How Hydrogen Methane Breath Test Works
Background
Hydrogen Methane Breath Tests are non-invasive way to detect if someone has Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth or Carbohydrate Malabsorption (lactose, fructose).
Sources and Types of Intestinal Gases
There are four sources of intestinal gases:
1. gas swallowed with air and air mixed with food when eating or drinking
2. gases produced by microbiome in your gut (as they digest the food you eat.
3. chemical reaction in your gut (as part of digestion) and
4. gas that comes from your blood stream into the gut.
The gases produced from your intestine are hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen, oxygen, ammonia, indole and skatole.
How Breath Testing Works
Gut microbiomes love digesting carbohydrates which results in production of hydrogen, methane and hydrogen sulfides (though in New Zealand, we cannot test for hydrogen sulfide yet). These gases are absorbed into your blood stream and taken to the lungs where they are expelled. We can capture the breath expelled and test it for Hydrogen and Methane Levels.
Order Your Breath Test Kit
To find out more about SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), Click here.