How Can Probiotic Supplements Provide Help for SIBO?

To help your mental and your body health, the bacteria in your gut should be healthy. According to studies, probiotics can be used in keeping the gut in a healthy state. These studies also reveal that the regular consumption of probiotic supplements can come in handy for individuals that are dealing with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO).

What Exactly is SIBO?

If you intend to treat SIBO with Probiotics, then, you must know what SIBO is. This is simply a medical condition that is Characterized by the excessive growth of various bacteria types that occur naturally in the small intestine. Although it does not seem so serious, It is a medical condition that should be treated with a great degree of seriousness. 

One other reason IBO occurs is when gut bacteria that is associated with the large intestine begins growing in the small intestine.

These bacteria are able to survive by feeding on foods in the small intestine that are yet to digest. While at this, they produce hydrogen by causing the bacteria in the food to ferment. This process leads to the production of methane. This explains why there are high levels of hydrogen and methane in the digestive system of people dealing with SIBO.

When food is eaten, it gets mixed with digestive juices in the small intestine before nutrients are absorbed into the body. This process is a little different for people dealing with SIBO. 

The entire digestion and absorption process in the small intestine is interrupted by the presence of Excessive Bacteria. When this occurs, there is damage to the small intestinal lining, thereby, leading to inadequate absorption of Nutrients. SIBO could also lead to anemia and vitamin deficiencies.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of SIBO?

SIBO might be one of the different digestive conditions. It, however, has similar signs and symptoms to these digestive conditions. Due to this, the chances of mistaking SIBO for other problems exist.

SIBO can be confused for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and leaky gut. Although there are General Symptoms of SIBO, different people exhibit different symptoms. Some signs associated with it are nausea, fatigue, unintentional weight loss, food allergies, and intolerances, cramping, constipation, and excessive gas.

Diagnosis of SIBO

Beyond knowing what the signs and symptoms of SIBO are, you should know exactly how it is diagnosed. There is more than one way to diagnose SIBO. Some of the most popular are;

Urine test: This test helps doctors find out the presence of yeast or bacteria byproducts in your urine. The presence of this is an indication of the overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine. Once this is established, you may get further tested. These extra tests will establish if you are dealing with hydrogen or methane-dominant SIBO

Stool test: This test examines your large intestine’s flora. It checks for the presence of at least two gut infections. If the test proves the presence of high levels of good bacteria, you might have SIB O.

Breath Test: This test is used to determine how high methane and hydrogen are in the body. Before this test is carried out, a patient has to adhere to a special diet for a couple of days. Also, they should take a solution that contains lactulose sugar, glucose, or xylose.

How is SIBO Treated?

The most common treatment for this is antimicrobial therapy. Such antibiotic medications like Xifazan or Rifaximin are prescribed for treating it. Although this is effective, healthy bacteria present in the gut are also affected by the use of antibiotics in treating  it. 

While the efficiency of this treatment method is dependent on the duration of treatment, dosage, and optimal type, there is a likelihood for bacterial overgrowth to take place after this treatment.

When one suffers from it, there is usually an underlying cause. If the healing process of one suffering from SIBO has to be smooth, the underlying cause has to be identified and targeted during treatment.

Although antibiotics can be used in treating SIB O, a blend of antibiotics and probiotics will produce much better results. This is because you can maintain good levels of naturally occurring bacteria in the small intestine when SIBO is treated with antibiotics and probiotics.

Is There an Effect of Taking Probiotics Daily on SIBO?

Some years ago, probiotics were not considered important as treatment for SIBO. This was due to the belief that only antibiotics or therapies with similarities to antibiotics could be used in treating it. While the use of probiotics is not one of the usual ways to can be treated, according to lots of studies, the use of probiotic supplements frequently can help in dealing with SIBO.