Have you ever found your belly is bloated excessively or abdominal pain is not making you sleep at night? Several other gut functional disorders are also there which have become common in every next person, such as gas, excessive wind, diarrhea, constipation, etc. This happens due to the bacteria in the small intestine, which pass the unabsorbed sugar to the large intestine for fermentation. The result is not so pleasing; you may suffer with the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Human body ingests several types of sugars daily. Lactose and fructose are the most common among them, which are absorbed in small bowel generally. But, some proportion left unabsorbed in the small bowel which causes large bowel to produce hydrogen and methane gas. The Hydrogen and Methane breath test is performed for finding what malabsorption is affecting your gastrointestinal orders.
The gas produced in large bowel absorbed in the blood and then travel to the lungs where it is exhaled. This helps the test kit in diagnosing the problem with your gastrointestinal functions by measuring the level of hydrogen and methane in the breath. This is non-invasive method to check any type of sugar intolerance which can be treated or reduced after diagnosis.
The test kit is only a method to take samples for digestive disorders such as SIBO, fructose, lactose intolerance, etc. The diagnosis is performed by an expert medical professional. It is also advised to follow pre-test requirement as suggested by the medical professional. Let’s discuss about the types of digestive disorders which can be diagnosed through a breath test:
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO):
Generally in a healthy body, the small intestine is sterile and colon has bacteria. But, in a few people, bacteria start living in the small intestine instead of colon. This reverses the function of small bowel and creates the problems like diarrhea, cramping, bloating, and gas. This is the condition of Small Intestinal bacterial Overgrowth, which is diagnosed through this non-invasive test using the special sugar Lactulose.
Symptoms and reasons of this test are Gastroeseophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Celiac Disease, Leaky Gut Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Disease, Restless Leg Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, flatulence, and malnutrition.
Lactose Intolerance:
The lack of the lactase enzyme in the body becomes the reason of Lactose Malabsorption. IN general, this enzyme breaks the Lactose into Glucose and Galactose which is then absorbed in the digestive tract. The insufficient amount of enzyme disturbs this process and the undigested sugar is reached into the stomach where bacteria are available for the fermentation of lactose. The end result is nausea, bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps.
Fructose Intolerance:
This sugar doesn’t need any enzymes for the absorption. It is generally found in fruits which are absorbed into the digestive tract itself. If some proportion of fructose is poorly absorbed and is ready to move into the large intestine unabsorbed, then you are in trouble with constipation, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, or diarrhea.
Sucrose Intolerance:
Sucrose is known as table sugar, cane sugar or beet sugar. This is generally found in commercial food products. Sucrase is the enzyme which helps Sucrose in absorbing into digestive system before moving into the large intestine. If this enzyme starts working inappropriately or lacks in body, then it causes IBS type symptoms like cramps, bloating, gas, flatulence, etc. You can narrow down the symptoms by following the diet plan suggested by the dietician.
Sorbitol Intolerance:
It is a polyol found in some fruits and vegetables. Generally, it is found in sugar-free products also sweeten them. Calling it dietary sugar is the right word for this polyol. Generally, it takes time in absorption and when it is digested poorly; the chances of fermentation are raised high in the large bowel. This fermentation leads to IBS type symptoms which can be diagnosed by following the breath test procedure for sorbitol which is performed along with fructose test. After collecting the breath sample, a small amount of sorbitol is given to patients for ingestion and then, test is performed again for interpretation.
Mannitol Intolerance:
Like Sorbitol, it is also a polyol which is available in fruits and vegetables and used as a sweetener in sugar-free products, chewing gums and mints. This sugar is malabsorbed when it is not properly absorbed in the small intestine and is passed to the large intestine for fermentation by bacteria. The breath test for this malabsorption is the effective method to diagnose the problem to treat it by changing dietary habits and diet.