How Probiotics Can Help Fight irritable bowel syndrome
Probiotics are a topic at present, especially for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
IBS is a disease that causes abdominal pain and changes in intestinal habits.
Many people take probiotics in hopes of balancing out their intestinal bacteria that will improve their symptoms.
This article looks at recent research on probiotics for IBS, including specific strains and symptoms.
What is IBS?
Sensitive bowel syndrome is a chronic disease characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort, as well as bloating, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea ( 1 ).
It affects 7-21% of people worldwide (and the difference is three times more common in women than men in the West, although not as large as in Asia 1 , 2 , ).
The exact causes of IBS are not known. However, some of the suggested causes include changes in digestive motility, infections, brain-intestinal interactions, bacterial growth, food sensitivities, carbohydrate malabsorption, and intestinal inflammation ( 4 ).
Eating certain foods can trigger symptoms and stress can make them worse ( 5 ).
IBS diagnosed when abdominal pain at least one day a week for three months, also at least two of the following symptoms: pain related to a bowel movement, a change in feces or a change in stool appearance ( ).
In addition, there are four subtypes of IBS often related to the type of bowel movement experienced ( ):
IBS-D: Diarrhea dominant
IBS-C: predominance of constipation
IBS-M: Wavy between diarrhea and constipation
IBS-U: For unspecified people who do not fit into one of the above categories
Another subtype, known as “post-infectious” IBS, has also been proposed for people who may develop an infection following illness. This subtype may refer to as many as 25% of IBS patients ( ).
Treatments for all subtypes include medication, diet and lifestyle improvements FODMAPs and lactose elimination and the use of probiotics ( ).
FODMAPs are poorly digested types of carbohydrate molecules that are naturally found in many foods. They can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, such as gas and bloating, which can deepen IBS.
Summary Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic disease characterized by abdominal pain and changes in bowel movements. Its causes are not yet fully understood but may be related to brain-intestinal interactions, bacterial overgrowth, infection, inflammation and susceptibility.
What are Probiotics?
Your digestive system is intertwined with beneficial bacteria known as intestinal flora and they play a critical role in your health ( 8 ).
However, for several reasons the intestinal flora may sometimes get thrown in the balance allowing harmful bacteria to multiply ( ).
Probiotics are live bacteria or yeast found in foods and supplements. They are similar in safe natural intestinal flora and provide health benefits ( 8 ).
People can use it to promote a healthy and balanced intestinal flora. It can provide a range of health benefits , for example, supporting weight loss, improving heart health, improving digestion and enhancing the immune system ( 8 , ).
Some common probiotic foods include yogurt, sauerkraut, tempe, kimchi and other fermented foods.
In addition, commonly found probiotic species include Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium ( 8 ) .
Summary Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that people can consume to support and help balance the natural bacteria in the body. Common sources include yogurt, fermented foods and supplements.
How Do Probiotics Work With IBS?
Recent research on how probiotics can be used to treat and manage IBS has explored a significant amount.
IBS symptoms have been linked to certain changes in intestinal flora. For example, IBS carriers have a smaller amount of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in the intestines and have harmful high levels of Streptococcus, E. coli and Clostridium ( , ).
In addition, up to 84% of IBS patients experience excessive bacterial growth in their small intestine, which can cause most of their symptoms ( ).
However, it is unclear whether this change is the cause or result of IBS. In addition, some drugs used to treat IBS symptoms can damage healthy bacteria (living in the intestines). , ).
Changes in the intestinal flora may affect IBS symptoms by increasing inflammation, increasing sensitivity to gas in the intestine, reducing digestive motility, immune function, and changing ( , 11 ).
It has been suggested by probiotics to improve symptoms ( ):
inhibiting the development of disease-causing bacteria
Improving the barrier functions of the immune system
Helping fight inflammation
slowing down bowel movements
reduce gas production by balancing the intestinal flora
Accumulation of gas reduce the sensitivity of the intestine
However, not all probiotics are alike. In fact, the term iyotik probiotic kaps encompasses many different strains and species of bacteria and yeasts. Their health effects vary depending on the type.
Summary Gut flora imbalances may contribute to the symptoms of IBS. Probiotics help maintain the balance of a number of ways, including inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria, reducing inflammation and slowing down the digestive tract.
Probiotics Develop IBS Symptoms?
A comprehensive 2016 review concluded that it is unclear how effective probiotics are in the treatment of IBS. It is mentioned in the lack of small working sizes and consistent data ( 11 ).
However, a number of studies have shown that certain probiotics may have the potential to target specific symptoms. Probiotics from Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces families have shown particular promise ( , 11 ).
General Symptom Improvement
In a review by the British Dietitians Association (BDA), 29 studies evaluated overall symptom improvements and showed a positive result for 10 different probiotics (14 of them ).
For example, one study treated 214 IBS patients with probiotics , L. plantarum 299v . After four weeks, 78% of patients scored probiotics as good or excellent for improving symptoms, especially for pain and bloating ( ).
These findings were supported in another study in Poland. However, two other small studies of the same probiotic strain did not find a positive effect ( 13 , 14 , 15 ).
The German study of probiotic fluid of the two strains known as Pro-Symbioflor also yielded promising results. In this study, 297 patients were treated for eight weeks and experienced a 50% decrease in general symptoms, including abdominal pain ( 16 ).
Meanwhile, Symprove 186 patients in the UK were tested probiotics of four strains. This procedure was found to reduce the severity of general symptoms after 12 weeks ( 17 ).
Bifidobacterium infantis 35,624 capsules have also been shown to reduce pain, bloating and problems with marginal IBS all lower intestinal habits ( ).
While some of these results are promising, there is some inconsistency between studies. Also most strains have a study showing their effectiveness only. Therefore, further research is required to verify the results.
Summary Preliminary research has found 10 probiotic strains that can help improve the overall symptoms of IBS. However, the results have been inconsistent and most strains have only one small study behind them. Further research is required.
Abdominal pain
Abdominal pain is one of the key symptoms of IBS. It is usually lower or located in the whole abdomen and is eliminated after a bowel movement ( 18 ).
Seven types of probiotics have been associated with improvements in abdominal pain symptoms ( 11 ).
Strain L. plantarum, when compared with placebo, was found to reduce frequency and severity of abdominal pain ( ).
In one study, yeast was examined , S. cerevisiae is also known as Lesaffre. After eight weeks of treatment, 63% of the people in the test group and 47% of the people in the placebo group reported significant reductions in pain ( 19 ).
In another study, participants drank a probiotic solution consisting of B. bifidum, B. lactis, L. acidophilus and L. casei for eight weeks. Their pain was reduced by 64% and 38% in the probiotic group in the placebo group. ).
While this research is positive, the vast majority of studies on probiotics have not found a beneficial effect on pain. Further studies are required to confirm findings for these strains.
It is also interesting to note how much effect the placebo effect seemed to have in these studies. The effect of placebo is when people only take placebo or even experience a positive effect during a study. This is commonly observed in IBS research ( 21 ).
Summary Abdominal pain is the primary symptom of IBS. Seven probiotic strains have been found to help reduce pain. However, further research is required to verify the results.
Bloating and Gas
Excessive gas formation and increased sensitivity makes uncomfortable bloating and gas in IBS ( 22 ).
In a 2016 BDA review, only two studies found that probiotics specifically reduced bloating, and the only one they found was reduced gas ( 11 ).
Strain L. plantarum was found to reduce the frequency and severity of bloating symptoms when compared with placebo (p. ).
Another study was L. plantarum in patients treated with a rose hip drink mixed with a fermented oatmeal soup . The test group decreased significantly in gas, and both the test and placebo groups experienced a decrease in abdominal pain ( 14 ).
An additional study identified four strains supplemented with IBS that reduced abdominal bloating after four weeks of supplemental therapy with B. lactis, L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, and S. thermophilus ( 23 ).
If excessive gas and bloating is the primary problem with IBS, then one of these probiotics can improve your symptoms. However, further studies are needed.
Summary strain L. plantarum has been identified to reduce both abdominal bloating and gas. Another mixed lineage supplementation also led to gas reductions. However, in general, few studies have shown that probiotic gas and bloating develop.
Diarrhea
Approximately 15% of IBS patients are the dominant form of diarrhea (experience 24 ).
Although there is not much research on infection-associated diarrhea probiotics, little is known about the effects of probiotics in noninfectious types such as IBS.
A probiotic known as Bacillus coagulans has been found to improve multiple symptoms, including diarrhea and stool frequency. However, studies to date have only been small so that more research is needed ( 25 , 26 ).
Probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii has also been investigated for the treatment of IBS with diarrhea predominantly. However, in one study, these intestinal habits improved and no other renewal found (diminished inflammation , 27 , 28 ).
Multiple strain probiotics known as VSL # 3 have been tested in IBS subjects and found to slow down the intestines and reduce gas. However, to study on people with IBS predominantly diarrhea, it was not found to improve bowel movements ( 29 , 30 ).
Another multi-strain probiotic called Duolac 7 has been tested in 50 patients for eight weeks. It was found that significantly improved stool consistency compared to the placebo group, and the symptoms had an overall improvement ( 31 ).
Overall, the use of probiotics is not very effective, as only a few small-scale studies have shown improvement, appear for the treatment of IBS and diarrhea.
Summary Although the use of probiotics in the treatment of infectious diarrhea is well documented, there is less evidence to be used in IBS diarrhea. B. coagulans and S. boulardii, as well as some very tension preparations, may have a positive effect, but further studies are needed.
Constipation
The most common form of IBS is constipation-dominant type, affecting almost half of all people with disease ( 24 ).
Constipation-dominated IBS studies have attempted to determine the frequency of intestinal movements of probiotics and alleviate associated symptoms.
In one study, participants gave two multiple strain probiotics, one containing L. acidophilus and L. reuteri and the other containing L. plantarum, L. ramnoz and L. lactis.
This probiotic treatment more often resulted in an improvement in bowel movements and consistency ( ).
In a study on children with IBS, treatment with probiotics B. lactis and prebiotic inulin reduced feelings of constipation, bloating and fullness. However, it should be noted that in some patients with IBS, inulin may worsen symptoms ( 11 , 33 ).
Furthermore, S. cerevisiae has been found to reduce the symptoms of swelling for pain and constipation predominant IBS. However, further studies are needed to verify this ( ).
While some of these results are promising, studies to date have been small as most of the other symptoms are discussed. There has not been enough research to confirm whether probiotics are really beneficial in people with constipation at IBS.
Summary Constipation is the predominant form of IBS. B. lactis, S. cerevisiae ' and some multiple strain probiotics have shown positive effects. However, further studies are needed.
Should You Take Probiotics If You Have IBS?
Despite some promising research, it is too early to make general recommendations regarding the use of probiotics for IBS.
While some strains have been shown to have benefits for one or two symptoms, the majority of probiotics are likely to cause improvements.
However, probiotics are safe and relatively inexpensive potential treatment option for IBS. We have also worked for some people, especially for those with certain symptoms.
If you are interested in trying a probiotic, there is an excellent choice on Amazon .
Here are some important tips when making your choice:
Choose evidence-based probiotics: Choose a probiotic that supports research
Choose a probiotic according to your symptoms: Choose the strains to work with your numbers
Take the right dose: use the dose recommended by the manufacturer
Stay loyal to uniform: Try a variety for at least four weeks and track your symptoms
Keep in mind that some probiotic symptoms contain ingredients that can make you worse. Such as oats, inulin, lactose, fructose, sorbitol and xylitol. Symptoms can be triggered by any of them, look for a probiotic that does not contain them.
By taking the time to choose a probiotic that best suits your needs, you can see that they are effective complementary treatments for IBS symptoms.
Even if you experience significant improvements, probiotics still offer other great health benefits and can be a valuable component of a healthy lifestyle.
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