SIBO and food poisoning as a secret root cause
SIBO and food poisoning as a secret root cause
Medically reviewed by:
Dr John Freeman
Food poisoning is one of the most common but least recognized root causes of SIBO. Most people don’t connect the two because the symptoms of food poisoning disappear quickly, while SIBO symptoms can take weeks or even months to appear.
The reality is that in some individuals, a bout of food poisoning can cause long-term damage to the gut’s natural cleaning mechanism—the migrating motor complex (MMC)—and this disruption sets the stage for bacterial overgrowth.
The science behind it
When you experience food poisoning, the harmful bacteria responsible release a toxin called CdtB (cytolethal distending toxin B).
To protect you, your immune system responds by producing:
Anti-CdtB antibodies, and
Anti-vinculin antibodies
These antibodies are meant to defend your body, but in some people, the anti-vinculin antibodies can mistakenly interfere with nerve cells in the small intestine.
How this leads to SIBO
The anti-vinculin antibodies can damage the nerve cells that control the migrating motor complex—the rhythmic waves that sweep excess bacteria out of the small intestine between meals.
If this housekeeping system becomes impaired:
Bacteria linger longer in the small intestine
They begin to multiply
Over time, this bacterial buildup develops into SIBO
This process doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time for bacteria to replicate to problematic levels, which is why the connection between food poisoning and later digestive problems is often missed.
Why people don’t recognize food poisoning as the cause
Most individuals believe they “fully recovered” from their food poisoning episode. Since symptoms like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or pain appear much later, they rarely connect the two events.
By the time SIBO symptoms emerge, the food poisoning incident may feel long forgotten—yet for many people, it is the original trigger.
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