Bifidobacterium plantarum and Reduced Inflammation

Research synthesisLow evidenceModerate effect8 studies · 7 beneficial · 1 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 8 studies, 7 reported beneficial effects (primarily moderate-sized) on reducing inflammation, while 1 was neutral. The only statistically significant finding came from a meta-analysis in athletes (n=413) showing a moderate reduction in TNF-α (ES=-0.59, p=0.001). Most evidence is from reviews and animal studies; human data are limited to specific populations.

Studied populations: athletes

Caveats: Only one meta-analysis (in athletes) provided statistically significant evidence; the remainder are reviews or animal studies with low evidence scores. Human trials in other populations (e.g., ALD, CKD, psoriasis) are small or nonsignificant. The single neutral study had a small sample (n=12).

Generated May 11, 2026

9 of 9 papers

Effects of probiotic supplementation on immune and inflammatory markers in athletes: an umbrella review and re-analysis of published meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials.
- 2026-02-26
- Meta-Analysis · n = 413
- PeerJ 14
- - Lei Chen
  - Aichun Li
  - Wenhao Chen
  - Junlai Zhou
  - Yujia Kou
- PubMed: 41773190
- DOI: 10.7717/peerj.20809
9 Insights on
- Reduced Inflammation
- High evidence
- Rigorous Journal
Probiotic supplementation significantly reduced levels of the pro-inflammatory marker TNF-α (Effect Size (ES) = -0.59, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [-0.94 to -0.24], P = 0.001).
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Effects of probiotics on liver function, inflammation, and gut microbiota in alcoholic liver injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- 2025-12-19
- Systematic Review · n = 12
- Frontiers in nutrition 12
- - Mohamed J Saadh
  - Zahraa Sabah Ghnim
  - Morug Salih Mahdi
  - Vimal Arora
  - M M Rekha
  - Ashish Sharma
  - Bhanu Juneja
  - Zafar Aminov
  - Waam Mohammed Taher
  - Mariem Alwan
  - Mahmood Jasem Jawad
  - Atheer Khdyair Hamad
- PubMed: 41487669
- DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1717393
7 Insights on
- Reduced Inflammation
- High evidence
Probiotics did not significantly affect LPS, TNF-α, IL-1β, or IL-6, and IL-10.
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
Overview of the immunomodulatory role of bacterial probiotic-derived peptidoglycan: from molecular insights to therapeutic application.
- 2026-02-26
- Review
- Frontiers in microbiology 17
- - Omer Qutaiba B Allela
  - Abdulkareem Shareef
  - Hayder Naji Sameer
  - Ahmed Yaseen
  - Zainab H Athab
  - Mohaned Adil
- PubMed: 41834851
- DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1761985
8 Insights on
- Reduced Inflammation
- Low evidence
the context-dependent immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory functions of peptidoglycan
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Multispecies Probiotic Supplementation in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): Insights From Indian Nephrology Experts.
- 2026-01-28
- Review
- Cureus 18(1)
- - Pankaj Beniwal
  - Manish Singla
  - Deba Prasad Kar
  - Vinant Bhargava
  - Naman Chandra
  - D K Sinha
  - Vivek Ruhela
  - Rathan Jha
  - Rajesh Joseph
  - Vishnu Rs
  - Nitin Bhosle
  - Kapil Mehta
  - Sarita Bajpai
- PubMed: 41769608
- DOI: 10.7759/cureus.102520
6 Insights on
- Reduced Inflammation
- Low evidence
strengthen the intestinal barrier integrity, modulate the immune system, and mitigate systemic inflammation
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Efficacy of Probiotic Supplementation in the Management of Psoriasis: A Systematic Review.
- 2025-12-01
- Review
- Cureus 17(12)
- - Muhammad Waqas
  - Inzamam Sarwar
- PubMed: 41487796
- DOI: 10.7759/cureus.98265
4 Insights on
- Reduced Inflammation
- Low evidence
Several included studies also reported improvements in inflammatory biomarkers and gut microbiota composition, which were narratively presented in this review.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Postbiotics: Multifunctional Microbial Products Transforming Animal Health and Performance.
- 2025-12-12
- Review
- Veterinary sciences 12(12)
- - Sahdeo Prasad
  - Bhaumik Patel
  - Prafulla Kumar
  - Rajiv Lall
- PubMed: 41472171
- DOI: 10.3390/vetsci12121191
13 Insights on
- Reduced Inflammation
- Low evidence
They also inhibit pro-inflammatory molecules like TNF-α and IL-6, while enhancing the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Ca360 Promotes Oral Iron Repletion, Alters the Gut Microbiota, and Regulates Host Metabolism and Inflammatory Status in a Murine Model of Iron Deficiency Anemia Caused by a Low-Iron Diet.
- 2026-03-12
- Nutrients 18(6)
- - Peiqing Jiang
  - Jing Yang
  - Yuejian Mao
  - Linjun Wu
  - Xiaoqiong Li
  - Xiangyu Bian
  - Jian Kuang
  - Jianqiang Li
  - Fangshu Shi
  - Xiaoqiang Han
  - Jinjun Li
  - Haibiao Sun
- PubMed: 41901074
- DOI: 10.3390/nu18060900
5 Insights on
- Reduced Inflammation
- Low evidence
- Rigorous Journal
- Animal Study
the combined intervention more effectively improved hematological parameters... and alleviated hepatic inflammation.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Modulation of gut-heart axis by synbiotic (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum M10 and Isomaltose) in high cholesterol diet induced atherosclerotic murine model.
- 2026-02-20
- BMC microbiology 26(1)
- - Siloni Patial
  - Khem Raj
  - Geeta Shukla
- PubMed: 41721244
- DOI: 10.1186/s12866-026-04840-z
11 Insights on
- Reduced Inflammation
- Low evidence
downregulated NF-κβ expression, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α), reduced MCP-1 and ICAM-1, and elevated IL-10 levels
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Bifidobacterium longum P77 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P72 and Their Mix-Live or Heat-Treated-Mitigate Sleeplessness and Depression in Mice: Involvement of Serotonergic and GABAergic Systems.
- 2025-10-03
- Cells 14(19)
- - Ji-Su Baek
  - Xiaoyang Ma
  - Hee-Seo Park
  - Dong-Yun Lee
  - Dong-Hyun Kim
- PubMed: 41090775
- DOI: 10.3390/cells14191547
8 Insights on
- Reduced Inflammation
- Low evidence
B. longum P77 reduced immobilization stress-induced corticosterone, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-6 expression... [and] decreased TNF-α and IL-6 expression and increased IL-10 expression in the colon.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate