Intermittent Fasting, the Clean Up Crew
iBiome Health & Wellness, PMC
the MMC is your guts Clean Up Crew
Dear Subscriber,
Its the end of the year!
In my SIBO Series, its a great time to talk about the MMC! Most SIBO protocols focus on killing bacteria but, “killing bacteria” isn’t enough, and this is why relapse is so common
If you’ve struggled with SIBO, bloating, constipation, or food-triggered fatigue, especially after doing “all the right protocols,” there’s a critical piece of gut physiology that often gets overlooked: The Migrating Motor Complex (MMC).
At iBiome Health & Wellness, we don’t treat SIBO as a standalone diagnosis. We see it as a functional breakdown of gut rhythm. And the MMC sits at the center of that rhythm.
🧬 What Is the MMC (and Why It Matters)?
The Migrating Motor Complex is your gut’s housekeeping system.
It’s a coordinated wave of electrical and muscular activity that sweeps through the stomach and small intestine between meals, clearing:
• residual food particles
• excess bacteria
• cellular debris
• bile byproducts
Think of it as the clean-up crew that prevents fermentation from happening in the wrong place.
When the MMC is strong → bacteria stay where they belong. When the MMC is impaired → SIBO becomes possible.
🚨 Why the MMC Breaks Down
In clinical practice, MMC dysfunction is rarely random. I often hear patients say, “my stomach does not growl anymore, its just always bloated.”
We see predictable triggers, the number 1️⃣: Chronic Stress & Nervous System Load
The MMC depends on parasympathetic (vagal) tone. Stress, hypervigilance, trauma, poor sleep, and cortisol dysregulation all suppress it.
You cannot out-supplement a dysregulated nervous system.
iBiome MMC CARE: HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR GUT’S CLEAN-UP CREW
1️⃣ Honor the Fasting Window (But Don’t Force It)
The MMC activates between meals, not during digestion.
✔ Aim for 3–4 hours between meals
✔ Avoid constant snacking or sipping calories
✔ Allow a 12–14 hour overnight fast only if tolerated
⚠️ If fasting worsens constipation, dizziness, or anxiety — your MMC needs support, not pressure.
2️⃣ Eat Enough at Meals
Under-eating suppresses motility.
✔ Include adequate protein, fats, and minerals
✔ Avoid “tiny meals” that never trigger digestion fully
✔ Complete meals allow a true interdigestive phase
A weak meal = a weak MMC signal.
3️⃣ Support Vagal Tone Daily
The MMC depends on parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) signaling.
✔ Slow breathing (4–6 breaths/min)
✔ Gargling, humming, or singing
✔ Gentle walking after meals (not intense exercise)
✔ Lying on the right side after dinner
Stress shuts the MMC down faster than food ever could.
4️⃣ Respect the Circadian Clock
Motility follows light–dark cycles.
✔ Finish dinner 2–3 hours before bed
✔ Morning light exposure (even 5–10 min)
✔ Consistent sleep and wake times
Late-night eating = MMC disruption the next day.
5️⃣ Address Bile Flow
Bile is antimicrobial and motility-supportive.
Low bile = sluggish clearance.
Signs of poor bile flow:
floating or pale stools
nausea with fats
right-sided fullness
bloating that worsens at night
This is why “low-fat diets” often worsen SIBO.
6️⃣ Replete Minerals First
The MMC is an electrical process. Key minerals:
✔ Magnesium (especially glycinate or malate)
✔ Potassium
✔ Sodium (yes — especially in stressed patients!)
Low minerals = poor neuromuscular signaling.
7️⃣ Be Careful With Prokinetics
Prokinetics can help — or harm — depending on timing and terrain.
They work best:
✔ after bacterial burden is addressed
✔ when bile flow and minerals are adequate
✔ when stress signaling is supported
Used too early, they can worsen pain or reflux.
8️⃣ Stop Grazing in the Name of “Gut Healing”
Constant “gentle eating” keeps digestion turned on all day. This prevents MMC activation. Gut healing requires:
✔ digestion ON during meals
✔ digestion OFF between meals
Healing happens in the pause……
9️⃣ Watch the Mouth–Gut Axis
Oral bacteria can reseed the small intestine.
✔ Address gum disease
✔ Tongue hygiene matters
✔ Nighttime mouth breathing worsens reseeding
Many “recurrent SIBO” cases start above the diaphragm.
🔟 Know This Truth
You cannot “kill” your way into motility. The MMC responds to:
safety
rhythm
nourishment
signaling
When the system feels supported, it clears on its own.
IBIOME CELLULAR HEALTH ESSENTIALS
Functional medicine becomes less about protocols and more about timing, sequence, and rhythm!
The body does not respond well to being pushed into anything, it is most successful when it flows, not forces, thats why our patients succeed.
the iBiome Way:
Don’t Overfast!!!!!!!!!!!
Subscriber, fix your feeding window, before you work on fasting window!
🧠 MMC Support ≠ Forcing Fasting. This is where nuance matters. The internet loves rigid fasting rules. Clinical reality is more individualized.
For some patients: ✔ gentle fasting improves symptoms
For others: ⚠️ fasting worsens constipation, anxiety, dizziness, or adrenal symptoms
When fasting makes symptoms worse, the MMC doesn’t need pressure, it needs support.
🔬 What the Research Shows
Modern gastroenterology literature is clear on this point:
• SIBO recurrence rates are high when motility is not addressed
• Antibiotics may reduce bacterial load temporarily
• Without MMC restoration, relapse is expected
This is why many patients feel better briefly, then regress.
At iBiome, this isn’t considered failure. It’s incomplete physiology
🌱 The iBiome Philosophy: Restore Rhythm, Not Control
We approach MMC care as part of terrain restoration, not a checklist.
That means assessing: • nervous system state • bile flow • mineral status (especially magnesium) • gut inflammation • microbial fermentation patterns • mitochondrial energy availability
Only then do we decide how to support motility….and this is different with each patient!
🧪 Why Testing Still Matters. This is where functional testing becomes invaluable.
Breath testing can suggest fermentation patterns, but stool testing explains why motility failed in the first place.
At iBiome, patterns we often see alongside MMC dysfunction include:
• low sIgA (immune exhaustion) • low SCFAs (poor microbial signaling) • fungal overgrowth • bile acid imbalance • elevated ammonia or inflammatory metabolites
Motility doesn’t fail in isolation. It fails in context.
✨ A New Year Takeaway
As we step into the New Year, it’s tempting to look for a new protocol, a reset, or a more aggressive plan. But gut healing doesn’t respond to force, it responds to rhythm.
SIBO, bloating, and chronic digestive symptoms aren’t signs that your body is failing. They’re signals that your system has been stuck in defense mode for too long.
The Migrating Motor Complex doesn’t turn on when you push harder. It turns on when the body feels safe, nourished, and supported.
This year, the goal isn’t more restriction. It’s restoring communication between your nervous system, digestion, and microbiome.
Flow over force. Rhythm over rigidity. Support over suppression.
That’s how long-term gut health is built.
Here’s to a steadier, more supported New Year,
Rita Wadhwani, MSN, RN, ACNP, CNS
iBiome Health & Wellness, PMC
TELEPHONE: 818 634 4202 | FAX: 213 619 0555
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*Disclaimer: The content shared by iBiome Health & Wellness, P.M.C. is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information provided reflects the clinical and functional-medicine perspective of Rita Wadhwani, MSN, RN, ACNP, CNS and the iBiome team, and should be used to support, not replace the guidance of your licensed healthcare provider.
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