SIBO and Acne

If you suffer from acne, you’ve probably investigated tons of potential causes and treatments. But, in this article, we’ll explain why you must address gut health in order to truly heal your acne, and how a gut condition called SIBO may be the root cause of your acne struggles.

How does gut health affect acne?

The gut is responsible for much more than digestion and nutrient absorption.

It’s an ecosystem! Like any other ecosystem, your gut needs the right environment to flourish. Through a healthy diet and lifestyle, the collection of bacteria, viruses, and fungi (your gut microbiome) can thrive.

Your gut and skin communicate with each other through what is called the gut-skin axis.

Since the majority of your immune system cells are actually located in your GI tract, your gut microbiome largely influences your immune system (1, 2). By influencing your immune system, the health of your gut microbiome also affects your skin health.

Imbalances in your gut bacteria can lead to leaky gut and inflammatory responses which may eventually present as acne on the skin.

What is SIBO?

SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and occurs when too many bacteria end up in the small intestine. Normally, the small intestine is home to a relatively small number of bacteria. Most of your gut bacteria are supposed to live in your large intestine. When too many bacteria start to colonize in the small intestine, you can experience unpleasant symptoms, like acne, leaky gut, and inflammation.

SIBO and Acne

A lot of people with SIBO suffer from GI symptoms like gas, bloating, diarrhea/constipation, and heartburn. However, this isn’t the case for all women. Some people with SIBO also (or only) present with non-GI symptoms like acne, eczema, fatigue, or nutrient deficiencies. In fact, one study reported SIBO is 10 times more prevalent in those with acne versus healthy controls (3).

What causes SIBO?

One of the main causes of SIBO is called hypochlorhydria, or low stomach acid. Without enough acid in your stomach, microbes can survive digestion, camp out in the small intestine and feast on your partially digested food. Many people with acne also have low stomach acid (4). Coincidence? We don’t think so!

SIBO can also be triggered from an episode of food poisoning or the stomach flu.The bacteria or virus from the illness releases a toxin into the GI tract that can damage the cells that control your “cleansing waves.” These cleansing waves are muscular contractions responsible for sweeping away debris from the small intestine. When the cleansing waves are disrupted, you can develop an overgrowth of bacteria.

Some conditions may not directly cause SIBO but are associated with it: irritable bowel syndrome, gastroparesis, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and hypothyroidism.

Whether you are planning to get pregnant soon, working through fertility treatments, or have suffered multiple miscarriages, focusing on egg quality during the preconception period is critical for all women trying to conceive. In this article, we’ll discuss the best fertility diet to improve egg quality.

Why Does Egg Quality Matter?

Contrary to men who continuously generate sperm, women are born with all the egg cells they’re ever going to have, and this number slowly declines with age. The quality of your remaining eggs also decline which can increase the risk of fertility issues and miscarriage.

While you cannot change the number of eggs you have, you can influence egg quality.

Three to four months before ovulation, an egg cell (also called a follicle) matures and grows dramatically in size. The growing follicle requires nutrients and energy from the surrounding environment. By improving your diet and lifestyle during this approximately 90 day time period before ovulation, you can improve egg quality and increase your chances of a healthy and successful pregnancy.

Fertility Diet to Improve Egg Quality

Research largely supports a Mediterranean-inspired diet for optimal fertility. Many aspects of this diet may also improve overall egg quality. The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, and lean protein.

Protein + Fat + Carbs

Eating for blood sugar balance is one of the biggest components of a fertility diet. When you eat a meal containing carbohydrates, your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to lower blood sugar levels back to normal. A poor diet high in added sugar and refined carbs will eventually cause your cells to stop responding properly to insulin. This is known as insulin resistance and can increase blood sugar levels and overall inflammation in the body. High blood sugar is a big problem for egg quality and fertility because it disrupts the balance of other reproductive hormones.

By following a simple formula of protein + fat + carbs at every meal and snack, you can properly balance your blood sugar levels. Aim to fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, leafy greens, bell peppers, and more. Then, fill one quarter of your plate with fiber-rich carbs, and the other quarter with a high-quality protein. Finally, top off your plate with 1 to 2 tablespoons of healthy fat.

Antioxidant Rich Foods

Antioxidants are molecules that protect your eggs from damage and oxidative stress. Unfortunately, women with conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome have higher levels of oxidative stress and lower antioxidant levels which may result in poor egg quality and fertility problems (1).

To improve egg quality and boost antioxidant levels, include a variety of antioxidant-rich foods in your fertility diet, like fruits and vegetables. Here are a few common foods containing high levels of antioxidants:

Berries (all kinds)
Apples
Dark leafy greens
Broccoli
Asparagus
Pecans
Walnuts
Red kidney beans
Spices (especially cinnamon, mint, oregano, and thyme)

The more colorful you make your plate, the better!

Seafood

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes multiple servings of seafood rich in healthy omega-3 fats. Omega-3 is an anti-inflammatory fat that is particularly beneficial for fertility and egg quality. In fact, some researchers have found that women with sufficient omega-3 levels typically have higher-quality embryos and are more likely to become pregnant (2).

Furthermore, most fish is rich in fertility-friendly nutrients like vitamin D, vitamin B6, iodine, and selenium.

To optimize omega-3 levels, aim to include two servings of fish every week in your fertility diet. The fish that are the highest in omega-3 (EPA and DHA) but lowest in mercury include: salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and herring.

Caffeine and Alcohol

Drinking large amounts of caffeine (> 400 mg or 4+ cups of coffee) per day may negatively affect fertility and even increase miscarriage risk (3). Plus, excessive caffeine can impact your sleep quality, so try to limit yourself to 1 to 2 cups of coffee per morning.

Heavy drinking is undeniably harmful for general health as well as egg health and fertility. Some studies found reduced fertility in women when consuming more than 14 drinks per week. However, there is less consensus on moderate alcohol consumption and its effect on fertility. Nonetheless, alcohol certainly does not promote egg health or fertility, so it’s best to limit alcohol intake or keep it to the occasional glass of wine to help set a romantic mood.

Take a High Quality Prenatal Vitamin

We believe in a food first approach, and this applies to fertility as well. However, while most women begin taking prenatal vitamins once they become pregnant, we recommend starting a prenatal at least three months before trying to conceive. If you were previously taking the birth control pill, start taking a prenatal as soon as possible, as the pill can deplete your body of many important nutrients needed for egg health and optimal fertility.

Another supplement, called coenzyme Q10, is critical for energy production inside the “power plants” i.e. mitochondria of your egg cells. If your egg can produce optimal energy, there is a greater chance for it to mature, fertilize, and successfully grow. In fact, one study found that a higher level of CoQ10 inside developing eggs was associated with higher-quality eggs and higher pregnancy rates (4).

You can purchase coenzyme Q10 from our Root Shop as well.

Best Fertility Diet for Egg Quality: Summarized

While your overall egg quantity declines as you age, eating a Mediterranean-inspired diet (especially in the 90 days before conception) may improve egg quality and optimize your fertility.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and lean protein. Use the protein + fat + carb formula with lots of colorful non-starchy vegetables to balance your blood sugar and provide an antioxidant boost. Aim to eat at least two servings of fish per week to improve your omega-3 levels and lower inflammation.

Egg quality is particularly important for women in their late thirties to early forties; however, all women should focus on improving their diet and lifestyle in the preconception period to optimize fertility and future pregnancy outcomes.

Need more help? Our functional medicine doctors and dietitians help optimize fertility and dig for root causes in our functional medicine membership.

CoQ10

You can't produce energy without this key antioxidant

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Treating SIBO and acne requires a whole-body approach.

While it can be tempting to try random acne therapies and quick-fix creams, treating the root cause of acne with a gut healing protocol will ultimately save you lots of time, energy, and money. Plus, it may address other health issues at the same time!

Here are photos of the transformation of one of our Root clients who improved her acne through following a personalized gut health and hormone balancing approach. Shared with permission. This is over a period of 3-4 months:

Acne Bundle

Everything you need to support your skin from the inside out

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