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Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic just published their findings from a study to determine if there is association between small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).    DVT occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one or more of the deep veins in your body, usually in your legs. It can develop if you have certain medical conditions that affect how your blood clots hence why the association with SIBO was examined.  The study enrolled 321 patients.  The subjects were tested using the glucose hydrogen breath test for SIBO.  DVT was confirmed using Dopler ultrasonography. The result was a relatively high correlation between the two conditions.  Further research needs to be done to determine if eradicating SIBO reduces the incidence of DVT – something that would be of great interest to travelers.

Daikenchuto (DKT) is a very popular Japanese herbal medicine that is used to treat gastrointestinal disorders.   Typical of herbs not much scientific evidence can be found to confirm the efficacy of the treatment.  So a study, even if it is small (10 patients) is useful.  In this study, 10 patients were enrolled with chronic constipation and abdominal pain.  The patients were tested using the glucose hydrogen breath test for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) with 4 of them being positive.  After DKT treatment all the patients reported decreased constipation and abdominal pain.  However, it did not eradicate the SIBO.

People who have difficultly digesting fructose (known as fructose malabsorption) will often experience gastrointestinal distress including bloating and abdominal pain.  A recent study examined whether dietary changes would reduce the GI symptoms.  The study enrolled 107 patients who were identified as having fructose malabsorption using the hydrogen breath test.  The important take home information from this study was that it is not necessary to completely eliminate fructose from your diet to get symptom relieve.  Patients can titrate their fructose intake to determine the point where symptoms occur.  Understanding your limits can allow you to avoid unnecessary food deprivation.

A research group at the First Moscow State Medical University has reported that they have identified a probiotic that eradicates eradicates small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in patients who also have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).  The probiotic, available only in Russia, combinated four strains of bacteria and is named Florasan-D. Florasan-D includes a combination of Bifidobacterium bifidum,Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium infantis and Lactobacillus rhamnosus.

There is a link between joint and gut inflammation of unknown etiology in arthritis. Existing research indicates that regular consumption of high-fructose corn syrup sweetened (HFCS) soft drinks, but not diet soft drinks, may be associated with increased risk of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in women, independent of other dietary and lifestyle factors. One unexplored hypothesis for this association is that fructose malabsorption, due to regular consumption of excess free fructose (EFF) and HFCS, contributes to fructose reactivity in the gastrointestinal tract and intestinal in situ formation of enFruAGEs, which once absorbed, travel beyond the intestinal boundaries to other tissues and promote inflammation. In separate studies, the accumulation of advanced glycation end-products has been associated with joint inflammation in RA. Objective of this study was to assess the association between EFF beverages intake and non-age, non-wear and tear-associated arthritis in US young adults.

This article appeared a few days ago on the Dr. Oz website. It is a good summary overview that defines leaky gut syndrome and ways to reduce symptoms. It mentions the mannitol/lactulose test for detecting leaky gut syndrome. While that is an OK test, we believe that our sucrose breath test is more accurate because it is assessing sucrose activity which would certainly be compromised if you have intestinal damage. Furthermore, our breath test doesn’t require a visit to the doctor and can be done at your convenience and at home.

IBS is a very common gastrointestinal problem. Often patients with IBS concurrently are diagnosed with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), but not always. A recent research study showed that IBS patients that test positive for SIBO do much better when treated with the antibiotic norfloxacin as compared to IBS patients without SIBO. This study enrolled 80 patients who were tested for SIBO by gut aspirate culture (the gold standard for detecting SIBO but seldom used in comparison to hydrogen breath testing because of the invasive nature of the test). While antibiotics may not be your desired cause of treatment it is worth consideration if homeopathic remedies don’t work.

It is very common for someone to complain about adverse reactions to particular foods. These adverse events can be categorized into three groups – 1) food allergies, 2) immunologic intolerances, and 3) non-immune mediated intolerances. So what is the difference? Food allergies are adverse events characterized by an IgE (antibody) response. They are the serious and life threatening kind and are fortunately relatively rare. Immunologic intolerances are immune response related but don’t produce IgE antibodies. Examples are celiac disease. Finally non-immune mediated intolerances is the catch phrase for the common gastrointestinal problems that are widespread such as lactose intolerance. The article below provides a more complete description of each condition.

Leaky gut syndrome describes a condition in which the small intestinal walls are damaged and allow microorganisms and/or food particles access to your bloodstream. For many years physicians debated the legitimacy of leaky gut syndrome. Opinions have begun to shift in the direction that leaky gut syndrome is a real medical condition. Lead by researchers like Dr. Alessio Fasano, director of the Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, it is becoming more evident that the syndrome plays a role in food allergies, type-1 diabetes, Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome and other digestion-related conditions. The article found in Time.com presents some of the latest findings. Metabolic Solutions (Gut-Chek) offers a test to determine whether you have leaky gut syndrome.

A gluten-free diet is a necessity for any one diagnosed with Celiac Disease. However, only a very small percentage of people actually have Celiac disease. Most of the popularity of the gluten free diet is related to the belief that it is a healthy alternative. That is not always the case or the best solution.