LAUSR

To compare the patterns of thermal food processing methods in patients with and without the syndrome intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). It was retrospective single-center study. Data of patients with lactulose breath test GastroCheck Gastrolyser (Bedfont, UK) and diet assessment (24-hours dietary recall) were enrolled. Those with excessive production of hydrogen, methane, both or neither gases were identified. All dishes and products consumed by a patient we divided to 6 categories depending on thermal food processing method: those that were not processed (raw) (Cat-r), boiled (Cat-bl), fried (Cat-f), stewed (Cat-s), baked (Cat-bk) in the oven or grilled (Cat-g). To analyze the structure of thermal food processing, we divided the weight of all products or dishes that underwent specific method of processing to the total weight of the food consumed. The pattern of thermal food processing within each group was obtained as a quotient of the total percentage (by weight) of the food processed with the certain method by the number of patients in the group. The data of 1200 patients were available for the final analysis: 640 patients in the SIBO-H2 group, 162 in the SIBO-CH4 group, 270 in the SIBO-CH4-H2 group, and 128 patients in the control group. The distribution of thermal food processing categories was as follows: in patients with SIBO-H2 (Cat-r: 45.3 ± 17.2%, Cat-bl: 31.8 ± 15.6%, Cat-s: 3.5 ± 7.7%, Cat-f: 6.5 ± 10.5%, Cat-bk: 12.4 ± 10.3%, Cat-g 0.3 ± 3.3%); with SIBO-CH4 (Cat-r: 47.2 ± 16.6%, Cat-bl: 29.5 ± 15.1%, Cat-s: 4.3 ± 7.4%, Cat-f: 5.8 ± 10.0%, Cat-bk: 12.4 ± 10.3%, Cat-g: 0,4 ± 3,9%); with SIBO-CH4-H2 (Cat-r: 45.5 ± 16.3%, Cat-bl: 31.0 ± 16.1%, Cat-s: 4.0 ± 8.0%, Cat-f: 5.4 ± 9.9%, Cat-bk: 13.4 ± 11.0%, Cat-g: 0.3 ± 2.2%); in the control group (Cat-r: 44.8 ± 16.8%, Cat-bl: 32.4 ± 16.4%, Cat-s: 3.0 ± 6.5%, Cat-f: 5.2 ± 7.7%, Cat-bk 14.1 ± 10.4%, Cat-g: 0.2 ± 1.9%). No significant difference was found between the study groups and the control group by mean percentage of raw, boiled, stewed, fried, baked and grilled food intake. We found no association between thermal food processing patterns and SIBO. The study was supported by Russian Scientific Foundation grant No. 19-76-30014.