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Breath testing is a non-invasive way to measure how your digestive system breaks down certain sugars and to detect abnormal bacterial activity in the small intestine. At our gastro clinic in Montreal, we offer lactose, lactulose, and glucose breath testing services.
These tests are especially useful for identifying lactose intolerance in individuals who experience digestive discomfort after consuming dairy. They are also effective in detecting small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which can cause persistent bloating, gas, and abdominal pain.
Problems in the digestion of certain sugars can cause symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and excessive gas. The analysis of gases produced in the GI tract and exhaled in your breath after consuming a sugar solution, provides valuable information about your digestive health.
This test helps diagnose lactose intolerance by measuring hydrogen in your breath after consuming a lactose solution. Lactose intolerance can cause symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, and gas after consuming dairy products. Hydrogen is only produced by the digestion of carbohydrates and sugars by anaerobic bacteria in your intestines in a process called fermentation. These hydrogen producing bacteria live in your colon. Lactose is meant to be digested in the small intestine, before reaching the colon. If lactose has not been fully digested before reaching the colon, it will be fermented by colon bacteria producing hydrogen. The amount of hydrogen produced, as well as the rate of production, are useful indicators of lactose intolerance [1].
This test helps diagnose small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) by measuring hydrogen and methane in your breath after consuming a lactulose solution. Methane is sometimes measured in this test since everyone's colon bacterial population is different and some people produce more methane than hydrogen. In SIBO, the colon bacteria which produce hydrogen when breaking down sugar move up to the small intestine, where it is inappropriately exposed to a large amount of undigested lactulose. Like lactose intolerance, SIBO can cause symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. However, in SIBO, symptoms are not brought on by consumption of dairy products.
Similar to the lactulose breath test, this test also helps diagnose SIBO but uses a glucose solution instead. It measures hydrogen gas and methane gas levels to determine bacterial overgrowth.
Breath testing is simple, safe, and non-invasive, making it an approachable option for patients who want clear answers without undergoing more complex procedures. It is particularly valuable for people who believe they might be lactose intolerant due to symptoms such as bloating, gas, or diarrhea after they drink milk or consume other dairy products.
Breath tests are also helpful in assessing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which may cause symptoms that overlap with irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease.
Like all diagnostic tools, breath tests have certain limitations. The accuracy of results may be affected by recent antibiotic use, specific medications, or dietary changes before the procedure. While the results provide useful insight into how your digestive system is functioning, they cannot by themselves diagnose certain conditions or structural abnormalities in the digestive tract.
If you regularly experience bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or discomfort after eating dairy products, a lactose breath test may help determine whether you are lactose intolerant or having difficulty absorbing lactose.
For patients with ongoing digestive symptoms such as gas, cramping, or unexplained changes in bowel habits, lactulose and glucose breath tests can provide important information about possible small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), a condition that can mimic irritable bowel syndrome.
At Gastro Westmount, our team performs lactose, lactulose, and glucose breath testing in a comfortable clinical setting. You can review our detailed service fee guide to understand the costs associated with testing, or connect directly with our staff to request an appointment. From preparation to follow-up, we will ensure that you know what to expect at every stage and feel supported throughout the process.
[1] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/12360-hydrogen-breath-test
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