Posted on 07/23/2025 8:28:16 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
People with an underactive thyroid may have an increased risk of developing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), a risk that may be reduced with thyroid hormone treatment, according to a study.
"We now know that people with hypothyroidism, especially those with autoimmune thyroiditis, are more likely to develop SIBO, but this risk appears to be mitigated in those taking thyroid medications," said Ruchi Mathur, M.D.
Mathur said their research also suggests there may be a microbiological mechanism driving this association, which could lead to more personalized treatments.
The researchers investigated the relationship between SIBO and hypothyroidism in people older than 18 who previously underwent upper endoscopy without colon prep and reported living with hypothyroidism as well as controls. Subjects were recruited through their REIMAGINE study.
They analyzed small bowel fluid samples from 49 people with hypothyroidism and 323 without the condition and performed DNA sequencing to identify microbial species. The results showed that people with hypothyroidism had a significantly higher prevalence of SIBO compared to controls (33% vs. 15%).
Mathur and colleagues then further evaluated four groups: SIBO-positive with hypothyroidism, SIBO-negative with hypothyroidism, SIBO-positive without thyroid disease, and SIBO-negative without thyroid disease.
The analysis showed different patterns of bacteria in the gut depending on a person's thyroid status and co-occurrence of SIBO.
Separately, they performed a large-scale analysis of medical records from the TriNetX database, which looked at the 10-year risks of developing SIBO in people with hypothyroidism or autoimmune thyroiditis compared to matched controls. The risks were also mitigated in people taking levothyroxine.
"Results showed the risk of developing SIBO in subjects with hypothyroidism is 2.2 times more than the risk in a matched control cohort and was 2.4 times higher in those with autoimmune thyroiditis compared to a matched control group," noted Margaret Wei, M.D.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
SIBO can be addressed through other means, but it’s novel to correct your thyroid hormones and fix it.
Do note we all need iodine, selenium, zinc, iron, and B vitamins, vitamin A, and Vitamin E, to make our thyroids function properly, according to Healthline.com.
Bkmk
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