Bad bacteria, like the ones that cause food poisoning, could also be causing your SIBO, and surprisingly, Fatty Liver Disease as well.

You’ve heard it from me countless times over the years – your body is only as healthy as your gut. If you can’t digest and absorb nutrients from food and drinks while also fending off foreign invaders, then there’s something wrong with your gut – and that something might be food poisoning.

Ten percent of people who come down with a case of food poisoning don’t recover and it becomes a chronic bacterial infection. When this happens, it can progress into Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), and as researchers have recently discovered, it can wreak further havoc and lead to Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).

The good news is you can beat the bloat and get your gut health back on track with a few simple steps.

Digestion 101

Your digestive system is the first line of defense for most of the foreign invaders your body comes in contact with. This complex system has multiple internal lines of defense to keep these harmful invaders from breaching its protective front lines and invading your bloodstream, where they are able to travel pretty much anywhere in the body to wreak havoc.

The digestive cascade all starts in your mouth with chewing and saliva production. Chewing your food thoroughly stimulates the release of saliva, which in turn signals how much stomach acid to make, followed by digestive enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the gallbladder. In your intestines, your microbiome – the collection of healthy bacteria that makes up part of the immune system in your gut and helps you break down and absorb nutrients – gets to work breaking down food and attacking unwanted hitchhikers that make it past the stomach.

When all of this is working properly, it also balances the pH needed in each area and controls how much peristalsis – the wave-like contractions of the intestines – needs to happen to move the food along. The end result is food that is broken down, all the nutrients extracted and sent where they’re needed, and any harmful invaders neutralized and easily eliminated through regular bowel movements.

This delicately balanced system can be thrown out of whack at any point along the course – you don’t chew your food thoroughly, which causes less stomach acid to be released, and then fewer pancreatic enzymes and less bile is released. Or you drink too much liquid while you eat, which dilutes your stomach acid, causing a slow down of the whole system. Or perhaps worst of all, a break down in the microbiome allows bad bacteria to survive, and you now have an illness – like food poisoning – to fight.

How Food Poisoning Causes SIBO

Thanks to your microbiome, at least 60 percent of your immune system is in your gut. This is likely because it’s your first line of defense against most of the foreign organisms you encounter. Aside from the food and drinks you put in your mouth, the secretions from your pulmonary system drain into your stomach, and anything you touch before putting your fingers in your mouth also ends up in your digestive system.

If there is any weakness to your microbiome – either not enough probiotic bacteria or not enough diversity – the bad bacteria that cause food poisoning will take over and cause illness, damage, and eventually SIBO (Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth). According to researchers, food poisoning bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter jejuni and Shigella all produce a potent neurotoxin called cytolethal distending toxin B. The more antibodies you make against this toxin, the more likely you are to develop SIBO.

Cytolethal distending toxin B is molecularly similar to a good protein we have in our intestines called vinculin. Because your antibodies can’t tell these two proteins apart, the same antibodies that attack the neurotoxin also attack your good vinculin protein. Vinculin is a “good guy” for the nerve cells in your gut; it stimulates peristalsis in its surroundings. When you have less of this protein then you have weak muscle contractions, which means food stays too long in the small intestine.

This slower transit time gives bacteria the chance to latch on, feed, and overgrow. Once bacteria overgrows in the small intestine, the result is bloating, gas, inflammation (and more), the hallmarks of SIBO. Food poisoning and its resulting gastrointestinal damage is now considered to be one of the major causes of SIBO. But, in the case of E. coli, the damage doesn’t stop there.

From SIBO to NAFLD - How Bad Bacteria Just Get Worse

Did you know the protective lining of the intestines – that separates harmful bacteria from your bloodstream – is only one cell in thickness? It’s true! Normally, there’s a protective mucus layer over this lining that houses the majority of your microbiome. But, when the microbiome gets disrupted, the mucus layer can be destroyed by bad bacteria (or parasites) and invade your body by getting into your bloodstream, causing systemic inflammation.

E. coli is especially heinous, and is a major contributor to Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). When it overgrows in the small intestine, it gives off alcohol as its byproduct. So this bacteria in particular causes that food to ferment, increasing bloating, the release of toxins, and the production of alcohol. Once it breaks through your intestinal barrier, all of that alcohol floods your system and heads for your liver.

The alcohol produced by bacteria poisons your liver the same way the alcohol you drink does.

It used to be that we only saw Fatty Liver Disease in people who regularly drank excessive amounts of alcohol. Now NAFLD affects more than one-fourth of the adult population in the US. We see it most commonly in people with high carbohydrate diets who are feeding the alcohol-producing bacteria (and yeasts) in their disrupted microbiome. In fact, these alcohol-producing bacteria have been found in more than 60% of NAFLD patients.

Your alcohol levels from the bacteria (and yeasts) can actually go so high that you register a blood alcohol level of intoxication. This is called Auto-Brewery Syndrome and is rare, but should give you a good idea of just how much alcohol these bacteria can make. So, if you’re experiencing bloating, brain fog, inflammation, and fatigue, then it’s time to tune-up your microbiome and strengthen your intestinal border function.

Get Your Gut Health Back in 3 Easy Steps

1. Cleanse Your Digestive System

   SIBO and NAFLD are both signs that your microbiome has been disrupted, allowing harmful bacteria to invade and do damage. So, good gut health starts with a gentle but thorough cleanse. There are two ways to go about this.

   • For Recent Symptoms

     First, if you’ve only recently developed the symptoms, you may be able to do a broad spectrum herbal colon cleanse.

   • For Ongoing Symptoms

     If the problem has been ongoing, it may make more sense to start with a comprehensive laboratory test like the Expanded GI Panel from UNI KEY Health or a DNA probe to determine exactly which bacteria are causing your issues so you can make a more targeted, informed approach.

2. Take Enzyme Supplements

   Once the delicate lining of the intestines is injured, the digestive enzymes that are normally attached are flushed out without being able to do their job. So, supplementing with digestive enzymes is not only helpful to fight inflammation but also provides good digestive support while you are healing. I recommend taking a good quality, broad spectrum digestive enzyme formula with every meal.

   Also, enteric-coated peppermint capsules have been found to soothe the inflammation associated with SIBO and are currently being researched for their antimicrobial effects in the intestine.

3. Restore Your Microbiome

   It’s important to “seed and feed” your microbiome – it contains trillions of bacteria ready to come to your aid. Once it is disrupted and harmful microorganisms have begun to overgrow, you need to bring back healthy probiotic populations so it can effectively do its work again. Taking a good quality probiotic that contains the prebiotic food they prefer is something I consider essential to helping restore health to your microbiome.

   Numerous studies show there is a strong relationship between choline deficiency and NAFLD, so I believe choline supplementation is essential for liver support. I recommend taking a supplement twice daily to get your daily dose of choline.

You Only Get One Brain

The scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz heroically traveled great distances, at great risk (Good Lord, flying monkeys!) to acquire a brain. But most of us take our brain for granted. We feel our heart thump, and our muscles pump, and we see the results of our kidney and intestinal function when we visit the bathroom. But do we feel our brain think?

Our brains are the seat of our consciousness, the home of all our memories and experiences. Everything we have ever learned is stored in the brain. Our emotion, our pain, our pleasure, all result from the function of our brains. It certainly makes sense to take extra care of this delicate system, because, unlike the scarecrow, we cannot travel to the Wizard to ask for a new one.

How The Brain Changes as We Age

It is a little unsettling to learn that our brain shrinks as we age. Most researchers agree that this is a normal process, as it happens in both healthy and unhealthy people. After the age of 40, we lose about 5% of our brain volume each decade.

While changes happen throughout the brain, the areas most consistently affected are the reductions in grey matter and the prefrontal cortex.

Our grey matter is involved in tasks like controlling our muscles, receiving information from our senses, speech and language, and decision making. Our prefrontal cortex deals primarily with higher-level brain processes like behavior, personality, navigating our social interactions, and also decision making.

The good news is that even though we should minimize this process whenever possible, losing a small amount of brain volume does not result in dramatic changes.

With Age Comes Wisdom

While there are challenges, there is good news, too. As we age, our brain function improves in certain areas. Older brains are better able to anticipate problems and results. We have better empathy as we age, which is important for social functioning, but also important for a number of other endeavors as we learn with time to put ourselves in another’s shoes.

Our thinking changes. We are better at synthesis—the ability to see connections between unrelated ideas and events. A great Albert Einstein quote is that we can't solve problems through the same kind of thinking as when we created them.

Keeping Your Brain Healthy

Neurotransmitters and Nutrients

Another change that occurs is a decrease in the amount of key neurotransmitters – our brain’s chemical messengers. Dopamine levels start to decrease in early adulthood and proceed at a rate of about 10% decline per decade.

Nutrients that play a very important role in keeping our neurotransmitters where they should be are choline (eggs and peanuts are especially rich in choline) and the B vitamin family. However, not all forms of B vitamins behave the same way in our bodies. The inactive forms need to be transformed in the liver to the active form before we can derive any benefit at all.

Upwards of 30% of the population is inefficient at transforming one or more of the B vitamin family. Therefore, the better way to supplement is to look for active (or bioactive) B vitamins. These have already been transformed, sometimes called “methylated,” and provide more powerful and consistent benefits.

Some examples of active B vitamins are methylcobalamin (B12), pyridoxal-5-phosphate (B6), and folate instead of folic acid.

Nourishment for Neurons

A very important protein, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) also drops as we age. BDNF helps facilitate a process called neurogenesis, which is the production of new neurons.

Reductions in BDNF are often seen in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease. Fortunately, there are compounds within the turmeric plant that can help attenuate the losses of BDNF. Turmeric contains about 2-5% of a key compound called curcumin, which has been shown in human clinical studies to increase levels of BDNF.

Another compound found within turmeric essential oil, called ar-turmerone, has been shown in scientific research to increase the amount of neural stem cells, which can generate new neurons. Look for a curcumin enhanced with turmeric essential oil to receive the benefits of both of these scientifically validated compounds.

Supplements for Circulation

Blood vessels that feed our brain also experience changes beginning as early as our twenties. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) may be partly influenced by our blood vessel’s ability to dilate becoming compromised with age.

Grape seed extract is known to be a vasodilator. It helps the blood vessels relax, which improves blood flow. Compounds from grape seed extract called oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) have also been shown to help lower brain oxidative stress, which helps keep the brain cells younger and healthier.

Grape extract contains a wide size spectrum of OPCs, including tannins. It’s best to select a grape seed extract that features small OPCs, tannin free, so they are absorbed and utilized in the body.

Enzymes for Energy

Coenzyme Q­10 ­(CoQ10) is another crucial nutrient for the brain. Unfortunately, it also decreases throughout the human lifespan. Though it is commonly thought of as a heart protective compound, CoQ10 is also critical for the neurological system.

CoQ10 is a key cofactor in mitochondrial function, which helps ensure proper energy production throughout our body, including the brain. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been indicated in several neurological diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). CoQ10 acts as an antioxidant and can help protect the brain from toxin-induced lesions.

The Brain: Use It or Lose It

While these nutrients and others can improve brain function throughout our lives, it is also important to remember that supplements alone are not enough. What we eat and how we move our bodies profoundly affects brain health. Sugar and refined carbohydrates accelerate brain aging and can damage neurons over time.

Also, the overused maxim: “use it or lose it” remains true. Our brains crave novelty to grow and flourish. Trying new hobbies, learning languages, travel, conversation, games, and reading also help to keep also improve brain function—naturally.

Candida is everywhere. It’s in the air you breathe, in the foods you eat, and is a normal part of everyone’s intestinal flora.

When your intestinal flora is thriving, candida exists peacefully in the mucus membrane of your intestinal wall and is kept in check as part of a healthy balance. But, when normal probiotic defenses break down and conditions are ripe for Candida to overgrow, it changes its form and goes into attack mode, wreaking havoc in your body and causing a host of symptoms and problems.

The changing face and form of Candida is what makes it such a challenge to effectively treat.

The Many Faces of Candida

More than 20 strains of Candida have been identified in the human body, and this fungus takes on several different forms in order to protect itself from being eradicated.

Candida normally exists as a mild-mannered single-celled organism, nestled in the mucus membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, feeding on excess sugar to grow and reproduce. This is the lens through which researchers view it, and how drugs and even natural approaches are developed to counteract it.

The problem is, when Candida becomes pathogenic and no-more-mister-nice-guy, it joins itself together in long strands called hyphae that drill into the walls of the intestines, allowing fungus, toxins, and other debris direct access to blood vessels and other organs.

These root-like structures also bore into macrophages, the immune system cells designed to kill Candida, and render them helpless to mount a defense against this aggressive invader. As if all that isn’t enough, it then groups together and forms a protective shield around itself known as a biofilm.

This protective biofilm allows Candida to create an environment it thrives in, with just the right pH and plenty of food to keep doing its dastardly deeds and growing its population. As this yeast spreads, reproduces, and distributes its toxic entourage, it can affect virtually any part of your body and cause a wide variety of symptoms.

Signs You May Have a Candida Overgrowth

Candida has won the popularity contest as the most common fungal infection, with one in three adults having an overgrowth. While it typically starts in the digestive tract, symptoms can be wide-ranging and varied, as it changes form and spreads to other areas of the body. 

Symptoms You May Feel with Candida Overgrowth:

• Intense fatigue, headaches, insomnia, weight gain or loss, mood swings, pain, jittery feelings, appetite loss, agitation.
• Bloating, flatulence, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain, stools with mucus.
• Burning, frequent, and/or urgent urination, recurring bladder infections, cystitis.
• Cramps, irregular periods, depression, severe PMS symptoms.
• Itching, burning, white vaginal discharge.
• Dry mouth, rashes, sore and/or bleeding gums, white patches, white or brown coating on the tongue.
• Nasal itching and sinus congestion.
• Psoriasis, rashes, acne.
• Burning sensations in the eyes, blurry vision, floaters, chronic inflammation, tearing, sudden changes in vision.
• Loss of hearing, fluid in middle ear, recurring infections, ear pain.

Yeast Overgrowth Risk Factors

Candida overgrowth is so prevalent, with such a variety of symptoms, it makes it difficult to zero in on the causes of this stealth infection. Fortunately, we know several risk factors, which greatly increase your chances of overgrowth. In truth, most of our difficulties with yeast are the unintended consequences of lifestyle habits and choices that were supposed to improve our health or help us lose weight.

The Most Common Risk Factors for Yeast Overgrowth Include:

• Repeated course of antibiotics
• Impaired immunity, including from immunosuppressant medications
• Hormone fluctuations
• Female anatomy
• Diet high in carbohydrates and sugars
• Underactive thyroid
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Living in a cool, damp, rainy climate
• Other fungal exposure, like mold in your home
• Heavy metal toxicity

Could You Have Excess Yeast? Take the Quiz!

With the wide variety of symptoms Candida overgrowth can cause, it can be confusing to determine if Candida is truly at the root of your issues.

While this quiz can’t give you a definitive answer, it is helpful in narrowing down its potential role. This survey was originally created by the late William Crook, MD, a wonderful personal friend of mine who was considered a pioneer in researching the role of Candida in a plethora of health issues, and who authored several books on the subject.

Candida Quiz

If your answer to any of the following questions is “yes,” write down the number of points for that question. At the end, add up the total points. Your final score indicates the probability of a yeast connection to your health issues.

1. Have you taken repeated or prolonged courses of antibiotics? (4 points)
2. Have you been bothered by recurrent vaginal, prostate, or urinary infections? (3 points)
3. Do you feel “sick all over,” yet the cause has not been found? (2 points)
4. Are you bothered by hormone disturbances, including PMS, menstrual irregularities, sexual dysfunction, sugar cravings, low body temperature, or fatigue? (2 points)
5. Are you unusually sensitive to tobacco smoke, perfumes and colognes, and chemical odors? (2 points)
6. Are you bothered by memory or concentration problems? Do you sometimes feel spaced out or in a brain fog? (2 points)
7. Have you taken a prolonged course of prednisone or other steroids, or have you taken birth control pills for more than 3 years? (2 points)
8. Do some foods disagree with you or trigger your symptoms? (1 point)
9. Do you suffer with constipation, diarrhea, bloating, or abdominal pain? (1 point)
10. Does your skin itch, tingle or burn; or is it unusually dry; or are you bothered by rashes? (1 point)

Women’s scores: If you score 9 or more, your health problems are probably linked to yeast overgrowth. If you score 12 or more, your health problems are almost certainly connected to yeast.

Men’s scores: If you score 7 or more, your health problems are most likely linked to yeast. A score of 10 or more indicates that your health problems are almost certainly connected to yeast.

Break the Biofilm to Beat the Candida

Recent research shows biofilms make yeast much more resistant to treatment and hide it from your immune system.

When Candida groups together, it’s more aggressive and doesn’t respond to treatment the same way a cell on its own would. A large, well-established population forms a biofilm that seems to withstand most of what you throw its way. The longer the Candida is allowed to overgrow, the stronger the biofilm and the more it can resist treatment.

What is Biofilm?

Biofilms are matrices made of complex sugars called polysaccharides. One-third of a biofilm is comprised of glucose, the sugar your body uses the most. So, Candida not only feeds on sugar to grow and reproduce, it also uses it to form the protective shell around each colony. It would seem the logical approach is to cut the sugar out of your diet and use anti-candida herbs, but because of the strength of the biofilm and its ability to use your body’s own blood sugar supply, a more coordinated, 4-pronged approach is needed to beat the biofilm and truly tame Candida into submission.

Four Ways to Fight Candida

1. Cut Off the Food Supply to Candida

   All carbohydrates can be broken down into the sugars Candida feeds on. So it’s not only essential to eliminate all obvious sources of sugars, but also to severely restrict carbs in the diet. This includes fruits, juices, alcoholic beverages, and not just processed grains but whole grains that contain gluten as well. I also recommend removing mushrooms and fermented foods (except raw apple cider vinegar) while you are cleansing your body of yeast, because these also encourage Candida overgrowth.

2. Add Enzymes to Break Down Candida Biofilms

   Proteolytic enzymes are enzymes that “chew up” and break down the bonds holding the biofilms together. Lumbrokinase, nattokinase, and serrapeptase are among the most powerful biofilm disrupting enzymes we’ve discovered to date.

   Anti-inflammatory enzyme products like Wobenzym and Inflazym are also heavy hitters when it comes to breaking down biofilms. Anytime you break open a biofilm, the toxic contents are no longer walled off and your body is exposed in proportions it’s not accustomed to. It’s akin to cracking open the shell on an egg. This means you may experience a worsening of your symptoms temporarily while the toxic contents are being flushed out. While this is unpleasant, it’s a good sign you are on the right track.

3. Use Antifungal Supplements to Eradicate Candida

   Once the biofilm is broken down, Candida is wide open for attack. I recommend bursts of broad-spectrum germicides like oil of oregano and Pau d’Arco.

4. Use Probiotics to Fight Candida

   Having an overgrowth of Candida is already a sign you are low on the healthy bacteria that normally fortify your immune system and colonize your gut, but addressing Candida naturally can have the unintended consequences of reducing the population of “good guys” as well. Refortify your immune system and your gut by supplementing with a good quality probiotic.