Understanding SIBO + Autoimmunity

SIBO + Autoimmunity

Recent research by SIBO-specialist Mark Pimentel suggests that the root cause of SIBO is an autoimmune (AI) disease of the small intestine(1). AI is a disease of the immune system which occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly identifies a part of the human body as a foreign agent and attacks it - similar to an allergic response. In some cases it attacks your tissues, your brain, your skin etc. but in the case of SIBO the AI disease is gut-specific. Healthy gut motility involves a complex, tightly coordinated series of events, regulated by its very own nervous system (the Enteric Nervous System (ENS)) and tubular muscles which are designed to move material through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The nerves and muscles govern gut motility and thus the function of the gut as a whole. When the enteric nervous system attacks itself, the gut malfunctions. The result is the stagnation of excessive fermenting food which builds up the gut, allowing bacteria to migrate from the colon up to the now habitable SI - hence the name, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). But there are many factors which can cause the gut to malfunction, this is just one of them.

How do you become Autoimmune? 

There 5 main causes believe to be attributed to the cause of AI(2)  -

1) Stress, 2) Infections (e.g. zika), 3) Gluten, 4) Leaky Gut and 5) Toxins (e.g. from certain strains of mould).

Recovering from AI/SIBO

The science behind gut health and autoimmunity is still in its infancy and it often takes decades before research findings are adopted and implemented by medical establishments. As a result, conventional medicine doesn't offer much help to those with autoimmune diseases and gut conditions so we have searched for help and knowledge from functional medicine practitioners, the latest scientific evidence-based research and nutritional therapists who have experienced success at decreasing AID + SIBO symptoms, and we discuss this in depth on the SIBO + Autoimmunity, Gut Dysbiosis/SIBO In Depth pages and AI + SIBO recovery on Healing the Gut + AI page.

Gut Dysfunction + Dysbiosis 

Gut dysfunction and gut dysbiosis, or SIBO, go hand in hand. Without healthy gut motility, which involves peristalsis or the “Housekeeper Wave” pushing material down the tubular muscle of the digestive system, bacteria colonising the colon are able to migrate northwards to inhabit the SI, even populating as high up as the area where the stomach empties into the SI. 

GI dysfunction both causes and perpetuates the overgrowth/infection. 

The SI is meant to be mostly devoid of bacteria, as food should pass through swiftly during the process of absorption and digestion. When digestion slows, both 'good' and bad (pathogenic) bacteria in the SI have the opportunity to feed on the food consumed, colonising and damaging the gut barrier, disintegrating gut function further and nutrient absorption. Once settled, the bugs wreak havoc on numerous internal systems, degrading health within the body. 

There are 2 different types of SIBO infection; SIBO-C or methane-dominant SIBO and SIBO-D or hydrogen-dominant SIBO and a smaller minority of SIFO sufferers (fungal SI overgrowth). They are so named because methane-dominant bacteria causes constipation and hydrogen-dominant causes diarrhoea. 

The Gut's Nervous + Immunological Systems

The gut is the largest and most dynamic immunological environment and organ within the body. The gut microbiome - a vast ecosystem of organisms including bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses and protozoans - that reside in our digestive pipes, collectively weigh up to 2kg - more than the average human brain!(4) And these (100 trillion) microorganisms regulate our immune health(5). Add to this the gut-specific nervous system (ENS) and the gut-brain connection, and you get a picture as to how the effects of SIBO are far reaching in the body, why the symptoms so diverse and why it is such a highly complex and misunderstood illness. We discuss this in depth on the Gut Dysbiosis/SIBO In Depth page.