SIBO - The Hidden Gut Health Condition That’s Often Misdiagnosed

June 29, 2022

[Plus Foods to AVOID If You Have It]

Abdominal pain, gas, bloating, malabsorption of nutrients..it might sound like a classic case of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

But the truth is, it might not be IBS at all .

There’s a good chance these symptoms are caused by another gut health condition; one that often flies under the radar, wreaking havoc on your digestion for months or even years.

That gut condition is called SIBO, which is short for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

As scary as a misdiagnosis can sound, there is good news: There is a SIBO solution. I designed my HAPPY GUT ^® Activate Plus supplement to help correct the underlying causes of SIBO to get your health back on track.

But first, how do you know if it’s IBS, or SIBO? Let’s dive into the similarities, differences, and why SIBO is often misdiagnosed not just as IBS, but a lot of things.

What is SIBO?

As I mentioned before, SIBO stands for “small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.” This gut condition occurs when your gut bacteria, and particularly certain types of “bad” bacteria — end up in the wrong places and overwhelm the digestive processes that are supposed to occur in the small intestines.

Essentially, SIBO is the wrong bacteria in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This occurs for many reasons; it often develops after surgery to the GI tract and taking medications like antibiotics and narcotics. It can also develop in those with a lowered immune system, chronic stress, or a poor diet. All of these things can slow down the passage of food and waste products as they move through the small intestines, creating giving bacteria the opportunity to replicate and migrate — creating the perfect storm for SIBO to take over. SIBO can also happen because of low stomach acid; when you have low stomach acid, food isn’t completely digested before reaching the small intestine where the overgrown bacteria ferment it, causing uncomfortable gas and bloating.There is also some overlap between SIBO and IBS, and one may lead to the other. For example, a 2018 study showed that the odds of having SIBO in IBS were increased five-fold.

SIBO Symptoms: What to Look Out For

These displaced bacteria end up fermenting the carbohydrates you eat, and that causes high amounts of gasses like hydrogen and methane to be produced. These bacteria also gobble up other nutrients, like vitamin B12, leaving you at risk for deficiency. It also makes the digestion of other nutrients like protein and fats difficult, leading to you feeling crappy after almost every meal. If left untreated, SIBO can cause malnutrition and lasting damage to your body.

The most common symptoms of SIBO are:

Abdominal pain
Indigestion
Nausea
Bloating
Gas
Diarrhea
Constipation
Unintentional weight loss
Fatigue
Abdominal distension

SIBO Testing: How This Condition is Diagnosed… and Misdiagnosed

Because of this wide range of symptoms — and the lack of training conventional doctors get in identifying SIBO — this condition is often misdiagnosed.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say SIBO is misdiagnosed more often than it’s caught and actually treated.

SIBO is frequently misdiagnosed as:

IBS
Diarrhea
Constipation
Bloating
Histamine intolerance
Chronic fatigue

That’s one of the reasons why I developed Active Plus, to give SIBO sufferers an everyday solution to SIBO that helps raise awareness of this condition and help them get closer to a diagnosis.

A SIBO diagnosis happens in a few ways. The most accurate way is to culture the mucus and fluid in the small intestines, and measure the number of bacteria in the sample. Officially, SIBO is diagnosed when there are more than 100,000 colony-forming units of bacteria per milliliter of fluid. Other less invasive ways to diagnose SIBO include breath tests, which test for hydrogen and methane gasses being produced by your gut bacteria.

Another flag to look out for is if you take probiotics, and your digestive issues get worse. Not all probiotics will exacerbate SIBO, especially when taken with other treatments, but some can, and that’s a good sign that SIBO is at play.

A HAPPY GUT ^® Approach to SIBO

If you’re diagnosed with SIBO by a conventional doctor, there’s a good chance that you’ll be sent home with a prescription for antibiotics. But as America’s Gut Doctor, I’m here to tell you that SIBO requires a more holistic approach than that. Treat SIBO with just antibiotics, and you may experience temporary relief, but it will more often than not come back a few months later. Instead, my HAPPY GUT ^® approach to SIBO includes antibiotics, supplements like Activate Plus , and dietary and lifestyle changes. A 2014 study even showed that the results were just as good with herbal therapy compared to antibiotic therapy.

Foods to Avoid If You Have SIBO

One of the first things to do if you have SIBO is to eliminate foods that exacerbate the condition, which means eliminating a group of foods called FODMAPS, or fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. These carbohydrates are what are fermented by these bacteria, causing the gas products. The tricky part is that FODMAPS are often healthy foods, such as:

SIBO Triggering Foods

Wheat
Apples
Apricots
Blackberries
Lentils
Chickpeas
Soybeans
Asparagus
Cabbage
Cow’s milk
Brussels sprouts
Garlic
Butternut squash
Onions
Sugar and sweeteners
Dairy

The tricky part is that FODMAPS are often healthy foods, which can make it frustrating to cut them out. Luckily, once SIBO is under control you can often add these foods back into your diet without an issue.

SIBO Safe Foods

The following foods are great to eat as you fend off SIBO. You can find a more detailed guide of foods to eat and foods to enjoy,

Almond milk
Bananas
Potatoes
Blueberries
Grapefruit
Bok choy
Carrots
Beer, chicken, pork,
Eggs
Tofu
Walnuts
Oats
Quinoa
Rice
Cucumbers
Ginger

It’s important to stick to SIBO-safe foods, especially as you’re finishing up your antibiotics; that way, you won’t give those bacteria anything to feed on and overgrow.

Activate Plus for Daily SIBO Prevention

Activate Plus was designed to help with SIBO symptoms, like bloating, and treat two of the main underlying causes. It can help correct slow digestion and low stomach acid, and most importantly, help make sure you break down all food nutrients — proteins, carbs, and fats — with every meal. It contains ingredients like betaine-HCL, which helps you digest protein better and correct fatigue caused by SIBO and inefficient nutrient breakdown and absorption.

It also includes a wide range of digestive enzymes to help optimize the speed and efficiency of your digestive system. You can easily have Activate PLUS with you at all times and make it an addition to every meal.

If you’re struggling with your digestion, or any of the symptoms of SIBO, make sure you’re not going misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. There are solutions to SIBO but only if you know you have it! Don’t wait — you don’t want to allow nutrient deficiencies to take hold, and sabotage your health in the long-term.

Dr. Vincent Pedre is a leading authority in gut health, a bestselling author, and a medical doctor with a holistic approach to wellness. With over two decades of experience, he is dedicated to helping people achieve optimal health through personalized nutrition, lifestyle adjustments, and integrative medicine.

Dr. Pedre offers personalized health consultations, as well as the comprehensive Gut-Brain Mastery Program — 6-Week Stress-Less Challenge — which is designed to help individuals biohack their brain health through their gut to reduce stress, boost mood, improve gut health, and achieve rockstar resilience.