Breath Testing
SIBO Breath Testing, £209.00
SIBO is a build-up of certain types of bacteria in the small intestine. That’s where you absorb nutrients from your food. Instead, the bacteria can ‘eat’ the food, producing gases in the process.
The build-up of the gases can leave you bloated and in pain, but there are loads of other symptoms of SIBO like unintended weight loss, brain fog and skin issues.
There are associated symptoms that can be present when you have SIBO; intolerance to certain fibres (FODMAP foods), associated gastric and gallbladder symptoms, and often slow bowel motility.
By testing the levels of methane and hydrogen through a breath test can help us determine if you have SIBO and if so, depending on whether you are hydrogen or methane dominant, the best approach to treatment.
The bonus of testing through FoodMarble is that you are also able to test your tolerance to any foods. There are sachets that are provided in the test kit to determine if you are intolerance to certain FODMAP foods, but beyond that, you can test for any food you suspect you are intolerant to.
Who is this test for?
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal distension
- Nausea
- Bloating
- Indigestion gas
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Unintentional weight loss
- Fatigue
You may find that certain foods such as onion/garlic, wheat and certain veggies cause painful or very pronounced bloating. Often there is slow bowel mobility, sometimes intolerance to high fat/rich or creamy foods, and sometimes acid reflux is also present.
Technical Bit
These tests work by measuring levels of hydrogen and possibly methane in your breath. Your body will produce unusual levels of hydrogen or methane if you can’t properly break down certain sugars, particularly lactose and fructose, in your small intestine.
If you’ve ever experienced gas in your belly from indigestion — the bloating and swelling like a balloon, the painful movement of the gas through your digestive system and the uncomfortable process of farting it out — that gas was likely at least part hydrogen. If there’s hydrogen in your body, only one thing causes it: anaerobic gut bacteria digesting sugars and carbohydrates in your gut. This process is called fermentation.
These bacteria are supposed to live in your colon, where they play an important role in digestion. But sugars and carbohydrates aren’t supposed to be a major part of their diet. In a healthy digestive system, the sugars and carbohydrates that you eat are predigested before they reach the bacteria in your colon. If they haven’t been fully digested by then, the anaerobic bacteria will digest them, converting them into gas.
The gas in your colon is absorbed into your blood and carried into your lungs, where it’s expelled through your breath. That’s how your breath can show what’s going on in your gut. The hydrogen breath test measures hydrogen levels in your breath after consuming a particular sugar. The amount of hydrogen, and how fast it’s produced, gives your healthcare provider information about how your digestion is working.
After the test
You will receive your results by email from your practitioner. We will then discuss next steps in how to approach treating either the methane or hydrogen dominant SIBO. You also have the device to conduct further testing if you would like to test your tolerance to different foods.