
SIBO and Leaky Gut: What the Science Says
Gastrointestinal symptoms like abdominal pain and bloating account for millions of doctor visits every year. One of the conditions that may be considered for such a nonspecific presentation of symptoms is SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, a concept that has gained popularity on the internet. Is SIBO a real disorder? Are the breath tests that used to diagnose it bogus? Is the problem not so much overgrowth, but dysbiosis, the growth of the wrong bacteria? In that case, should you eat a low-FODMAP diet or a high fiber diet? Another purported intestinal disorder that’s shrouded in controversy is leaky gut. I’ll cover what exactly intestinal permeability is, what it isn’t, how to prevent it and how you can heal it with diet.