Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 and Reduced Abdominal Pain

Research synthesisModerate evidenceLarge effect3 studies · 3 beneficial · 0 neutral · 0 harmful

Across all 3 studies, Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 consistently shows beneficial effects on reducing abdominal pain, with predominantly large effect sizes. The evidence includes a large systematic review (n=9253) and two smaller randomized controlled trials in adults with IBS or functional gas and bloating. The most studied dose is approximately 2 × 10^9 CFU/day (2 billion spores/day), and effects are observed in clinical populations with IBS or functional bloating.

Effective dose range: 2 × 10^9 CFU/day (2 billion spores/day)
Studied populations: adults with IBS, adults with diarrhea-predominant IBS, adults with functional gas and bloating

Caveats: Evidence base is small (only 3 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. Available evidence is overwhelmingly positive — clinical literature in this area is subject to publication bias (null-result studies are less likely to be published or indexed). Study durations were not consistently reported, and one trial (n=36) had a very small sample size.

Generated Jun 12, 2026

Doses used in studies

CFU/day: 2 billion (median 2 billion, IQR 2 billion–2 billion) — 1 study
spores/day: 2 billion (median 2 billion, IQR 2 billion–2 billion) — 1 study

Safety in these studies

Overall tolerabilityReported
No adverse events or significant changes were observed in clinical parameters throughout the trial period.
from: The effects of Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 on functional gas and bloating in adults: A ra

3 of 3 papersPopulation:

Outcome-Specific Efficacy of Different Probiotic Strains and Mixtures in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.
- 2023-09-04
- Systematic Review · n = 9,253
- Nutrients 15(17)
- - Peiwei Xie
  - Mei Luo
  - Xuehong Deng
  - Jiahui Fan
  - Lishou Xiong
- PubMed: 37686889
- DOI: 10.3390/nu15173856
1 Insight on
- Reduced Abdominal Pain
- High evidence
- Rigorous Journal
Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 (SUCRA, 96.9%) and Bacillus coagulans Unique IS2 (SUCRA, 92.6%) were among the most effective probiotics for improving abdominal pain.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Significant
Yes
Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 supplementation in the management of diarrhea predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome: a double blind randomized placebo controlled pilot clinical study
- 2015-12
- RCT · n = 36
- Nutrition Journal 15(1)
- - M. Majeed
  - K. Nagabhushanam
  - Sankaran Natarajan
  - A. Sivakumar
  - Furqan Ali
  - A. Pande
  - Shaheen Majeed
  - S. K. Karri
- PubMed: 26922379
- DOI: 10.1186/s12937-016-0140-6
11 Insights on
- Reduced Abdominal Pain
- High evidence
- Highly Cited
- Clinical
There was a significant decrease in the clinical symptoms like bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and stool frequency in a patient group receiving B. coagulans MTCC 5856 when compared to placebo group (p < 0.01).
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Dose
2 × 10(9) cfu/day
The effects of Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 on functional gas and bloating in adults: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
- 2023-03-03
- RCT · n = 70
- Medicine 102(9)
- - M. Majeed
  - K. Nagabhushanam
  - Shaji Paulose
  - S. Arumugam
  - Lakshmi A Mundkur
- PubMed: 36862903
- DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000033109
13 Insights on
- Reduced Abdominal Pain
- High evidence
- Clinical
The GSRS indigestion scores changed significantly (P < .001) in the probiotic group (8.91-3.06; P < .001) compared to the placebo (9.42-8.43; P = .11).
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Significant
Yes
Dose
2 billion spores/day

Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 and Reduced Abdominal Pain

Outcome-Specific Efficacy of Different Probiotic Strains and Mixtures in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 supplementation in the management of diarrhea predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome: a double blind randomized placebo controlled pilot clinical study

The effects of Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 on functional gas and bloating in adults: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study