Hydrogen sulfide producing bacteria can drive gut inflammation and leaky gut. If you’ve completed a microbiome test and it shows high levels of hydrogen sulfide producing bacteria, then that’s great news. It means you can treat the imbalance before your digestive health gets worse. High hydrogen sulfide is a risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease: aka Crohns Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. It is also drives the inflammation with see in irritable bowel sydnrome (IBS). If left unchecked hydrogen sulfide can increase the risk of colon cancer. So don’t ignore these little critters!
Understanding the Microbiome
The microbiome includes 100 trillion bacterial cells, in fact, they outnumber our human cells! This is a large part of the reason digestive health as a central focus of naturopathic medicine. The human microbiome refers to the diverse community of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and archaea, living in and on our bodies. These microorganisms play a vital role to health including our digestion, immune system and mood. A balanced and diverse microbiome is associated with better health outcomes. You can type almost any disease into google scholar, and you will ultimately bring up a connection with any disease searched. Don’t believe me? Give it a go yourself.
Hydrogen Sulfide in the Microbiome
Hydrogen sulfide is a small gas molecule that is naturally produced by certain bacteria in the gut via fermentation of dietary fibers and sulfur-containing compounds. It has awful rotten egg like smell. If you’ve ever been to New Zealands hot springs, you would know what I’m talking about 😉
In moderation, hydrogen sulfide serves essential functions in the body, such as promoting the relaxation of blood vessels and acting as an anti-inflammatory agent. Average to low levels of hydrogen sulphide can actually have a protective effect on intestinal integrity and digestive health. So it’s not all bad news.
How the Gut is impacted when hydrogen sulfide becomes elevated
However, when hydrogen sulfide levels become excessively elevated, problems arise. Hydrogen production negatively impacts gut health in several ways:
- Microbial Dysbiosis: High levels of hydrogen sulfide can disrupt the balance of the gut microbiome. This disruption can lead to overgrowth of sulfur-reducing bacteria, resulting in symptoms like smelly gas, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
- Inflammation: Elevated hydrogen sulfide levels can also trigger inflammation of the gut lining, leading to conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Colon Cancer Risk: Some studies suggest that chronic exposure to high levels of hydrogen sulfide may increase the risk of colon cancer. This is due to hydrogen sulfide’s effects on colon cell proliferation, and DNA damage caused by oxidative stress.
- Intestinal Permeability – Studies suggest high levels of hydrogen sulphide can compromise intestinal barrier integrity by disrupting the mucin layer and inhibiting the uptake of butyrate by colon cells. Butyrate is used by the colon cells to regenerate, so it’s critical to the health of the intestinal lining.
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Microbiome Testing and High Hydrogen Sulfide Levels
Microbiome testing analyses the composition and activity of your gut microbiota and shows whether your gut is producing excessive levels of hydrogen sulfide. If your microbiome results show elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide producing bacteria then it is crucial to take action.
Major players in hydrogen sulfide production include Desulfovibrio and Bilophila species. (Did you know that GI Map doesn’t test for these strains?!). Other sulfide-producing bacteria strains include:
- Escherichia coli
- Salmonella
- Helicobacter pylori
- Prevotella
- Klebsiella
- Campylobacter
A full list has been included below for those that like the detail:
Treatment of High Hydrogen Sulfide Levels
If you discover that you have elevated hydrogen sulfide levels, here are some steps you can take to rebalance your microbiome and restore gut health:
- Dietary Adjustments: Reduce your intake of sulfur-containing foods. The biggest culprits are: red meat, dairy, beer, red wine, eggs, garlic, onion and dried fruit. Cruciferous vegetables also contain sulphur but, much of this is broken down upon cooking. It’s therefore not something I always eliminate when working with patients.
- Avoid Certain Supplements – Many supplements contain high levels of sulphur and should be avoided, including: alpha lipoic acid, glucosamine, gluathione, chondroitin, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), taurine and carageenan (also found in dairy products and nut milks)
- Prebiotics and Fiber: Incorporate prebiotics and fiber into the diet to encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria and to reduce the production of hydrogen sulfide.
- Avoid Antimicrobials and Antibiotics – This can increase the proliferation of sulphide producing bacteria as many of the beneficial strains of bacteria are killed off in the process.
- Avoid long term elimination diets – Following a low FODMAP diet longterm can increase the risk of excessive hydrogen sulfide bacteria. Microbes will only turn to protein fermentation in the absence of sufficient fibre. In fact, fructooligosaccharides (FOS) intake can significantly reduce the production of hydrogen sulphide.
- Support Intestinal Integrity: Your digestive system will need extra support to heal the gut lining. Zinc, vitamin A and sufficient dietary protein are absolutely critical to the healing of the digestive tract.
- Consult a Healthcare Professional: If you experience digestive issues, chronic inflammation, or other health concerns associated with high hydrogen sulfide levels, consult a healthcare provider for a personalised treatment plan.
Concluding Thoughts
High hydrogen sulfide levels in your microbiome can impact the balance of your gut microbiota and drive the development of IBS and IBD. Not all Microbiome Testing Panels check for hydrogen sulfide bacteria. This is just ONE of the many reasons why I love Microba’s Co-biome Test. Antibiotic treatments, and elimination diets have been shown to fuel the growth of sulfide-producing bacteria. This is why it’s so important to understand what you’re actually dealing with when trying to restore digestive health.
By taking proactive steps to rebalance the microbiome, you can not only reduce hydrogen sulfide levels but more importantly eliminate a patient’s digestive symptoms and reduce their risk of developing colon cancer down the track. I know that sounds scary, but that is commonly the outcome when inflammation is left unchecked. That’s why testing is so important. Once we know what’s going on inside the gut, we can get faster results from our treatment. And you doesn’t want fast results?
