In recent years, the health food industry has been experiencing a real boom in fermented beverages. Supermarket shelves are full of various bottles of kombucha, craft kefir and ayran, which marketers position as a universal elixir for digestive health. We are promised an instant improvement in immunity, perfect digestion and detoxification.

Bacterial overgrowth syndrome (SIBS or SIBO) has long remained in the “blind spot” of classical gastroenterology. For decades, patients have complained of severe flatulence (“feeling 5 months pregnant”), impaired nutrient absorption, and chronic fatigue. Traditional treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics often provides only a temporary effect, leading to relapses.