Influence of Body Composition and Specific Anthropometric Parameters on SIBO Type

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Microbiology
• Human Physiology

Background:

• Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) impacts host health via multiple mechanisms.
• SIBO is associated with both weight loss and obesity, linked to gut microbiome alterations.
• The specific influence of SIBO type on body composition remains poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between SIBO types (methane-dominant, hydrogen-dominant, methane-hydrogen dominant) and anthropometric parameters.
• To determine if SIBO type correlates with specific body composition metrics.

Main Methods:

• Observational study of 67 participants with confirmed SIBO via lactulose hydrogen-methane breath tests (LHMBTs).
• Body composition assessed using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA).
• Analysis focused on correlating SIBO type (H+, M+, H+/M+) with parameters like body weight, BMI, body fat, and mineral bone content.

Main Results:

• In the methane-hydrogen dominant (H+/M+) SIBO group, increased hydrogen gas production showed an inverse correlation with body weight (p=0.010), BMI (p=0.001), body fat in kg (p=0.009), body fat in % (p=0.040), visceral fat (p=0.002), and mineral bone content (p=0.049).

Conclusions:

• Body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and mineral bone content may be inversely associated with hydrogen gas production.
• These findings suggest a link between hydrogen production in SIBO and altered body composition, particularly in the H+/M+ SIBO subtype.