Breath testing is available to measure the hydrogen and methane gas produced by bacteria in the small intestine. Both hydrogen and methane are only produced by bacteria, not humans. Abnormally high levels of these gases indicate bacterial overgrowth.

Lactulose Breath Test (LBT) Humans can’t digest or absorb lactulose. Only bacteria have the proper enzymes to do this. After they consume lactulose, they make gas. If there is an overgrowth, this will be reflected in the levels of H and/or M. ( The 3 hour lactulose test is the one with the best results, un fortunately there isn’t yet a perfect test, the small intestine is a hard place to get to.Endoscopy and Colonoscopy only reaches portion of the small intestine).
The advantage to this test is that it can diagnose overgrowth in the distal end of the SI, thought to be more common. The disadvantage is that it cannot diagnose bacterial overgrowth as well as the Glucose Breath Test (GBT).

Glucose Breath Test (GBT) Both humans and bacteria absorb glucose. Glucose is absorbed within the first three feet of the SI, therefore if the bacterial gases of H and/or M are produced during this test, it reflects an overgrowth in the proximal/upper end of the SI (within the first two feet). The advantage to this test is that it successfully and accurately diagnoses proximal overgrowth. The disadvantage is that it cannot diagnose distal overgrowth, occurring in the latter 17 feet of the SI, which is thought to be more common.

The test is performed at home with a take-home kit. It takes 1-3 hours in the morning. It comes with very detailed instructions.

Hydrogen Methane Breath Test for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.

Comes with 1 test kit, results, explanation, and treatment protocol individualized for your specific type of SIBO, in a course format. Includes free 2-way-shipping within Canada.

You can buy your test online At Treat Sibo Clinic

The main goal to treat SIBO is to reduce the number of bacteria, repair the damaged gut, and prevent relapse.

Strategies for this usually include antibiotics, herbal antibiotics, and dietary modification. The damaged small intestine lining heals on its own when the bacteria population is reduced and is enhanced by diet and additional nutritional supplements.

Some keys to preventing SIBO are having good food hygiene (eating when calm, chewing well, having only 3 meals a day, no snacking in between meals, etc.), having adequate stomach acid, removing proton pump inhibitors and antacids (which reduce stomach acid and promote SIBO), and enhance the parasympathetic “rest and digest” nervous system.

Schedule an appointment with your Naturopathic Physician to identify if the overgrowth of normal bacteria in your gut is the cause of your gastrointestinal distress.

SIBO Can not be starved just with a diet, it must be killed and the cause needs to be addressed in order to heal. The elemental diet is an exception, it has shown some efficacy to starve out the overgrowth bacteria, because it is a therapeutic treatment and not a long term diet.

You need to feed the SIBO in order to kill it, alive bacteria is much more sensitive to Antibiotics and easier to kill. It is important to eat lots of fermented foods during the treatment to keep the bacteria active for the antibiotics effectively take downs this bad bug.

Your treatment can not be only focus on diet, the root cause needs to be fixes. Make sure you find a SIBO DOCTOR. (Naturopath Physician).

All this diets should only be used on a short term ( Fast tract, Low FODMAP, or SCD, because they reduce the total bacteria load in the GI tract what can make you feel confortable for a period of time but not on a long term, this diets should not be used for longer then 3 month so you do not run the risk of creating new problems.

Some of the problems created by this diets when you have SIBO:

• Reductions of good bugs – Reduce bifidobacterium and total microbiota in the GI tract, this can lead to gut dysfunction, Bifidobacterium is essential for healthy microbiome.
• Overfeeding 1 bacteria and starve the others.
• Become malnourished
• When you starve the bacteria, they start eating you, by eating the important immunological barrier in your gut.
• Low carb and fruit diet can lead to Thyroid malfunction

Finding the best diet for sibo treatment should be determinate case by case, you need to find what is right for you and the treatment/protocol you are following.

Diet is very important to good and bad bacteria population.

An elemental diet is a different approach to treating SIBO, it has been tested on patients with SIBO and others with Irritable Bowel Disease (particularly Crohn’s patients). …

An elemental diet replaces all food with a liquid formula made up of nutrients in their simplest form for a period of 15 days. this diet starves the bacteria, but feed the person with powdered nutrients in pre-digested, easily absorbed form. (ex: Vivonex plus, AbsorbPlus)