Does Hypothyroidism Increase the Risk for SIBO?

Hey, it's J.J. here.

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Chicago, IL does hypothyroidism increase the risk for Sibo? This is JJ Virgin, four time New York Times Best selling author, celebrity nutrition expert, and Fitness hall of Famer. I've been on a lifelong quest for answers to the toughest health questions and now I'm sharing what I found with you. Welcome to Ask the Health Expert. Fehol from Instagram asks, you say hypothyroidism can increase the risk for SIBO.

Does it?

Hey, it's JJ and I've got Dr. Michael Ruscio with me to answer this question. Now you may know him from his Dr. Ruscio Radio podcast or as the author of the bestselling book Healthy Gut, Healthy you.

I know.

He's also an adventure junkie who's a musician, and in his spare time he also has this dream to paraglide. We'll be right back to answer this question.

Hey, it's J.J. here. Now let's be honest.

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Okay, great question. So let's discuss in kind of detail the connection between hypothyroid and sibo, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, a condition in which there is a disruption of the balance or too much of the bacteria in the small intestine, which can cause symptoms like malabsorption, bloating, gas, constipation, or even loose stools or diarrhea. And yes, there is a connection. It's good to ask this question because we want to make sure that the healthcare advice that we are being given as healthcare consumers is accurate and factual. And there have been a few studies that have looked at this. The most compelling was one study examining about 1800 patients. And they were looking for what factors predisposed one to being hypothyroid. And they actually found in this case, I'm sorry, what predisposed someone to having sibo. And the researchers here were saying, well, probably acid suppressing medication use, surgery, immunosuppressive drug use. When we analyze this 1800 patient group, we're likely going to find those or the most tightly correlated with hypothyroid or with sibo, rather. And what they found, the correlation to SIBO was most tightly associated with those who are hypothyroid, which really kind of shocked the researchers. And the exact cause effect here has not yet been established. But we know that the observation is accurate, at least according to some of the preliminary literature, that those who have hypothyroidism are more prone to have sibo. And they kind of share this relationship. Now the question is why? Well, what may end up happening is those who are hypothyroid, we know that about 20 to 30% of them have a deficiency or a decreased ability to secrete stomach acid. And some of the research, namely by Dr. Richard McCollum, has found that one of the mechanisms through which people develop small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is an insufficiency of hydrochloric acid. So the way this may cascade is those who have hypothyroid also have lower stomach acid. That lower stomach acid opens the door for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. So that's important to understand. One other thing that's really important to understand is that this seems to be independent of if one is on or not on medication, because the same observation was seen for those who are hypothyroid and on medication and those who had not yet started on their medication. So yes, there is an association here. There is more to learn. But the good news is understanding this can help us better appreciate that the gut may be a factor that can be remedied and in hypothyroidism. And it may not correct the hypothyroidism itself, but it can help cue us to the fact that we need to pay attention to our gut health if we're hypothyroid. Because this definitely my clinical experience is an area where people miss and they try all these exotic thyroid tests and medications, all the while overlooking their gut. And when they finally make that adjustment and improve their gut health, their thyroid symptoms go away.

This is JJ with Ask the Health Expert. I do this five times a week, so make sure you never miss a show by going to subscribetojay.com.

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