According to the latest research, the carnivore diet is highly-effective for treating SIBO.
It works because SIBO is an overgrowth of bad bacteria in your gut. This bacteria feeds on carbohydrates, so a zero-carb meat-based diet starves them completely.
Read on to learn more about how this works, and how you can cure your SIBO with the carnivore diet.
SIBO stands for “small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.” Our intestine is home to bacteria and other microorganisms. Collectively they are called the microbiome. These are primarily affected by the type of food we eat. In the normal state of health, our intestine is in equilibrium with these organisms.
Sometimes there is an overgrowth of these microorganisms, especially bacteria, due to which a state of imbalance is created between the gut and microbiome — a condition called SIBO.
The symptoms of this disorder are abdominal pain, bloating, malnutrition, diarrhea, and sugar carvings.
Does Your Diet Affect SIBO?
Our population of gut bacteria is primarily affected by the type of food we eat.
For example, the gut bacterial composition of vegetarians and low-carb dieters is highly different. Bad bacteria in our gut usually feed on carbohydrates in our diet. The greater the carbohydrate content of the food, the greater the survival of bacteria.
In cases of bacteria overgrowth, the bacteria assimilate a lot of energy and create a state of malnutrition despite a suitable food intake. One of the best ways to reduce the bacteria population is to reduce the carbohydrate content of the food.
Essentially, if you reduce carbs, you stop feeding the bacteria.
Is a Carnivore Diet Good For SIBO? (Latest Research)
According to studies, people who shift to a low-carb diet report improvement in their SIBO symptoms. A carnivore diet can help you fight SIBO symptoms because it has a high protein content and little or no carbohydrates. It can therefore be an effective way to starve the overgrown population of bacteria.
The leading cause of bacterial overgrowth in SIBO is the slowed passage of food and waste in the digestive tract. This gives bacteria time to feed upon undigested food, making the condition worse. A plant-based diet causes bulky stools as well as increases their frequency. This provides excess undigested food for bacteria. Because of the high protein content in the carnivore diet, almost all the ingested food is absorbed, and little waste is produced, giving bacteria very little to feed upon — hence keeping their growth in check.
A 2021 case study regarding the effects of a zero-carb carnivore diet on SIBO was conducted. It showed that 5 participants with SIBO who followed the carnivore diet for four weeks then tested negative for SIBO.
In short, the study showed that the carnivore diet is highly-effective for treating SIBO.
Conclusion: How to Cure SIBO Using the Carnivore Diet
To eradicate your SIBO, you can follow a typical carnivore diet plan to starve the bacteria and alleviate your symptoms. Inflammatory foods, including high FODMAPS, must be avoided as they worsen the situation.
A good strategy is to eat meat, fish, and eggs daily and make them your staple food. These provide good nutritional support as well as reduce bloating and diarrhea. Fish, including salmon and cod, are low in inflammatory content and relieve cramps.
Leave a Reply