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  4. I know you’re not hot on the Genova SIBO test, but it’s the only one I can order until I create the elusive connection with an MD or a DO that will order them for me. Running the test, among others, on a 12-year-old boy with ODD and some autism spectrum symptoms as well as fecal incontinence, but not diarrhea. I know some practitioners have been using the Genova test and instructing their patients to wait 30 minutes between samples instead of sample instead of 20, but because this is a child with presumably faster transit time, do you think 20 minutes would be OK? In general, how do you feel about tweaking the instructions to wait 30 minutes between samples if Genova is the only SIBO test we can order?
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  4. I know you’re not hot on the Genova SIBO test, but it’s the only one I can order until I create the elusive connection with an MD or a DO that will order them for me. Running the test, among others, on a 12-year-old boy with ODD and some autism spectrum symptoms as well as fecal incontinence, but not diarrhea. I know some practitioners have been using the Genova test and instructing their patients to wait 30 minutes between samples instead of sample instead of 20, but because this is a child with presumably faster transit time, do you think 20 minutes would be OK? In general, how do you feel about tweaking the instructions to wait 30 minutes between samples if Genova is the only SIBO test we can order?

I know you’re not hot on the Genova SIBO test, but it’s the only one I can order until I create the elusive connection with an MD or a DO that will order them for me. Running the test, among others, on a 12-year-old boy with ODD and some autism spectrum symptoms as well as fecal incontinence, but not diarrhea. I know some practitioners have been using the Genova test and instructing their patients to wait 30 minutes between samples instead of sample instead of 20, but because this is a child with presumably faster transit time, do you think 20 minutes would be OK? In general, how do you feel about tweaking the instructions to wait 30 minutes between samples if Genova is the only SIBO test we can order?

Chris Kresser:  I wouldn’t do that because all of the research on SIBO lactulose breath testing uses either 20 or 15 minutes between samples, so we don’t have validated data for 30 minutes between samples. It’s not that the Genova test is useless, and if you see a big spike early on, before 70 minutes, it’s pretty likely that that’s signaling bacteria overgrowth. Also if you see high methane on that test early on, that’s conclusive for methane-predominant SIBO. So it’s not a useless test at all. It can be helpful. It’s just that you’re missing some data, so it’s not as useful as one that goes out for the full three hours.

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