Thank you, ibsgroup.org for the link to this Swedish study on fermented milk. I find the results to be a stunningly accurate reflection of what usually happens when someone starts drinking kefir or eating strong probiotic yogurt – they feel a little bit better right away, and then a few weeks later, all the benefits fade.

The effects of probiotic bacteria in IBS remain controversial….We could not detect a clearly positive effect of a fermented milk containing three probiotic bacteria on GI symptoms in IBS patients compared to the control treatment. However, a trend towards a more favorable effect during the first weeks was seen in the active group.

Its sheer speculation on my part at this point, but I’m leaning towards fermented dairy, particularly my short-lived obsession with kefir, as the culprit in this latest bout of misery that I’m experiencing. There are many things we don’t know about SIBO, but we do know that we suffer because we end up with gut bacteria in the wrong place. Regardless of what the entire cannon of altie dysbiosis literature has to say about the zoo within our digestive tracts, people with SIBO have large intestinal bacteria in our small intestine, and whether its “good” bacteria or “bad” bacteria is really irrelevant. Until we know more about the mechanics of why we end up with this locational snafu, its probably not the best idea for SIBO’ers to go putting bacteria down our gullets.

If you find that confusing, then its probably because the last time you were at my apartment/on my facebook page/having a conversation with me, I was obsessed with fermented milk, but we have to move on when things don’t work. Its still a mystery why I’m feeling so god awful lately, and there are probably several factors, Neomycin possibly being one of them. But I killed my kefir grains all the same.