The Autoimmune And The SIBO Connection

Autoimmune can be defined as, Relating to disease caused by antibodies or lymphocytes produced against substances naturally present in the body. Autoimmune is the state of your body attacking itself. It recognizes normal body processes and the body itself as a disease and tries combating it. SIBO or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth is a condition where there are too many bacteria present in the intestine causing bacteria to enter places it shouldn’t be present. 

The Connection

SIBO is very common in autoimmune diseases such as celiac disease, IBD, Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, and scleroderma. When our gut isn’t healthy it can lead to the rest of our body being unhealthy in numerous ways. Research has shown that autoimmune illnesses and SIBO are related in a few different ways and increased intestinal permeability, demonstrated in SIBO, is one of the three main causes of autoimmunity. 


SIBO has a huge impact on autoimmune disease even though it is non-intestinal. Bacteria is necessary for digestion and it is normal for it to be present in our gut. The problem starts when there are too many bacteria in our gut. If the bacteria aren’t taken care of bigger health issues could possibly arise. Natural SIBO treatment is available through the use of SIBO supplements and herbal SIBO antibiotics.


SIBO can trigger autoimmune disease, as well as, several other medical conditions. If the bacteria remain untreated there is a possibility that SIBO can result in a wide rage of health complications. This is very bad for people with autoimmune disorders because once the bacteria begin absorption through the intestinal walls the body goes into combat mode. 


The link between autoimmune disease and SIBO seems to be pretty obvious. Undiagnosed and untreated SIBO can lead to or worsen the pre-existing autoimmune disease. If you’re dealing with an autoimmune disease it is a good idea to talk to your doctor about getting tested for SIBO. The first step is to take a breath test, if by chance the results are inconclusive you may be required to take further testing. If you have an autoimmune disease there’s a chance you may also end up with SIBO pay attention to your signs and symptoms and report anything that might match the condition.