Animal Pharm SIBO Part 4

HOW TO CURE SIBO, Small Intestinal Bowel Overgrowth: Step #4 Eat RESISTANT STARCH aka BIONIC FIBER

Resistant Starch = Nondigestible Carbohydrates (BIONIC FIBER)
Credit: Harry Flint et al, Nature, 2012.

Step #4.
VERSION A: Green banana flour 1-2 Tbs + Inulin 1-2 Tbs + high ORAC green powder in 2 cups water
VERSION B: Raw PS (potato starch) 1-3 Tbs + Psyllium (if not allergic) 1 Tbs + high ORAC green powder (I like Amazing Grass, LOL) in 2 cups plenty of water

You might need this, too!

Step Four is crucial! This is the food that will feed all of the beneficial bacteria you get from fermented foods and soil based organisms! This step is missing in almost every other SIBO protocol, and the ones that include it--don't go anywhere near the lengths that Dr. BG and I did in our effort to feed gut microbes. Many SIBO protocols, in fact, specifically EXCLUDE resistant starches and other fermentable fibers. It is one of the most powerful combination of fermentable, butyrate producing fibers that we have taken to joshing around and referring to it as BIONIC RS. It's not for sale, you make it yourself...Google it, you will find nothing! Learn to make it and your gut microbiome will be your bitch. Working for you instead of against you.

If you've been reading AnimalPharm for the past few months, you know what resistant starch is. Articles here, here, and here describe RS and it's amazing properties. For a range of n=1 RS self experiments and FTA discussions, consider reading these links here for even more info. Photo credit: RESISTANT STARCH REVIEW.

Resistant Starch is a powerful prebiotic. It has the undeniable abilities to:

- Selectively feed beneficial bacteria
- In the small intestine reduce pathogenic bacteria and out-of-place beneficial bacteria and decrease pathogenicity of virulent overgrowth
- Create a healthier large intestine through tightening of junctions, feeding of colonocytes, butyrate production, and forming biofilms impenetrable by pathogens

One of, if not the best sources of RS is potato starch. Potato Starch is cheap and easily found in any supermarket. Bob's Red Mill sells potato starch for about $5 a pound which is more than a month's supply! The supplement industry has not caught on to this powerful prebiotic, but you can bet they soon will!

A tablespoon of potato starch contains approximately 8g of RS. Dr. BG recommends taking 1-3TBS per day or several times a day alongside the SBOs. Taken together, the SBOs will be better able to survive the digestive processes which can kill most probiotics.

To turn potato starch into BIONIC RS, add in some psyllium. You may find the psyllium, especially if you are using psyllium husk, makes the mixture a lot more gummy, so you may need to put it in the blender with some milk, coconut milk, or water. What we really love about the added psyllium is that studies have shown that when resistant starch and psyllium are used together, it completely floods the large intestine with butyrate. Psyllium has a high water-holding capacity, and this may be why it is so effective at spreading the butyrate through the large intestine. The magic in psyllium is it's high mucilage content: "Mucilage can be used in gastrointestinal inflammatory processes; associated to topical irritation agents. The mechanism of action is that mucilages cover the mucous membranes and prevent irritation of the nerve endings." Psyllium ferments into butyrate, but is also an effective stimulant for the mucous layer that is vitally important to having a healthy gut. It provides a home for many of the bacterial species we have introduced with the fermented foods and SBOs.

From the study linked above:

"Cummins et al indicated in human studies that an interaction between dietary starch and fiber occurred in large bowel fermentation and that starch was fermented in preference to fiber, suggesting that starch might exert a sparing effect on certain dietary fibers. Also, the present study clearly showed the interactive effects of Resistant Starch and Psyllium on large bowel SCFA and suggests that it is possible to maintain relatively high butyrate concentration in the distal large bowel by dietary manipulation."

In addition to potato starch and psyllium, and to further increase the BIONIC RS to stellar levels, add in a good dose of anti-oxidant rich foods full of polyphenols. Once your gut is healthy, you will preferably get these compounds from real foods like berries, fruit, and numerous colorful veggies, but for now you want a concentrated dose. Grace recommends Amazing Grass, a gluten-free powder that blends well with the potato starch and psyllium. There are others on the market, just look for a high ORAC value and a good blend of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Polyphenols are just coming to light in their contributions to gut health. This study looked into the contributions of plant polyphenols of gut microbiota health and concluded:

"Polyphenols are extensively metabolized by gut bacteria into a complex series of end-products that support a significant effect on the functional ecology of symbiotic partners that can affect the host physiology."

Another study said:

"The gut microbiota play a key role in modulating the production, bioavailability and, thus, the biological activities of phenolic metabolites, particularly after the intake of food containing high-molecular-weight polyphenols. In addition, evidence is emerging on the activity of dietary polyphenols on the modulation of the colonic microbial population composition or activity."

And here we see the profound effect of antioxidants on intestinal health:

"These results indicate that dietary antioxidants can limit epithelial cell death in response to oxidant stress. In the case of green tea and cat's claw, the cytoprotective response exceed their inherent ability to interact with the injurious oxidant, suggestive of actions on intracellular pathways regulating cell death."

A great way to incorporate all of these processes is to have a daily smoothie with potato starch, psyllium and an anti-oxidant blend. Mix with milk, kefir, yogurt, water, or whatever you like. Add in berries, fruit, or anything else that makes it taste how you like.