Collagen - SIBO & gut health

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, also known as SIBO, is a common intestinal disease that is becoming more common. Often associated with IBS, SIBO is often implicated as the cause of chronic diarrhea and malabsorption. Identifying and evaluating SIBO is important because it can cause or worsen other gastrointestinal conditions and have far-reaching effects on your digestion and overall health.

So what exactly is SIBO? And could that be why you're experiencing bloating, diarrhea and stomach pain?

In this article, we will explore the underlying causes of SIBO, the different types of SIBO, and how to treat SIBO by restoring balance to the microbiome (gut flora) and how to heal the gut.

More and more people are suffering from IBS, a digestive problem that can have a profound impact on quality of life. It is further estimated that as many as 80% of these have SIBO, and that an even greater number of people suffer from food intolerance.

What is SIBO?

SIBO stands for Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth, i.e. overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. The small intestine should usually have a smaller amount of bacteria, while a large amount and variety of bacteria reside in the large intestine.

In a healthy small intestine – whose primary function is to digest food and absorb nutrients from it – only a small amount of bacteria will be present. SIBO occurs when there is an excessive amount of bacteria in the small intestine.

The overgrowth of bacteria creates more gas than usual during the digestive process, which in turn can trigger diarrhea and uncomfortable digestive symptoms. The excess bacteria also consume proteins, vitamin B12 and bile salts that are meant for digestion and absorption. This results in immediate gastrointestinal symptoms and over time contributes to malnutrition, which can have harmful effects on the body.

What causes SIBO?

Bacterial numbers in the small intestine are maintained by several homeostatic mechanisms including:

• Stomach acid and pancreatic/biliary secretions: which help suppress the growth of bacteria. Factors that can reduce your stomach acid levels include:

• Intestinal immune function: which helps your intestinal immunity against certain bacteria

• Small intestinal motility and integrity: which helps pass waste to the large intestine

SIBO develops when these mechanisms are disrupted, resulting in an imbalance in the intestinal flora, commonly referred to as dysbiosis. SIBO can be triggered by several factors such as food poisoning, an infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria, long-term use of medications such as antibiotics or stomach acid medications, or one of the many causes of poor motility in the small intestine.

What are the symptoms of SIBO?

SIBO is a multifaceted gastrointestinal disease and as such is often underdiagnosed or mistaken for another gastrointestinal condition. SIBO can manifest itself through a variety of symptoms:

• Bloating/distension
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Gases
• Bad breath
• Indigestion
• Loss of appetite
• Stomach ache
• Unpleasant feeling of fullness after a meal

What other conditions are associated with SIBO?

SIBO is often associated with various conditions, including but not limited to:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) – on average 60% of IBS is caused by SIBO
• Gluten intolerance
• Fibromyalgia
• Food sensitivity
• Gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying without mechanical obstruction)
• Diverticulosis. Pockets on the intestine, diverticulosis, are most common in the sigmoid. The incidence increases with age and is uncommon before the age of 40, but occurs in most people who are 80 years of age or older. The appearance of diverticula is thought to be due to increased luminal pressure in the colon.
• Scleroderma. Systemic sclerosis (Scleroderma, SSc). Systemic sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease that is primarily characterized by inflammation and fibrotization of the skin, subcutaneous tissue, blood vessels and internal organs.
• Metabolic disorders (diabetes, obesity)
• Previous gastrointestinal surgeries

These conditions can contribute to the development of SIBO.

How do I know if I have SIBO?

People with SIBO can have symptoms that vary in presentation, from being only mildly symptomatic to chronic diarrhea, constipation, weight loss, and malabsorption.

If you're experiencing ongoing digestive symptoms, consider seeing a doctor to determine if you have SIBO. Self-diagnosis can be challenging, and it is important to seek professional guidance for an accurate assessment and appropriate treatment of your symptoms.

How do I treat SIBO?

Treatment of SIBO consists of: 1) addressing underlying causes; 2) support the body with the right nutrition; and 3) address the bacterial overgrowth.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics play an important role in SIBO treatment, helping to eliminate and reduce bacterial overload and to eliminate mucosal inflammation associated with overgrowth and malabsorption.

However, after a course of antibiotics, restoring the gastrointestinal tract is critical to your health, as antibiotics do not offer a long-term solution and can actually further disrupt your gut flora.

Personal diet plan

Although specific foods themselves do not directly trigger SIBO, some can make symptoms worse. This is why effective management and treatment of SIBO often requires dietary changes.

Sometimes short-term, highly restrictive diets are recommended for SIBO, but often a gentler and more gradual approach is most appropriate; there is no one size fits all. There are appropriate diet plans for you depending on your symptoms and medical history:

• The FODMAP diet – given the huge overlap between SIBO and IBS, the low FODMAP diet is often an effective diet. FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. These are the scientific names for carbohydrates that are harder to digest. The low FODMAP diet temporarily restricts these carbohydrates, relieving symptoms and giving your gut time to repair itself and rebalance the gut flora.

• Elimination diet – this involves limiting certain carbohydrate-heavy foods from your diet to deprive the problematic bacteria of their preferred nutrients. As symptoms improve, these foods can be gradually added back to see how your system responds.

Balance the intestinal flora with dietary supplements containing collagen, glutamine, prebiotics and zinc

Supplements to be taken with food to improve SIBO symptoms and restore healthy gut function may include the following supplements:

Supplements such as L-glutamine, zinc and collagen are known to support repair of the gut lining, while prebiotics increase the diversity of beneficial gut bacteria to support gut flora.

On the other hand, prebiotics (which can be good for people with robust gut health) can be potent producers of hydrogen in the gut, which is bad news for many people with SIBO. You simply have to experiment to see what works best.

/Your health – your choice!