Title: Can SIBO cause weight gain?
SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth Syndrome. If you want to learn more about the symptoms and the controversy surrounding this diagnosis, you can read more about that here. You can also read more about what causes a false positive SIBO test here.
Research suggests a strong overlap in symptoms of people diagnosed with SIBO and those of us with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) (1). The commonality underlying the symptoms of both of these syndromes appears to be dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. Simply put, those of us experiencing SIBO and IBS symptoms are often lacking in certain beneficial gut flora.
Fun Fact:Â lactose intolerance can cause similar symptoms for SIBO and IBS. It may be worth avoiding lactose for 3-5 days to see if symptoms improve. Up to 75% of the global population are lactose intolerant as adults (2).
-- How to improve our beneficial gut bugs --
Our gut microbiome is a reflection of the foods that we are eating. Eat intact whole plant foods and our healthy fiber feeders grow in number. Reduce fiber and replace this with processed foods that are rich in simple sugars and our fiber feeding microbes starve and colony numbers go down.
How are SIBO and IBS related to weight gain? Research suggests that those of us living with symptoms of SIBO and IBS have lower amounts of fiber eating gut flora (1). In order to improve our symptoms, we need to feed our fiber eating gut flora with fiber-rich foods.
When we feed our fiber eating gut flora, they produce substances called short chain fatty acids which get absorbed into our bodies. These short chain fatty acids effect many aspects of health, including our mood and our appetites. Increasing fiber-rich foods is an effective strategy to help with weight-loss and to improve symptoms related to SIBO and IBS (3).
The short answer to, "Does SIBO cause weight gain"? Yes and no. It appears that SIBO might just be a reflection of the foods that we are choosing to put on our plate. The two appear to go hand-in-hand. The link between SIBO and weight gain appears to be a lack of dietary fiber coupled with too much processed foods (flour and added sugars are common sources in the Standard American Diet).
What are high-fiber foods? Intact whole grains (ie, brown or wild rice, pearled barley, farro, oat groats, millet, bulgar, etc) and beans are the highest sources of fiber. While fruits and vegetable contain fiber, they are more water than fiber. Only plant foods contain fiber.
As always, what do I think? Transitioning towards a plant predominant dietary pattern, rich in fiber, can improve symptoms of IBS and SIBO. If you are unsure of where to start and ready to make the change and start feeling better, then get started with Jessica Krol, FNP, DipACLm of Lifestyle Medicine Maine. Lifestyle Medicine Maine offers peer support weight loss programs lasting twelve weeks at a time with virtual live weekly meetings. Stop dieting and instead transition to a dietary pattern that will lead to health and weight loss in the long-run. Schedule your FREE consult today to see how Lifestyle Medicine Maine can help.
References
Small intestinal microbial dysbiosis underlies symptoms associated with functional gastrointestinal disorders. Saffouri, et al. Nature Communications. (2019) https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41467-019-09964-7Â
Diagnostic Utility of Carbohydrate Breath Tests for SIBO, Fructose, and Lactose Intolerance. Amieva-Balmori, et al. Digestive Diseases and Sciences. (2020) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-019-05889-9
Symptoms and the small intestinal microbiome — the unknown explored. Quigley. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology. (2019) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-019-0171-5
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