How Food Poisoning Can Damage Your Gut and Lead to SIBO
Ever wondered how a bout of food poisoning could lead to long-term gut issues like SIBO? It all comes down to the Migrating Motor Complex (MMC) in your gut and how it's affected by your body's immune response to certain bacterial toxins. Here, we'll break down the process and explain why supporting your MMC is key to maintaining a healthy gut.
The Connection Between Food Poisoning and SIBO
Food poisoning isn't just a short-term inconvenience. For some, it sets off a cascade of events in the gut that can lead to Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). Here’s how it happens:
Step 1: Food Poisoning Bugs and CDTB Toxin
Certain food poisoning bacteria, like Campylobacter and Shigella, produce a toxin known as CDTB (Cytolethal Distending Toxin B). This toxin disrupts normal gut function, setting off an immune response in your body.
Step 2: Your Body's Immune Response
In response to the presence of CDTB, your body generates antibodies to combat the toxin. While these antibodies are necessary to fight off the initial infection, they can inadvertently cause problems for your gut's long-term health.
Step 3: The Cross-Reactivity – Creating Antivinculin Antibodies
Here's where things get tricky. The CDTB antibodies your body produces are very similar to a structure found in the gut called vinculin, which is involved in the gut nerve axis that controls the MMC. Because of this similarity, your immune system can mistakenly attack vinculin, creating antivinculin antibodies.
Step 4: Damage to the Migrating Motor Complex (MMC)
The MMC is responsible for producing the "clean-up waves" that sweep through your small intestine every 90-120 minutes, clearing out bacteria and undigested food. When the MMC is damaged by antivinculin antibodies, these waves become weaker, slower, or stop altogether. This weakened state means bacteria aren’t being cleared out effectively, leading to bacterial buildup.
Step 5: Result – Reduced Gut Motility and SIBO
With a compromised MMC, the small intestine becomes a breeding ground for bacterial overgrowth, leading to SIBO. This can result in symptoms like bloating, gas, diarrhoea, constipation, and nutrient malabsorption.
Why Understanding This Connection Matters
Knowing that food poisoning can lead to damage in the MMC provides valuable insights into treating SIBO. Simply treating bacterial overgrowth with antibiotics or herbs may not be enough if the underlying issue—a damaged MMC—isn’t addressed.
How to Support Your MMC and Prevent SIBO
Dietary Support: Focus on foods that support gut motility, such as ginger whilst adopting a low FODMAP diet and spacing out meals to every 4-5 hours.
Herbal Prokinetics: Natural prokinetics like ginger and globe artichoke extract help stimulate MMC activity. Short term to avoid SIBO relapses I use stronger tools to keep the bowels clear like magnesium oxide, partially hydrolysed guar gum, aloe vera and cascara
Addressing Immune Health: Reducing overall inflammation and supporting immune balance may help prevent further damage to the gut nerve axis.
Managing Stress: High-stress levels can further disrupt gut motility but lowering stomach acid, bile flow and digestive enzyme activity which affects the ability of your body to control the bacteria coming into your body through food. Incorporating stress-reducing practices like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing can positively impact your gut's nervous system. Additionally herbs that support bile flow like globe artichoke, digestive enzymes with hydrochloric acid can all be helpful.
Understanding the link between food poisoning and SIBO is crucial for effective treatment and prevention. By addressing the root cause—damage to the MMC—you can work toward restoring healthy gut motility and reducing the risk of SIBO recurrence.
Your gut health is more complex than just what you eat; it’s also about how your body responds to infections and stressors. By being mindful of this connection, you can take proactive steps to support your digestive system and overall well-being. 🌿
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Much Love,
Megan
