Link between atherosclerosis and small intestinal bacterial overgrow

This study evaluated whether there was a link between subclinical atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).  Thirty nine patients were enrolled and received a glucose hydrogen breath test to assess for SIBO.  In the group 30.8% were positive for SIBO. Atherosclerosis was determined using  levels of dephosphorylated-uncarboxylated matrix Gla-protein and pulse-wave velocity. There existed a statistically significant correlation between SIBO and atherosclerosis leading the researchers to conclude that SIBO testing might be a good screening tool for early stage atherosclerosis.

Ref:  World J Gastroenterol. 2017 Feb 21;23(7):1241-1249. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i7.1241.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28275304