SIBO and Parkinson Disease

Ongoing research continues to support the link between small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and Parkinson’s disease. This new article explains some of the complex cellular level reasons for the link and why SIBO helps exacerbate Parkinson’s. So it seems important to test for SIBO in patients that show early signs of Parkinson’s disease. If the test is positive it would be reasonable to pursue a treatment program to eradicate the bacteria. How much this will help with Parkinson’s symptoms is still unknown but there is no harm in eliminating the bacteria which if nothing else will improve gastrointestinal health. What is needed at this point is a study looking at whether SIBO eradication leads to better outcomes for Parkinson’s patients.

Ref: World J. Gastroenterol 2015 Oct 7
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26457021