The word SIBO comes from the acronym in English of ‘small intestinal bacterial overgrowth’ (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in Spanish). Its symptoms that can be experienced at specific moments, but what happens if they happen to be suffered almost daily affecting our quality of life?
Maybe then we are talking about SIBO. An abnormal growth of bacteria in the small intestine that you have between the ages of 10% and 15% of the Spanish population And it is more common in women. An increasingly common disease.
What is the SIBO?
A bacterial proliferation greater than normal located in that specific part of the digestive tract, which when produced excessively can lead to various symptoms. Symptoms among which are some more common such as gas, bloating, diarrheaas well as a general impact on the well-being of the person who suffers it.
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Symptoms for which it is always essential to consult a doctor, since if the SIBO is very serious and persists over time, it can cause health problems in the rest of the body mainly as a consequence of malabsorption of nutrients and intestinal inflammation.
Most frequent causes of SIBO
The causes that can hide behind SIBO can be very varied and numerous. As it is not considered a common disease, but as an effect or association with other disorders, it is still more complex to diagnose and treat. In fact, it can often be confused or masked with other problems or diseases.
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Among the most frequent causes of SIBO are:
- Irritable bowel syndrome.
- Pancreatitis.
- diverticulitis.
- Crohn’s disease.
- Metabolic disorders (diabetes).
- Colon cancer.
- Kidney problems or cirrhosis.
- Effects of surgeries in the intestine.
- Immune problems.
- Gastrointestinal motility problems.
- Food intolerances and allergies.
- Consumption of alcohol and/or drugs.
- Consumption of certain medications, such as omeprazole and other stomach protectors or abuse of antacids.
What are the symptoms of SIBO and how to recognize them
We have already mentioned some of the common symptoms of SIBO. Symptoms that can be associated with other digestive diseases and that even some people come to normalize throughout his life, suffering them in silence.
Here we list the most common:
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- Stomach pain especially after eating.
- Constant feeling of swollen belly.
- Periods of diarrhea and constipation. Although the syndrome can cause periods of both diarrhea and constipation, most commonly the person suffers from chronic diarrhea.
- Frequent feeling of poor digestion.
- Excess intestinal gas.
- Excessive fatigue, weight loss, anemia… Only in the most serious cases and because the ability of the intestine to absorb nutrients decreases.
Why is it more common in women?
There may be certain factors that contribute to a higher prevalence or more clinical presentation. prominent in women. Among the most common factors we find:
female anatomy and hormones
Some studies, as this one published on the PubMed website, suggest that differences in female anatomy and the physiology of the gastrointestinal tract in women could have a lot to do with it. On the other hand, hormonal fluctuations in the menstrual cycle can also influence motility and intestinal function.
Contraceptive use
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The use of oral contraceptives can also affect the bacterial balance in the intestine and increase the risk of suffering from these types of intestinal problems, as reflected This studio.
intestinal motility problems
Decreased intestinal motility may help bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine.
Changes in the vaginal microbiota
Women have a specific vaginal microbiota that can influence the bacterial balance in other parts of the digestive system. These imbalances can actually increase the risk of SIBO in some women.
Still, it is important to keep in mind that these factors do not have to affect all women equally and that both men and women can develop SIBO. So whatever your symptoms are and if you think you might be experiencing it, don’t hesitate to go to a health professional that can make a corresponding evaluation and determine an adequate treatment for your case.
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SIBO diet, the solution to recover your flora and reduce digestive problems
Precisely with the goal of offsetting such treatment while reducing inflammation and bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, doctors often suggest incorporating a low FODMAP dieta series of difficult to digest carbohydrates and that bacteria ferment in the colon.
In this clinically treated diet to treat irritable bowel syndrome and its symptoms, it is necessary to eliminate or reduce foods rich in this type of carbohydrate. A simple gesture with which you will improve your digestive health and your intestinal flora.
Foods to eliminate from the SIBO diet
To do this, it is necessary to suppress fructose, the simple sugars in fruits and some vegetables, honey and agave nectar. Also lactose, as well as fructans (a sugar compound found in gluten-containing products, fruits, some vegetables, and prebiotics).
It is also necessary to eliminate or reduce galactans, a compound found in some legumes, and polyols, a sugar alcohol often used as a sweetener.
Other foods that you can also consider eliminating from the diet with honey, soft drinks, garlic, onions, asparagus, cauliflower, artichokes, beans, apples, sausage, flavored yogurt, ice cream, sweetened cereals, barley, grains or peas and rye.
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Foods that you can include in the SIBO diet
Although at first glance this list may seem too restrictive, there are many other foods that you can enjoy in this temporary diet.
Among them are included the foods high in fiber and low in sugaralso meat, fish, eggs, gluten-free cookies, oats, sugar-free cereals, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, carrots, pumpkin, quinoa, seeds and some fruits such as blueberries, grapes, oranges or strawberries.
A diet that, of course, in the case of suffering from SIBO, you must support an adequate treatment based on antibiotics that can treat the symptoms of this syndrome. Even so, these changes in the diet will be the best ally, since By limiting your intake of sugars and lactose, you will also help reduce bacterial overgrowth.
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