash

• Bananas

• Blueberries

• Grapes

• Cantaloupe

• Pineapple

• Strawberries

 

While the low FODMAP diet is a relatively restricting diet, as the SIBO goes into remission you can add more and more foods to your diet. You would be surprised how much better you will feel once your diet is designed to help your body heal from the bacterial overgrowth.

 

Having said that, however, it’s important to understand that diet alone is not always all that’s required to treat SIBO. While a FODMAP diet helps to keep SIBO symptoms under control by starving the bacteria, it does not completely eliminate the bacteria overgrowth. FODMAP diet over time can also starve the good bacteria in your large intestine which could cause other potential health complications.

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While treating SIBO, a combination of diet, antimicrobial supplements, probiotics and lifestyle changes are often necessary. At the time of treatment with the antimicrobial supplements, I recommend following a lower carb diet that is not a low FODMAP diet. When using the supplements, you do not want the bacteria to hide because it can be harder to kill. After SIBO treatment, dietary changes will also need to be adapted for a long-term approach to achieving health and wellness. After treating the SIBO, adding some complex carbohydrates back into your diet is often well tolerated, but certain foods may need to be avoided long term. It’s all about finding the right balance for you for long term health.

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If you are suffering from weight gain, fatigue, hair loss and more, click here to schedule a session with me, so I can find out where you are, where you want to get to, and how I can help you get there.

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I know exactly where you are because I’ve treated many patients with this condition…I remember the first patient I had with this condition being so tired that she could barely function. She gained 15 kg out of nowhere and had a severe case of brain fog. She also started to get severe anxiety and panic attacks. She was driven and motivated…until she wasn’t. She didn’t know what was happening to her. All she wanted was to get her life back…

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Finally, she learned about functional medicine and approached me with the hope that I could help her. I recommended specialized tests that were far different than she had ever had before. When she got her results back, it turned out she had candida, parasites, high cortisol, the Epstein Bar Virus and many food intolerances. She also had an issue with her thyroid that no one found before because they were using the conventional lab ranges which are way too broad….which I recognise as one of the leading causes of hypothyroid misdiagnosis.

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She went through treatment of all of these things and it completely changed her life.  she immediately lost the 15kg she had gained plus more, she had a lot more energy, and her brain fog vanished. She felt amazing and knew that she wanted to help others find the underlying causes of their symptoms and disease. 

 

 

Sources

Dr. Axe. Do You Have SIBO Symptoms? Here is ALL You Need to Know!
Chris Kresser. 2015. Why Diet Alone Is Not Enough to Treat SIBO.