SIBO Breath Test – At-Home Test for Bloating, IBS & Gut Imbalance
SIBO Breath Test – At-Home Test for Bloating, IBS & Gut Imbalance

SIBO Breath Test – At-Home Test for Bloating, IBS & Gut Imbalance

Test Options
Package Options
 

Constant bloating, discomfort after meals, or IBS symptoms? The SIBO Breath Test detects small intestinal bacterial overgrowth—a common cause of gas, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, and abdominal pain. Choose between glucose or lactulose to suit your needs. Breath samples are collected at home and analysed by a leading lab.

✅ Detects SIBO through hydrogen & methane breath testing
✅ Choose glucose or lactulose to identify different bacterial overgrowth patterns
✅ Receive personalised dietary, supplement and lifestyle recommendations from our expert team.

DELIVERY AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE

What’s included

The test fee covers expert guidance, full result interpretation and ongoing support from our functional medicine team. Select your preferred package below. Video consultations last 30 minutes; a booking link will be sent once your results are ready.

Ordering for more than one person?
Please set the quantity to 1 per individual so that we can capture a complete medical history for each household member. You can keep adding multiple tests to the same basket as long as patients reside at the same address. For multiple tests for the same patient you only need to complete the patient form once.

  • Turnaround time - approx 7 days.

£265.00
 
 

Choose between lactulose or glucose testing. Please note our recommendation is lactulose testing but if you are intolerant to lactose you have the option of glucose testing.

The Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) breath test is a non-invasive method used to measure hydrogen and methane gas levels produced by gut bacteria. After ingesting a non-absorbable carbohydrate (lactulose), these gases—byproducts of bacterial fermentation—are absorbed into the bloodstream, transported to the lungs, and exhaled. Elevated levels within the first 100 minutes are indicative of bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine.

Many individuals diagnosed with IBS may, in fact, have SIBO, with studies suggesting up to 75% overlap. Despite its diagnostic value, the test is rarely offered within NHS gastroenterology departments due to its time-intensive nature.

To prepare, patients follow a low-fermentable diet for 24 hours, avoiding fibre, resistant starches, and complex carbohydrates, followed by a 12-hour overnight fast. A fasting breath sample is collected, then nine further samples are taken at 20-minute intervals after lactulose ingestion. If hydrogen, methane, or both gases rise early in the test, this suggests small intestinal bacterial activity. Increases beyond 100 minutes reflect normal large bowel fermentation.

The test can also detect Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth (IMO), a methane-dominant condition that naturally occurs in about one-third of adults and becomes more common with age. Additionally, breath testing is an approved method for diagnosing carbohydrate intolerances such as lactose and fructose malabsorption.

Human biologist Gary Brecka advocates for breath testing in individuals with persistent digestive symptoms as a way to identify and address the root causes of gut dysfunction.

View Lactulose Instructions
View Lactulose Report
View Glucose Instructions
View Glucose Report
Read more about SIBO

Frequently asked question

In addition to your lab report we provide the following options which are INCLUDED in the package prices:

A) Follow up personalised written report produced by our clinical team highlighting dietary and lifestyle advice plus links to supplement protocols, specific doses and any further testing requirements. We use the patient information you provide us at checkout along with your results to compile personalised action points for you.

OR

B) Follow up 30-minute video call to discuss your results and answer any questions you have. Once the lab has completed your results you will be sent these via email with a link to book a time and day online. You will also then be given the option to upgrade your 30-minute call to a 45-minute call for an additional £30 if you wish. During the call your practitioner will explain the results in more detail and what they mean for you. After your call you are sent a personalised list of supplements & the dose your practitioner advises with links to purchase from our supplements store.

OR

C) Both Zoom call and written report with personalised next steps (Zoom call is first and written report follows).

Patients with an unresolved diagnosis of IBS, diarrhoea, constipation, postprandial bloating, abdominal discomfort and pain, a history of gastroenteritis, intestinal surgery, Crohn’s disease, coeliac disease, pancreatitis, impaired gut motility or use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are at risk of SIBO and should be considered for screening.

Following a rapid rise in hydrogen levels (within the first 20 minutes) consider possible gastric helicobacter pylori infection.

Your kit is posted to you from the UK within 24–48 hours of ordering so you should receive your test kit within a few days via Royal Mail (UK) and Royal Mail Tracked (Overseas). Please post your sample using the freepost Royal Mail (UK) or see International instructions below:

To ensure sample stability and timely processing, we advise sending your sample back to the laboratory preferably between Monday and Wednesday, utilising a courier service that offers a 24 to 48-hour delivery option.

Our recommended courier companies:

A) To book a collection with FEDEX , please visit www.fedex.com and to find your nearest FedEx depot, please go to: https://local.fedex.com

B) To ship with UPS, please visit www.ups.com

Please affix the commercial invoice provided to the exterior of the grey bag provided.

Please return your sample(s) to the following address:

Sample Reception – Viva Health Laboratories, The Stables, New Lodge, Drift Road, Winkfield, Windsor, SL4 4RR, Berkshire, England, UK

Breath hydrogen
Carbon dioxide
Methane gas

This test is suitable from age 5