10 alarming SIBO symptoms (and not just IBS)

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SIBO Symptoms
Table of contents hide
1 SIBO symptoms?
2 What is SIBO?
2.1 10 typical SIBO symptoms:
2.1.1 Related posts:

SIBO symptoms?

You cannot fit into your jeans anymore because you feel so bloated? You wake up with a flat belly in the morning, and in the evening, you look like six months pregnant? These may sound a bit extreme but are not exceptional cases. Many other clients experience constant gas or bloating, and some of them already have the popular diagnosis of IBS.

I want to emphasize that bloating is not normal, especially when it happens constantly. It is always a sign of inflammation and irritation in the gut and is one of the leading SIBO symptoms.

What is SIBO?

SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. It means an increase in the number of bacteria and/or changes in the types of bacteria present in the small intestine. SIBO symptoms and SIBO are commonly caused by an overgrowth of various bacteria that should generally be found in the large intestine. (1)

Classic SIBO symptoms are similar to IBS symptoms (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). These include abdominal pain, discomfort, cramping, gas, bloating, reflux, diarrhea, and/or constipation.

According to studies, 84 % of IBS cases are caused by SIBO. (2)

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10 typical SIBO symptoms:

  1. You have constant bloating, gas – You may have difficulties figuring out which foods cause flatulence because you are bloated all the time or just increasing as the day goes by.
  2. You have persistent diarrhea or constipation – hydrogen-dominant SIBO usually causes diarrhea, while methane-dominant SIBO mostly constipation, but this is also not always true! Mixed types are also common. (3)
  3. Your SIBO symptoms get worse when you eat fiber – You may have heard that the daily value for fiber is around 25 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet for adults (4); you still try to complete this challenge, but your symptoms got worse. SIBO can be the culprit. Typically healthy gut needs fiber to feed the good bacteria and support normal function. However, your symptoms get worse if you feed the overpopulated bacteria. 
  4. You have several food intolerances such as gluten, lactose, fructose, histamine intolerance. – You lack enzymes, which are needed to break down certain foods, triggering a digestive response. (5)(6)
  5. You are already diagnosed with IBS – the majority of IBS patients have SIBO symptoms – you should not be satisfied with the IBS diagnosis; dig deeper!
  6. You feel worse after eating – You get full quickly after eating a normal-sized meal that can happen when you have low stomach acid. (7) Slow stomach emptying when the food stays in your stomach for long hours, causing nausea can contribute to SIBO. Damage to the migrating motor complex (MMC), which is usually responsible for sweeping food and bacteria through the digestive tract and gets activated when you don’t eat, is one of the most common underlying causes of SIBO.(8)
  7. You don’t go well with probiotics – Do you get abdominal pain and cramping after eating fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi? It can also be a sign of SIBO.
  8. You have chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, autoimmune diseases - Leaky gut can also be a culprit if your gut remains “leaky,” and food particles, among others, can get into your bloodstream. These will activate your immune system, which will start attacking the foreign invaders, causing inflammation. A long-term defense can lead to damage to your organs and food intolerances as these foreign invaders may look similar to your own body’s cells, and the immune system gets confused, overloaded, and start attacking your tissues. (9)
  9. You suffer from skin rashes and rosacea – an impaired gut (SIBO symptoms) can also cause skin problems.
  10. You have malabsorption issues such as fat (can also cause floating stools) and/or vitamin and mineral deficiencies, especially fat-soluble vitamins (D, E, K, A).

You can read more SIBO symptoms and the SIBO testing options in my previous blog post.

References
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  1. Bures, J., Cyrany, J., Kohoutova, D., Förstl, M., Rejchrt, S., Kvetina, J., Vorisek, V., & Kopacova, M. (2010). Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth syndrome. World journal of gastroenterology, 16(24), 2978–2990. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v16.i24.2978

  2. Reddymasu, S.C., Sostarich, S. & McCallum, R.W. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in irritable bowel syndrome: are there any predictors?. BMC Gastroenterol 10, 23 (2010). doi.org/10.1186/1471-230X-10-23
    3.Dukowicz, A. C., Lacy, B. E., & Levine, G. M. (2007). Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth: a comprehensive review. Gastroenterology & hepatology, 3(2), 112–122. (4)

  3. FACLM, M. G. (2017, March 14). NutritionFacts.org. Retrieved from NutritionFacts.org: https://nutritionfacts.org/2017/03/14/how-much-fiber-should-you-eat-every-day/

  4. Tuck, C. J., Biesiekierski, J. R., Schmid-Grendelmeier, P., & Pohl, D. (2019). Food Intolerances. Nutrients, 11(7), 1684. doi.org/10.3390/nu11071684

  5. Wikipedia contributors. (2021, March 10). Food intolerance. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:51, May 5, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Food_intolerance&oldid=1011449635

  6. Sarker, S. A., Ahmed, T., & Brüssow, H. (2017). Hunger and microbiology: is a low gastric acid-induced bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine a contributor to malnutrition in developing countries?. Microbial biotechnology, 10(5), 1025–1030. doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.12780

  7. Vantrappen, G., Janssens, J., Hellemans, J., & Ghoos, Y. (1977). The interdigestive motor complex of normal subjects and patients with bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. The Journal of clinical investigation, 59(6), 1158–1166. doi.org/10.1172/JCI108740

  8. Fasano A. (2012). Leaky gut and autoimmune diseases. Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology, 42(1), 71–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12016-011-8291-x

Related posts:

SIBO and IBD connection
Is a Carnivore Diet Good for SIBO?
Is SIFO behind your stubborn digestive symptoms?
Can Helicobacter pylori infection be the root cause of SIBO?
GERD (Chronic Acid Reflux) symptoms, causes, and natural approaches