November 6, 2023 • 24 mins
Ready to unlock the secret to your health buried deep within your gut? In today's illuminating episode, we reveal the unsuspected ways in which small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and lipopolysaccharide endotoxins (LPS endotoxins) can drastically alter your health. We delve into the underworld of fecal microbes and their dangerous ability to cause inflammation and endotoxemia. Connect the dots between these hidden threats and a host of health conditions, from obesity to anxiety and even dementia. You'll be astounded to know how common SIBO is, with studies showing its presence in a whopping 50% of people with fatty liver and 40% suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.
Imagine a world where conditions like restless leg syndrome, fibromyalgia, and obesity could be managed by understanding and treating SIBO? We're here to guide you through that very journey. We examine the process of detecting and treating SIBO using the revolutionary AIRE device from Food Marble. You'll learn how a rise in values by four units or more means a positive SIBO test. Lastly, we explore the power of natural remedies, like fermenting specific microbes for four weeks and the benefits of daily consumption of fermented foods. Join us, as we navigate the complex world of the small intestine, uncovering the pivotal role it plays in our overall health.
For BiotiQuest probiotics including Sugar Shift, go here.
A 15% discount is available for Defiant Health podcast listeners by entering discount code UNDOC15 (case-sensitive) at checkout.*
_________________________________________________________________________________
Get your 15% Paleovalley discount on fermented grass-fed beef sticks, Bone Broth Collagen, low-carb snack bars and other high-quality organic foods here.*
For 12% off every order of grass-fed and pasture-raised meats from Wild Pastures, go here.
*Dr. Davis and his staff are financially compensated for promoting BiotiQuest and Paleovalley products.
Books:
Super Gut: The 4-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health, and Lose Weight
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
William Davis, MD (00:06):
If you've been following my discussions,
you know that I've been arguingthat small intestinal bacterial
overgrowth, or SIBO, is now atepidemic levels in the US and
much of the rest of the world.
Recall that SIBO means that dueto the loss of hundreds of
important species in the moderngastrointestinal tract due to
(00:26):
overexposure to antibiotics,food additives, synthetic
sweeteners, pharmaceuticals suchas stomach acid blocking and
anti-inflammatory drugs,herbicide and pesticide residues
and food and other factors,fecal microbes in the colon as a
result have been allowed toover-proliferate.
But these fecal microbes havealso managed to ascend into the
(00:49):
24 feet of small intestine wherethey take up residence.
The small intestine is poorlyequipped to house these fecal
microbes.
The small intestine is bydesign permeable because that's
where amino acids, fatty acids,vitamins and minerals are mostly
absorbed.
But when trillions of fecalmicrobes come to inhabit the
(01:09):
small intestine, they live anddie every few hours, releasing
their toxins into the intestinalcontents.
One type of toxin in particular, lipopolysaccharide endotoxin
or LPS endotoxin, is able topenetrate the small intestinal
wall and gain entry into thebloodstream.
The process is also worsened byinflammation that these fecal
(01:33):
microbes provoke in the smallintestinal wall.
When LPS endotoxin is allowedto get into the bloodstream, the
process is called endotoxemia.
It is now becoming clear thatendotoxemia plays a role in
virtually every human healthcondition, from obesity to
dementia, to anxiety anddepression, and if not addressed
(01:55):
, you will never have fullcontrol over any health
condition.
So in this episode of DefiantHealth, let's discuss why I
argue that SIBO and LPSendotoxemia are conditions that
affect half the US population,and let's talk about steps you
can take to address thissituation and gain an
understanding of what wonderfuleffects you can expect when you
(02:18):
reduce or minimize LPSendotoxemia.
Later on in the podcast, let'stalk about Defiant Health's
sponsors that include Paleovalley, who provides fermented
grass-fed beef sticks, bonebroth, protein rich in collagen,
organic super greens andlow-carb superfood bars, and now
100% grass-fed and finishedpastured meats.
(02:39):
And BiotiQuest, who providesunique probiotics such as sugar
shift to support healthy bloodsugars and simple slumber to
assist in obtaining healthysleep, probiotics crafted with
the unique property of combiningsynergistic microbes.
So the entire situation beginswith small intestinal bacterial
(03:01):
overroute, sibo, that is, theoverproliferation of fecal
microbes.
These are species of microbesthat ordinarily live in the
colon and comprise your fecalmaterial.
These are species like E coliand Salmonella and Campylobacter
.
Because we've lost so manybeneficial species in the colon,
(03:21):
it's allowed these fecalmicrobes to over-poliferate and,
even more remarkably, thenascend into the 24 feet of small
intestine.
As you can imagine, that's avery inflammatory situation.
That is, you have these fecalmicrobes living where they're
not supposed to be in the smallintestine.
The small intestine isprotected by a thin single layer
(03:41):
mucus barrier, unlike the colonthat is adapted to having lots
of fecal microbes.
That has a much thickertwo-layer mucus barrier, and the
small intestine beyond thatalso is very permeable.
And that's why, when fecalmicrobes have over-pliferated
and ascended into the smallintestine where they live and
die in short order, microbesonly live for a few hours at a
(04:01):
time.
So you have trillions ofmicrobes living and dying in
rapid succession in the smallintestine.
This is when they die.
They release something calledendotoxin, as I mentioned in the
opening comments.
When endotoxin enters thebloodstream, that's endotoxemia,
and this explains how microbesin the GI tract can be
experienced as skin conditionslike rosacea or seborrhea or
(04:26):
psoriasis, or as conditions inthe brain, such as dementia,
anxiety, depression, parkinson'sdisease, or conditions in the
joints and muscles, such asfibromyalgia, rheumatoid
arthritis, or as metabolicdiseases like type 2 diabetes,
obesity, heart disease.
In other words, you really haveto reconsider, redefine
(04:49):
virtually all human disease inlight of this, the contribution
of endotoxemia.
Now, when thislipopolysaccharide endotoxin
enters the bloodstream, it's notas bad as in sepsis.
This is the situation where youhave an infection, let's say
urinary tract infection that insome people, enters the
bloodstream, so microbes enterthe bloodstream.
That's called sepsis and thatcan make you extremely sick.
(05:12):
Those are people who go intorespiratory failure, get put on
a ventilator, they have lowblood pressure, they can die of
shock.
So in that situation the levelof endotoxin is a hundred times
or more higher.
In endotoxemia it's not thatbad like in sepsis, but there's
a 200 to 400% increase in thelevel of endotoxin in the
(05:34):
bloodstream.
Enough to have these metabolicconsequences and effects on
other, causing other healthconditions.
Now to get our arms around,just how many people are
affected by this process, let'sconsider studies like this In
condition blank what proportionof people test positive for SIBO
?
So let's consider fatty liver.
There's about 100 millionAmericans with fatty liver.
(05:56):
That is, infiltration of theliver by fat that can lead to
cirrhosis over time.
Well, of the 100 million peoplewith fatty liver, what
proportion test positive forSIBO?
There's a variety of ways thisis done, such as testing for
hydrogen gas and breath that areproduced by microbes.
Sometimes it's done by anendoscopy and an aspirate is
obtained from the stomach,duodenum or dejunum and that can
(06:20):
show the presence of microbes.
Regardless, what proportion ofpeople with fatty liver test
positive for SIBO?
Well, 50%.
Well, 50% of 100 million is 50million people right there.
How about people with irritablebowel syndrome, ibs?
Well, there's about 60 to 70million people in the US with
IBS, and approximately it variesfrom study to study, but
(06:43):
approximately 40% of thosepeople test positive for SIBO.
That adds another 24 million orso people to the list.
Well, let's throw in peoplewith obesity there's about 115
million people in the US withobesity and 50% test positive.
So that's another 60 million orso.
And now there's some overlap,of course, an obese type 2
diabetic with fatty liver.
(07:03):
But let's throw in all thepeople who have fibromyalgia,
autoimmune conditions,neurodegenerative conditions,
restless leg syndrome, foodintolerances, on and on.
You can see, we easily canexceed 150 million Americans who
have SIBO and therebyendotoxemia.
So, given these numbers, we'retalking about one of the worst
(07:26):
epidemics ever in the history ofour species on this planet.
It affects approximately one inevery two people, and that
includes teenagers and children,by the way.
Now, when there's endotoxemia,it drives a number of processes
that lead to various healthconditions.
It leads to, for instance,insulin resistance.
That is, the situation in whichyour body's organs, like muscle
(07:49):
and liver and brain, no longerrespond properly to insulin, and
so the pancreas compensates byproducing huge amounts of
insulin 10 times more, 30 timesmore, 100 times more in order to
overcome that resistance toinsulin.
So that situation of insulinresistance is the underlying
process that drives risk forother conditions such as heart
(08:10):
disease, coronary disease,dementia, breast cancer, obesity
and many other conditions.
Couple that also with theinflammation that endotoxemia
causes.
One of the other effects ofendotoxemia is it causes
expansion of abdominal visceralfat, that is, fat in the
abdominal cavity that is veryinflammatory, so that fat in the
(08:34):
abdominal cavity is itselfinflamed and it also releases
inflammatory so-called cytokines, or factors that export
inflammation to other parts ofthe body, such as the brain or
the heart's arteries, thecoronary arteries, or skin or
thyroid or liver.
Just about all organs areexposed to this process, and it
(08:55):
can drive diseases or otherhealth conditions in those
organs.
There probably is no organ thatescapes the effects of
endotoxemia and thereby insulinresistance, inflammation and
other conditions.
Endotoxemia also amplifies pain, so if you have some other
reason for having, say, a badknee or bad hip, it will amplify
(09:16):
that pain, making it moredifficult to control symptoms.
I think you can appreciate whata powerful driving force
endotoxemic can therefore be inincreasing your potential for
type 2 diabetes, hypertension,high blood pressure, coronary
disease, cognitive impairmentand dementia, fibromyalgia and
(09:37):
on and on to include virtuallyall human disease.
That's the bad news.
The good news is, once yourecognize this and learn how to
deal with it, you have beengiven enormous control over your
health.
Now let's pause for a moment soI can tell you about Defiant
Health's sponsors.
When we come back, let's talkabout all the wonderful benefits
(09:57):
you can experience when youlearn how to manage and
eradicate SIBO and therebyendotoxemia.
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So what sorts of benefits canyou expect by reversing or
(12:56):
suppressing SIBO and theaccompanying endotoxemia?
Well, the list is long and itincludes virtually all common
chronic diseases that you'relikely familiar with.
So you can expect that you canreduce blood pressure, often
dramatically.
You can reduce insulinresistance and thereby reduce
your risk for numerous otherdiseases that result from
(13:16):
insulin resistance, includingcoronary disease, that's, heart
attacks, need for procedures,etc.
Fatty liver, high triglyceridelevels, low HDL, small LDL
particles, cognitive impairmentand dementia, breast cancer and
other cancers that are triggeredby insulin resistance.
You can expect weight loss,especially from abdominal
(13:37):
visceral fat.
You can see this in a reduction, for instance, in your waist
circumference.
Reduced depression and suicidalthoughts.
Reduced anxiety.
Reduced potential for heartrhythm disorders like atrial
fibrillation.
Reduce severity or developmentof congestive heart failure.
Reduced Arthritis Pain.
(13:58):
Reduced risk for diverticulardisease such as diverticulitis
and colon cancer.
Reduced risk for Crohn'sdisease and ulcerative colitis.
Reduced risk for Irle bowelsyndrome.
Reduced risk for Restless legsyndrome, since restless leg
syndrome is virtually synonymouswith SIBO.
Reduced potential for foodintolerances to FODMAPS,
(14:18):
nightshades, fructose,histamine-containing foods,
legumes and nuts this allrepresents forms of SIBO.
Reduced risk forNeurodegenerate conditions and
slowing of many of the phenomenaof aging.
Now, that's only a partial list.
If you have any health condition, you should at least consider
Whether SIBO, and therebyendotoxemia, is either an
(14:39):
initiating factor that is, thecause or an exacerbating factor
that is, makes the disease worse.
So, in other words, in type 2diabetes, you can make yourself
diabetic just by eating badfoods, but you can also
contribute to high blood sugarsand insulin resistance via SIBO
and metabolic endotoxemia.
So maybe SIBO and endotoxemiawas not the initiating factor,
(15:00):
but it is an amplifying factor.
It makes it much worse andharder to control.
So how do you attack thisproblem?
Well, first of all, questionwhether you have it.
So one way to find out is totest with the AIR device AIRE
from the company of Food Marble,and all that is is a breath
testing device that talks toyour smartphone on a scale of 0
to 10, and it arrives frombaseline of more than four units
(15:23):
, it's a positive test.
So let's say you there's apreparatory diet.
You go on with no fibers orsugars for 12 hours or longer
prior to testing.
Morning of testing get abaseline level should be low,
like maybe 1.2 or something likethat and then consume something
with prebiotic fiber.
The easiest thing to do would bea cup of coffee with two
teaspoons of inulin.
Inulin is the best prebioticfiber to test with because it's
(15:46):
consumed by the most microbe, bymany microbes that comprise
SIBO.
So drink that coffee.
You can eat other foods alsoand then test again 30 to 45
minutes and every 30 to 45minutes thereafter for up to 90
minutes.
Any rise in values of fourunits or more.
Let's say the next measurementyou get is 9.8, that's a
positive.
That means that microbes areliving high up in your
(16:08):
gastrointestinal tract, in thestomach, duodenum and jejunum.
Because it takes 90 minutes atthe least, at the very least,
for that annulin to reach thecolon, where production of
hydrogen gas is normal.
So production of hydrogen gasbefore 90 minutes is abnormal,
signifying microbialcolonization of the small
intestine.
(16:29):
Now, it's not a perfect method,but it's a method that you can
use.
It's also helpful for trackinglong term.
Now there's some more detail tothis.
I urge you, if you want to usethe air device, see my super gut
book.
It has detailed instructions onhow to use it for this specific
purpose.
Another way is to just look forsigns that you have SIBO.
Food intolerance is virtuallyguaranteed.
(16:50):
You have SIBO.
Some conditions like restlessleg syndrome, urinal bowel
syndrome, fibromyalgia, are socommonly associated with SIBO
and endotoxemia that you cansafely assume that you have it.
Any neurodegenerative condition, any autoimmune condition,
obesity, type two diabetes andfatty liver are also very highly
associated with SIBO.
It's a safe assumption.
(17:10):
Now, I think it's a safeassumption because my solution
to SIBO is so benign, that is,if the solution was something
drastic like taking out yoursmall intestine, well, you
better be damn confident, right,that you really need to go
through that.
But what if the solution issomething that smells and looks
like yogurt?
It's not yogurt.
It's not the stuff you buy inthe store.
It's very different, but it issomething like yogurt.
(17:32):
So the way I've been getting ridof SIBO is to ferment three
microbes A strain oflactobacillus reuteri, the 6475
strain.
A strain of lactobacillusgasseri, the BNR17 strain.
Those two microbes are uniqueand that they colonize the small
intestine.
That's where SIBO occurs.
Right, that's where the battleis.
So those two species colonizethe small intestine and produce
(17:56):
what are called bacteriocins.
These are natural antibioticseffective against the species of
SIBO.
I threw in another microbe,bacillus coagulans, the
GBI-30,6086 strain.
I included it for three reasons.
One is it also producesbacteria that are effective
against some different microbialspecies than the other two.
(18:16):
The combination has a verybroad spectrum of antimicrobial
effects for the SIBO species.
Two, it has a great trackrecord in reducing the symptoms
of irritable bowel syndrome,which is essentially the same as
SIBO, and it makes the yogurttaste better.
It makes very delicious yogurt,so it kind of softens the edge
of the sourness thatlactobacillus gasri tends to
(18:38):
cause.
So we ferment those threemicrobes for 36 hours, we
co-framed it together and thenwe consume it for four weeks.
If you have a really bad case ofSIBO, as sometimes happens in
people who've taken prolongedcourses or repeated courses of
antibiotics, you can do it muchlonger, but a minimum of four
weeks.
And then, if you're gonna testagain with the air device, you
wanna stop the Rhodoritespecifically for two weeks and
(19:01):
then test.
And the reason for that isRhodorite also produces hydrogen
gas and it's in the smallintestine.
So it gives the appearance of apositive test and so you have
to stop the Rhodorite for twoweeks after your four week
course before you test againThen.
I urge people to continue, notdaily, with the what I call SIBO
yogurt, those three microbes,but to do it occasionally, maybe
(19:22):
two or three times a week,because it seems to be helpful
in preventing recurrence.
Recurrences of SIBO and therebyendotoxemia are very common and
I believe continually toconsume the SIBO yogurt prevents
recurrence.
After all, these are at leastthe Rhodorite and gasri are
keystone species that you shouldhave had all along, but they
were eradicated by a course ofantibiotics may have taken many
(19:45):
years ago or sometime in yourpast.
Another useful strategy to fightback SIBO and thereby
endotoxemia is to include lotsof fermented foods in your daily
routine.
Caffirs, kombucha, kimchi,veggies you ferment on your
kitchen counter.
You want to do this severaltimes a day.
It doesn't have to be a largeserving, but several times a day
(20:05):
for maximum effect.
What fermented foods do is themicrobes that are in the
fermented foods, such asleuconostoc, mesenteroides or
various pedicoccus species.
These microbes don't colonizethe intestines but they feed the
beneficial microbes.
So, for instance, leuconostocproduces metabolites like
acetate and lactate that feedimportant species like
(20:27):
fecalobacterium.
So you don't have to rememberall that detail.
Just remember that lots offermented foods in your
lifestyle is very helpful andhelps keep SIBO away.
Another thing you want to do isto include plenty of prebiotic
fibers and other relatedcompounds.
Fibers, for instance, getfructo-oligosaccharides and
inulin from foods like onions,garlic and other root vegetables
(20:49):
.
Galacto-oligosaccharides fromlegumes and root vegetables.
Hyaluronic acid a veryimportant one, even though it's
not sourced from plants but fromanimals.
You want to make a habit ofthis and if you're counting your
prebiotic fibers, a minimum of20 grams per day is a really
comfortable number.
That generates lots and lots ofspecies diversity in your GI
tract.
Another strategy to be aware ofis clove green tea.
(21:11):
It's my recipe for using cloveas a source of the essential oil
eugenol, and eugenolessentially doubles the
thickness of intestinal mucus,at least temporarily.
In green tea are green teacatechins like epigallocatechin
that cause the mucin proteins inyour intestinal mucus to cross
(21:31):
link and thereby convertintestinal mucus from a
semi-liquid to a semi-gel.
And lastly, we include inulinand fructo-oligosaccharides as a
powder, and this causes a bloomin butyrate, producing species
like fecalobacterium andnecromancia and this leads to a
better mucus barrier, betterintestinal barrier.
So we make it as a clove greentea See my recipe in the
(21:54):
Supergut book, page 246, butit's very easy.
It's a couple tablespoons ofwhole cloves.
Don't use ground cloves, youwant whole cloves.
Put it in a saucepan with abouttwo cups of water, bring to a
boil, reduce the heat so thatyou can maintain a low boil for
about 10 minutes and then putyour green tea bag or whatever
device you're using to makegreen tea A.
(22:14):
Good choices include TraderJoe's Peek, piq-uet Crystals,
newman's Own and Numie and UMIOrganic Gunpowder Green Tea.
These have been shown to havethe highest catechin content.
So you get that crossed linkingeffect and then you let it cool
, add the inulin, fos, stir andthen sip it.
This is really helpful,especially in the beginning when
(22:35):
you're having a lot of die offor a lot of uncomfortable
symptoms as you're killing offfecal microbes with your SIBO
yogurt or whatever strategyyou're using for killing off the
SIBO organisms.
Eating whole foods, as we do,also helps, because whole foods
contain additional factors suchas polyphenols, resveratrol,
capsaicin that's the thing thatmakes peppers hot.
Those things also have modesteffects on improving gut health
(22:59):
while also suppressing SIBO andendotoxemia.
Probiotics can sometimes behelpful, but especially the
bio-dequest sugar shift, thesponsor of this podcast.
They have conducted a clinicaltrial to demonstrate a dramatic
reduction in endotoxemia, andthe omega-3 fatty acids and the
vitamin D in our basic programalso contribute to maintaining
(23:21):
the mucus barrier and theintestinal barriers.
They also contribute toreducing endotoxemia.
There you go, because we havesuch a benign potential solution
to SIBO yogurt.
What I'm calling SIBO yogurt,that is, the yogurt that we
ferment for 36 hours withlactobacillus gastrolyte,
lactobacillus rhodoride andbacillus coagulant so far has
had a very high success rate.
About 90% of people who've donethis 50 people who've done this
(23:43):
anecdotally have testednegative by the air device for
hydrogen gas.
I hope to perform a formalclinical trial to validate this,
but it's so benign and so easyto do, doesn't cost very much.
You make the first batch byacquiring those three commercial
probiotics, but then futurebatches you can make from a
little bit of a prior batch.
And if you don't know what I'mtalking about, please see my
(24:05):
super gut book as well as myDRDAVSInfiniteHealthcom blog and
you'll see that it's very easyto make these yogurts.
They're not really yogurt.
Please don't get me confused.
There's nothing to do with thestuff in the store.
That's something completelydifferent.
That's kind of garbage thestuff they sell in the store
because it's fermented toobriefly and they use microbes
that really don't have that muchbenefit.
We are choosing microbes withvery specific properties, such
(24:28):
as upper GI or small intestinecolonization and bactericin
production.
So please don't confuse whatwe're doing here with anything
you buy in the store.
Now, if you've learnedsomething from this episode of
the Defiant Health Podcast, Iinvite you to subscribe via your
favorite podcast directory.
Post a review, post a comment.
Tell your friends.
Let's build this movement ofself-empowerment in health.
(24:49):
Thanks for listening.
If you've been following my discussions,
you know that I've been arguingthat small intestinal bacterial
overgrowth, or SIBO, is now atepidemic levels in the US and
much of the rest of the world.
Recall that SIBO means that dueto the loss of hundreds of
important species in the moderngastrointestinal tract due to
(00:26):
overexposure to antibiotics,food additives, synthetic
sweeteners, pharmaceuticals suchas stomach acid blocking and
anti-inflammatory drugs,herbicide and pesticide residues
and food and other factors,fecal microbes in the colon as a
result have been allowed toover-proliferate.
But these fecal microbes havealso managed to ascend into the
(00:49):
24 feet of small intestine wherethey take up residence.
The small intestine is poorlyequipped to house these fecal
microbes.
The small intestine is bydesign permeable because that's
where amino acids, fatty acids,vitamins and minerals are mostly
absorbed.
But when trillions of fecalmicrobes come to inhabit the
(01:09):
small intestine, they live anddie every few hours, releasing
their toxins into the intestinalcontents.
One type of toxin in particular, lipopolysaccharide endotoxin
or LPS endotoxin, is able topenetrate the small intestinal
wall and gain entry into thebloodstream.
The process is also worsened byinflammation that these fecal
(01:33):
microbes provoke in the smallintestinal wall.
When LPS endotoxin is allowedto get into the bloodstream, the
process is called endotoxemia.
It is now becoming clear thatendotoxemia plays a role in
virtually every human healthcondition, from obesity to
dementia, to anxiety anddepression, and if not addressed
(01:55):
, you will never have fullcontrol over any health
condition.
So in this episode of DefiantHealth, let's discuss why I
argue that SIBO and LPSendotoxemia are conditions that
affect half the US population,and let's talk about steps you
can take to address thissituation and gain an
understanding of what wonderfuleffects you can expect when you
(02:18):
reduce or minimize LPSendotoxemia.
Later on in the podcast, let'stalk about Defiant Health's
sponsors that include Paleovalley, who provides fermented
grass-fed beef sticks, bonebroth, protein rich in collagen,
organic super greens andlow-carb superfood bars, and now
100% grass-fed and finishedpastured meats.
(02:39):
And BiotiQuest, who providesunique probiotics such as sugar
shift to support healthy bloodsugars and simple slumber to
assist in obtaining healthysleep, probiotics crafted with
the unique property of combiningsynergistic microbes.
So the entire situation beginswith small intestinal bacterial
(03:01):
overroute, sibo, that is, theoverproliferation of fecal
microbes.
These are species of microbesthat ordinarily live in the
colon and comprise your fecalmaterial.
These are species like E coliand Salmonella and Campylobacter
.
Because we've lost so manybeneficial species in the colon,
(03:21):
it's allowed these fecalmicrobes to over-poliferate and,
even more remarkably, thenascend into the 24 feet of small
intestine.
As you can imagine, that's avery inflammatory situation.
That is, you have these fecalmicrobes living where they're
not supposed to be in the smallintestine.
The small intestine isprotected by a thin single layer
(03:41):
mucus barrier, unlike the colonthat is adapted to having lots
of fecal microbes.
That has a much thickertwo-layer mucus barrier, and the
small intestine beyond thatalso is very permeable.
And that's why, when fecalmicrobes have over-pliferated
and ascended into the smallintestine where they live and
die in short order, microbesonly live for a few hours at a
(04:01):
time.
So you have trillions ofmicrobes living and dying in
rapid succession in the smallintestine.
This is when they die.
They release something calledendotoxin, as I mentioned in the
opening comments.
When endotoxin enters thebloodstream, that's endotoxemia,
and this explains how microbesin the GI tract can be
experienced as skin conditionslike rosacea or seborrhea or
(04:26):
psoriasis, or as conditions inthe brain, such as dementia,
anxiety, depression, parkinson'sdisease, or conditions in the
joints and muscles, such asfibromyalgia, rheumatoid
arthritis, or as metabolicdiseases like type 2 diabetes,
obesity, heart disease.
In other words, you really haveto reconsider, redefine
(04:49):
virtually all human disease inlight of this, the contribution
of endotoxemia.
Now, when thislipopolysaccharide endotoxin
enters the bloodstream, it's notas bad as in sepsis.
This is the situation where youhave an infection, let's say
urinary tract infection that insome people, enters the
bloodstream, so microbes enterthe bloodstream.
That's called sepsis and thatcan make you extremely sick.
(05:12):
Those are people who go intorespiratory failure, get put on
a ventilator, they have lowblood pressure, they can die of
shock.
So in that situation the levelof endotoxin is a hundred times
or more higher.
In endotoxemia it's not thatbad like in sepsis, but there's
a 200 to 400% increase in thelevel of endotoxin in the
(05:34):
bloodstream.
Enough to have these metabolicconsequences and effects on
other, causing other healthconditions.
Now to get our arms around,just how many people are
affected by this process, let'sconsider studies like this In
condition blank what proportionof people test positive for SIBO
?
So let's consider fatty liver.
There's about 100 millionAmericans with fatty liver.
(05:56):
That is, infiltration of theliver by fat that can lead to
cirrhosis over time.
Well, of the 100 million peoplewith fatty liver, what
proportion test positive forSIBO?
There's a variety of ways thisis done, such as testing for
hydrogen gas and breath that areproduced by microbes.
Sometimes it's done by anendoscopy and an aspirate is
obtained from the stomach,duodenum or dejunum and that can
(06:20):
show the presence of microbes.
Regardless, what proportion ofpeople with fatty liver test
positive for SIBO?
Well, 50%.
Well, 50% of 100 million is 50million people right there.
How about people with irritablebowel syndrome, ibs?
Well, there's about 60 to 70million people in the US with
IBS, and approximately it variesfrom study to study, but
(06:43):
approximately 40% of thosepeople test positive for SIBO.
That adds another 24 million orso people to the list.
Well, let's throw in peoplewith obesity there's about 115
million people in the US withobesity and 50% test positive.
So that's another 60 million orso.
And now there's some overlap,of course, an obese type 2
diabetic with fatty liver.
(07:03):
But let's throw in all thepeople who have fibromyalgia,
autoimmune conditions,neurodegenerative conditions,
restless leg syndrome, foodintolerances, on and on.
You can see, we easily canexceed 150 million Americans who
have SIBO and therebyendotoxemia.
So, given these numbers, we'retalking about one of the worst
(07:26):
epidemics ever in the history ofour species on this planet.
It affects approximately one inevery two people, and that
includes teenagers and children,by the way.
Now, when there's endotoxemia,it drives a number of processes
that lead to various healthconditions.
It leads to, for instance,insulin resistance.
That is, the situation in whichyour body's organs, like muscle
(07:49):
and liver and brain, no longerrespond properly to insulin, and
so the pancreas compensates byproducing huge amounts of
insulin 10 times more, 30 timesmore, 100 times more in order to
overcome that resistance toinsulin.
So that situation of insulinresistance is the underlying
process that drives risk forother conditions such as heart
(08:10):
disease, coronary disease,dementia, breast cancer, obesity
and many other conditions.
Couple that also with theinflammation that endotoxemia
causes.
One of the other effects ofendotoxemia is it causes
expansion of abdominal visceralfat, that is, fat in the
abdominal cavity that is veryinflammatory, so that fat in the
(08:34):
abdominal cavity is itselfinflamed and it also releases
inflammatory so-called cytokines, or factors that export
inflammation to other parts ofthe body, such as the brain or
the heart's arteries, thecoronary arteries, or skin or
thyroid or liver.
Just about all organs areexposed to this process, and it
(08:55):
can drive diseases or otherhealth conditions in those
organs.
There probably is no organ thatescapes the effects of
endotoxemia and thereby insulinresistance, inflammation and
other conditions.
Endotoxemia also amplifies pain, so if you have some other
reason for having, say, a badknee or bad hip, it will amplify
(09:16):
that pain, making it moredifficult to control symptoms.
I think you can appreciate whata powerful driving force
endotoxemic can therefore be inincreasing your potential for
type 2 diabetes, hypertension,high blood pressure, coronary
disease, cognitive impairmentand dementia, fibromyalgia and
(09:37):
on and on to include virtuallyall human disease.
That's the bad news.
The good news is, once yourecognize this and learn how to
deal with it, you have beengiven enormous control over your
health.
Now let's pause for a moment soI can tell you about Defiant
Health's sponsors.
When we come back, let's talkabout all the wonderful benefits
(09:57):
you can experience when youlearn how to manage and
eradicate SIBO and therebyendotoxemia.
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(11:51):
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So what sorts of benefits canyou expect by reversing or
(12:56):
suppressing SIBO and theaccompanying endotoxemia?
Well, the list is long and itincludes virtually all common
chronic diseases that you'relikely familiar with.
So you can expect that you canreduce blood pressure, often
dramatically.
You can reduce insulinresistance and thereby reduce
your risk for numerous otherdiseases that result from
(13:16):
insulin resistance, includingcoronary disease, that's, heart
attacks, need for procedures,etc.
Fatty liver, high triglyceridelevels, low HDL, small LDL
particles, cognitive impairmentand dementia, breast cancer and
other cancers that are triggeredby insulin resistance.
You can expect weight loss,especially from abdominal
(13:37):
visceral fat.
You can see this in a reduction, for instance, in your waist
circumference.
Reduced depression and suicidalthoughts.
Reduced anxiety.
Reduced potential for heartrhythm disorders like atrial
fibrillation.
Reduce severity or developmentof congestive heart failure.
Reduced Arthritis Pain.
(13:58):
Reduced risk for diverticulardisease such as diverticulitis
and colon cancer.
Reduced risk for Crohn'sdisease and ulcerative colitis.
Reduced risk for Irle bowelsyndrome.
Reduced risk for Restless legsyndrome, since restless leg
syndrome is virtually synonymouswith SIBO.
Reduced potential for foodintolerances to FODMAPS,
(14:18):
nightshades, fructose,histamine-containing foods,
legumes and nuts this allrepresents forms of SIBO.
Reduced risk forNeurodegenerate conditions and
slowing of many of the phenomenaof aging.
Now, that's only a partial list.
If you have any health condition, you should at least consider
Whether SIBO, and therebyendotoxemia, is either an
(14:39):
initiating factor that is, thecause or an exacerbating factor
that is, makes the disease worse.
So, in other words, in type 2diabetes, you can make yourself
diabetic just by eating badfoods, but you can also
contribute to high blood sugarsand insulin resistance via SIBO
and metabolic endotoxemia.
So maybe SIBO and endotoxemiawas not the initiating factor,
(15:00):
but it is an amplifying factor.
It makes it much worse andharder to control.
So how do you attack thisproblem?
Well, first of all, questionwhether you have it.
So one way to find out is totest with the AIR device AIRE
from the company of Food Marble,and all that is is a breath
testing device that talks toyour smartphone on a scale of 0
to 10, and it arrives frombaseline of more than four units
(15:23):
, it's a positive test.
So let's say you there's apreparatory diet.
You go on with no fibers orsugars for 12 hours or longer
prior to testing.
Morning of testing get abaseline level should be low,
like maybe 1.2 or something likethat and then consume something
with prebiotic fiber.
The easiest thing to do would bea cup of coffee with two
teaspoons of inulin.
Inulin is the best prebioticfiber to test with because it's
(15:46):
consumed by the most microbe, bymany microbes that comprise
SIBO.
So drink that coffee.
You can eat other foods alsoand then test again 30 to 45
minutes and every 30 to 45minutes thereafter for up to 90
minutes.
Any rise in values of fourunits or more.
Let's say the next measurementyou get is 9.8, that's a
positive.
That means that microbes areliving high up in your
(16:08):
gastrointestinal tract, in thestomach, duodenum and jejunum.
Because it takes 90 minutes atthe least, at the very least,
for that annulin to reach thecolon, where production of
hydrogen gas is normal.
So production of hydrogen gasbefore 90 minutes is abnormal,
signifying microbialcolonization of the small
intestine.
(16:29):
Now, it's not a perfect method,but it's a method that you can
use.
It's also helpful for trackinglong term.
Now there's some more detail tothis.
I urge you, if you want to usethe air device, see my super gut
book.
It has detailed instructions onhow to use it for this specific
purpose.
Another way is to just look forsigns that you have SIBO.
Food intolerance is virtuallyguaranteed.
(16:50):
You have SIBO.
Some conditions like restlessleg syndrome, urinal bowel
syndrome, fibromyalgia, are socommonly associated with SIBO
and endotoxemia that you cansafely assume that you have it.
Any neurodegenerative condition, any autoimmune condition,
obesity, type two diabetes andfatty liver are also very highly
associated with SIBO.
It's a safe assumption.
(17:10):
Now, I think it's a safeassumption because my solution
to SIBO is so benign, that is,if the solution was something
drastic like taking out yoursmall intestine, well, you
better be damn confident, right,that you really need to go
through that.
But what if the solution issomething that smells and looks
like yogurt?
It's not yogurt.
It's not the stuff you buy inthe store.
It's very different, but it issomething like yogurt.
(17:32):
So the way I've been getting ridof SIBO is to ferment three
microbes A strain oflactobacillus reuteri, the 6475
strain.
A strain of lactobacillusgasseri, the BNR17 strain.
Those two microbes are uniqueand that they colonize the small
intestine.
That's where SIBO occurs.
Right, that's where the battleis.
So those two species colonizethe small intestine and produce
(17:56):
what are called bacteriocins.
These are natural antibioticseffective against the species of
SIBO.
I threw in another microbe,bacillus coagulans, the
GBI-30,6086 strain.
I included it for three reasons.
One is it also producesbacteria that are effective
against some different microbialspecies than the other two.
(18:16):
The combination has a verybroad spectrum of antimicrobial
effects for the SIBO species.
Two, it has a great trackrecord in reducing the symptoms
of irritable bowel syndrome,which is essentially the same as
SIBO, and it makes the yogurttaste better.
It makes very delicious yogurt,so it kind of softens the edge
of the sourness thatlactobacillus gasri tends to
(18:38):
cause.
So we ferment those threemicrobes for 36 hours, we
co-framed it together and thenwe consume it for four weeks.
If you have a really bad case ofSIBO, as sometimes happens in
people who've taken prolongedcourses or repeated courses of
antibiotics, you can do it muchlonger, but a minimum of four
weeks.
And then, if you're gonna testagain with the air device, you
wanna stop the Rhodoritespecifically for two weeks and
(19:01):
then test.
And the reason for that isRhodorite also produces hydrogen
gas and it's in the smallintestine.
So it gives the appearance of apositive test and so you have
to stop the Rhodorite for twoweeks after your four week
course before you test againThen.
I urge people to continue, notdaily, with the what I call SIBO
yogurt, those three microbes,but to do it occasionally, maybe
(19:22):
two or three times a week,because it seems to be helpful
in preventing recurrence.
Recurrences of SIBO and therebyendotoxemia are very common and
I believe continually toconsume the SIBO yogurt prevents
recurrence.
After all, these are at leastthe Rhodorite and gasri are
keystone species that you shouldhave had all along, but they
were eradicated by a course ofantibiotics may have taken many
(19:45):
years ago or sometime in yourpast.
Another useful strategy to fightback SIBO and thereby
endotoxemia is to include lotsof fermented foods in your daily
routine.
Caffirs, kombucha, kimchi,veggies you ferment on your
kitchen counter.
You want to do this severaltimes a day.
It doesn't have to be a largeserving, but several times a day
(20:05):
for maximum effect.
What fermented foods do is themicrobes that are in the
fermented foods, such asleuconostoc, mesenteroides or
various pedicoccus species.
These microbes don't colonizethe intestines but they feed the
beneficial microbes.
So, for instance, leuconostocproduces metabolites like
acetate and lactate that feedimportant species like
(20:27):
fecalobacterium.
So you don't have to rememberall that detail.
Just remember that lots offermented foods in your
lifestyle is very helpful andhelps keep SIBO away.
Another thing you want to do isto include plenty of prebiotic
fibers and other relatedcompounds.
Fibers, for instance, getfructo-oligosaccharides and
inulin from foods like onions,garlic and other root vegetables
(20:49):
.
Galacto-oligosaccharides fromlegumes and root vegetables.
Hyaluronic acid a veryimportant one, even though it's
not sourced from plants but fromanimals.
You want to make a habit ofthis and if you're counting your
prebiotic fibers, a minimum of20 grams per day is a really
comfortable number.
That generates lots and lots ofspecies diversity in your GI
tract.
Another strategy to be aware ofis clove green tea.
(21:11):
It's my recipe for using cloveas a source of the essential oil
eugenol, and eugenolessentially doubles the
thickness of intestinal mucus,at least temporarily.
In green tea are green teacatechins like epigallocatechin
that cause the mucin proteins inyour intestinal mucus to cross
(21:31):
link and thereby convertintestinal mucus from a
semi-liquid to a semi-gel.
And lastly, we include inulinand fructo-oligosaccharides as a
powder, and this causes a bloomin butyrate, producing species
like fecalobacterium andnecromancia and this leads to a
better mucus barrier, betterintestinal barrier.
So we make it as a clove greentea See my recipe in the
(21:54):
Supergut book, page 246, butit's very easy.
It's a couple tablespoons ofwhole cloves.
Don't use ground cloves, youwant whole cloves.
Put it in a saucepan with abouttwo cups of water, bring to a
boil, reduce the heat so thatyou can maintain a low boil for
about 10 minutes and then putyour green tea bag or whatever
device you're using to makegreen tea A.
(22:14):
Good choices include TraderJoe's Peek, piq-uet Crystals,
newman's Own and Numie and UMIOrganic Gunpowder Green Tea.
These have been shown to havethe highest catechin content.
So you get that crossed linkingeffect and then you let it cool
, add the inulin, fos, stir andthen sip it.
This is really helpful,especially in the beginning when
(22:35):
you're having a lot of die offor a lot of uncomfortable
symptoms as you're killing offfecal microbes with your SIBO
yogurt or whatever strategyyou're using for killing off the
SIBO organisms.
Eating whole foods, as we do,also helps, because whole foods
contain additional factors suchas polyphenols, resveratrol,
capsaicin that's the thing thatmakes peppers hot.
Those things also have modesteffects on improving gut health
(22:59):
while also suppressing SIBO andendotoxemia.
Probiotics can sometimes behelpful, but especially the
bio-dequest sugar shift, thesponsor of this podcast.
They have conducted a clinicaltrial to demonstrate a dramatic
reduction in endotoxemia, andthe omega-3 fatty acids and the
vitamin D in our basic programalso contribute to maintaining
(23:21):
the mucus barrier and theintestinal barriers.
They also contribute toreducing endotoxemia.
There you go, because we havesuch a benign potential solution
to SIBO yogurt.
What I'm calling SIBO yogurt,that is, the yogurt that we
ferment for 36 hours withlactobacillus gastrolyte,
lactobacillus rhodoride andbacillus coagulant so far has
had a very high success rate.
About 90% of people who've donethis 50 people who've done this
(23:43):
anecdotally have testednegative by the air device for
hydrogen gas.
I hope to perform a formalclinical trial to validate this,
but it's so benign and so easyto do, doesn't cost very much.
You make the first batch byacquiring those three commercial
probiotics, but then futurebatches you can make from a
little bit of a prior batch.
And if you don't know what I'mtalking about, please see my
(24:05):
super gut book as well as myDRDAVSInfiniteHealthcom blog and
you'll see that it's very easyto make these yogurts.
They're not really yogurt.
Please don't get me confused.
There's nothing to do with thestuff in the store.
That's something completelydifferent.
That's kind of garbage thestuff they sell in the store
because it's fermented toobriefly and they use microbes
that really don't have that muchbenefit.
We are choosing microbes withvery specific properties, such
(24:28):
as upper GI or small intestinecolonization and bactericin
production.
So please don't confuse whatwe're doing here with anything
you buy in the store.
Now, if you've learnedsomething from this episode of
the Defiant Health Podcast, Iinvite you to subscribe via your
favorite podcast directory.
Post a review, post a comment.
Tell your friends.
Let's build this movement ofself-empowerment in health.
(24:49):
Thanks for listening.
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