H2S INTESTINAL H2S SULFIDE SIBO?

In the previous post, we already saw how our gut microbiota is able to ferment the carbohydrates that arrive with the diet and produce various metabolites, including hydrogen gases, methane and carbon dioxide.

The exhaled air test or breath test is the most useful diagnostic test to examine the production of these three gases by the bacteria and/or Archaea that colonize our intestine, and is the most widely used to correctly diagnose bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) .

However, some patients with SIBO symptomatology, such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, etc., have a negative breath test result, i.e., no abnormal increase in either hydrogen or methane is detected during the first 90 minutes of the test (while the substrate is passing through the small intestine). Moreover, there may even be abnormally low or zero values of hydrogen and/or methane production in the colon.. Recall that, in healthy individuals without SIBO, the substrate passes intact through the small intestine and reaches the colon, where it is fermented by the microbiota, so there is a natural increase in gases. And yet, during the test, they manifest symptoms compatible with SIBO.

This may be due to a fourth gas, hydrogen sulfide (H2S). hydrogen sulfide (H2S). This gas is produced by some bacteria in the gut that consume the hydrogen produced by the adjacent microbiota to generate it. InH2SSIBO, hydrogen sulfide-producing bacteria compete with methane-producing bacteria in the consumption of hydrogen. Therefore, hydrogen levels become very low or undetectable, and methane levels do not increase as much as if the Archaea had no competition. Therefore, the breath test result for the diagnosis of SIBO would appear to be negative.

These patients usually manifest diarrhea and flatulence with a characteristic rotten-egg odor.. Thus, although there are currently no diagnostic tests that detect this gas, the overall assessment of the test result, together with the symptoms manifested by the patient during the test, as well as the patient's previous symptoms, allow a diagnosis to be made.

Sulfur is one of the three most important and abundant elements, along with phosphorus and iron, in our body. Among its functions we can find the formation of amino acids, collagen, it is a component of keratin...H2Splays an important role in our body's ability to respond to foreign pathogens by regulating inflammation, it also participates in the formation of memory, cognition, energy and intestinal motility among others. In fact, there are disorders due to sulfur deficiency such as arthritis, acne, psoriasis, eczema, etc....

Conversely, a high amount ofH2Scauses problems such as mental fog, memory problems, flushing, and fatigue. Reducing the intake of sulfur-containing foods, such as garlic, onions, cruciferous vegetables or eggs, helps the body detoxify itself from overproduction by intestinal bacteria.

Again, we would like to emphasize the importance of a correct diagnosis of bacterial overgrowth, and of evaluating the test results and the patient's symptoms together, in order to address the pathology in the most effective way.

 

First part of the article at https://isomed.com/entendiendo-gases-intestinales/