EP 06 | Prebiotic and Probiotic Protocols: a SIBO Management Misnomer with Dr. Jason Hawrelak

There’s a wealth of information about how prebiotics and probiotics can influence your gut microbiome for the better. And yet, even though SIBO is a type of gut imbalance, there’s less awareness around how these tools work to eradicate unwanted bacteria and encourage the resurgence of beneficial populations.

In this week’s episode, we clear up some of the confusion and talk about how specific probiotics and prebiotics can be used in SIBO treatment, how taking these supplements in pill form differs from getting them through your diet, and what well-established thinking on the low FODMAP diet (which limits many prebiotic fibers) gets wrong when it comes to the health of your microbiome at large.

To break it all down for us, I am joined by Jason Hawrelak, PhD, who is a research scientist, educator and clinician with more than 18 years of clinical experience. Dr Hawrelak did his PhD degrees in the areas of the gastrointestinal microbiota, irritable bowel syndrome, the causes of dysbiosis, and the clinical applications of pre- and probiotics. He has written extensively in the medical literature on these topics – including 16 textbook chapters – and his research has been cited over 800 times. So yeah, he’s a pretty big deal.

A quick taste of what we’ll cover:

• What the microbiome is and the relationship between our bacteria and our immune system
• Why broad spectrum antibiotics might cause a bout of SIBO down the line
• The various functions of probiotics to improve IBS symptoms
• How certain prebiotic fibers can improve motility and reduce the risk of SIBO
• Which types of probiotics and prebiotics to use if you have hydrogen versus methane SIBO
• The best herbs for not disturbing the colonic ecosystem in the large intestine
• Why allicin garlic works to treat SIBO, while garlic in food remains problematic
• How fermented foods and prebiotic fibers in our diet effects our gut health overall, and how they compare to conventional probiotic pills
• Why the low FODMAP diet my NOT be the right approach
• Visceral hypersensitivity and why we might still experience symptoms even after SIBO is gone

Resources, Mentions and Notes:

• Dr. Hawrelak’s website, The Probiotic Advisor
• Study on Proton Pump Inhibitors and SIBO
• Study on PHGG and rifaximin
• General study on probiotics and SIBO reduction 
• Dr. Hawrelak's recommended basic probiotic: Biogaia Gastrus 
• Visceral hypersensitivity study 
• Partially hydrolyzed guar gum
• Phoebe's post on probiotics for general health 
• Join the SIBO Made Simple Facebook Community Page
• Subscribe to receive a free download of the episode transcript 

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For more info on each episode, plus gluten-free (low FODMAP) recipes, healthy living tips, and more, visit https://www.feedmephoebe.com. Follow at @phoebelapine on Instagram for more daily insights and lessons.