More and more people have digestive problems, bloating or stool problems. The diagnosis is often PDS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or Crohn's Disease, celiac disease or a leaky gut. But more and more often another digestive disorder is called SIBO.
In the series of interviews during the Health Fair 2019, Jacqueline Gerrits also spoke about SIBO, a nasty imbalance of bacteria in your intestines, which can cause many problems. You can walk around with it for years without knowing what to do about it.
Jacqueline Gerrits, co-author of the book FODMaP and dietician explains, in understandable Jip & Janneke language. SIBO, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth; too many bacteria in your small intestine, in the wrong place, that mess things up and cause problems such as;
- Acid burn,
- nausea,
- gas formation,
- abdominal pain, but also
- constipation and
- diarrhea
- burping after eating
How do you get SIBO? This can occur if you are not in good shape or have way too much stress. It can go wrong in several places in the body, starting with the stomach.
When the stomach cannot make enough acid, all those microorganisms, which are in the stomach, are not all killed. Then those microorganisms can do their "work", such as creating gas from (fast) carbohydrates. You then get a bloated feeling soon after eating. And the sooner after eating this happens, the more this indicates that the stomach cannot do its job properly. If too much gas is made, by the bacteria, it will get bored and you will get stomach ache or heartburn. Some bacteria that live in the stomach can make folic acid and vitamin B6. So when you have your blood levels tested and these levels are too high, your therapist knows that they need to investigate whether that stomach is functioning properly.
When the stomach does its work properly, it produces acid and also an intrinsic factor (a glycoprotein produced in the stomach wall cells). This breaks down the proteins so that they can be properly digested and the vitamin B12 from the food can be properly absorbed. If all this goes well, the food continues to the small intestine. There enzymes are added and these digest the food. Everything that is digested properly is absorbed by the liver. So your cells can make good use of it.
But what if you don't make enough stomach acid? And if you can't make enough of these enzymes?
Jacqueline explains: "then a lot of indigestible particles stay in that gut and they go all the way down and end up in the colon. The bacteria that live there act on the undigested food, producing bubbles, alcohol or acids. And with that they blow up the colon, which happens a few hours after eating".
If you suffer from this a lot, all the substances made by these bacteria will eventually be present in your stool. If you want to know which ones they are, you can have a 'poop test' done (official feces test). The laboratory will examine your stool and you will find out which of these bacteria are living in your intestines in far too large numbers.
When you know that, then an (orthomolecular) therapist can make sure that the stomach and the pancreas are nourished enough again, so they can do their job properly. This can be done with a nutritional diet like FODMaP, supplements and advice on stress reduction. And if all this goes well, you will be healthy again, says Jacqueline.
She gives a few more tips on how to find out if you have SIBO: If you burp a lot right after eating it often means that your stomach is not functioning properly. And if you have a lot of farts, then there is too much gas in the intestines. Another reason why you may be experiencing gas: there is a valve between your small and large intestines. If you have ever had an injury there (for example you fell off your bike and the handlebars hit you in the stomach), then that valve can be dislocated and the bacteria can get through more easily and you will get a very bloated feeling around your navel.
Jacqueline Gerrits is together with Joyce Bijl author of the book "FODMaP, All about Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Misunderstood Abdominal Complaints", a book of advice and menus to lifestyle and more. This book is intended for anyone who has just been diagnosed with PDS or who is still searching for how nutrition affects their abdominal symptoms.
You can purchase this book through bookstores, possibly along with their other book PDS&Stress.
This is not a scientific story, but is to give an idea what happens in the intestines when there is a bloated stomach or belly.
Watch and/or listen to the interview with Jacqueline at the National Health Fair 2019 at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht here.
How can Bloodtesting.nl help?
Regular blood tests and or stool tests are crucial to understanding how your health works. This allows you to monitor your progress; detect any diseases, infections and inflammations in time and then work in a targeted manner to solve any problems. Whether SIBO is the cause of your bowel problems can be determined with stool testing.
The 'Health Screening Bowel Plus' provides insight into the overall health of the bowels. With this screening you can detect imbalances and correct them with the right treatment. This test is a good basis for a colon therapist to work with in a targeted way. Order the coloninfo stool test 'Health screening Bowel Plus' for € 327,00
Or do you want to get started yourself and use "the state of the art artificial intelligence" to solve your gut problems? Order the new Viome microbiome test for €249, - for more information click here
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Jacqueline Gerrits, dietician
Retrieved from Jul 17, 2019