Lactobacillus plantarum 299v and Improved Bowel Movement Frequency

Research synthesisLow evidenceSmall effect3 studies · 1 beneficial · 2 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 3 studies, 1 reported a beneficial small-sized effect of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v on bowel movement frequency, while 2 found no significant difference (neutral). The evidence is predominantly neutral with a small effect size. The most studied population is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients, and the median study duration was 28 days (based on 1 study). No clear dose range emerged as most studies did not report dosing.

Studied populations: irritable bowel syndrome patients

Caveats: Evidence base is small (only 3 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. Many of the included studies did not reach statistical significance — effect may be smaller than the predominant direction suggests. Two of the three studies were in IBS patients, so findings may not generalize to other populations.

Generated Jul 17, 2026

Doses used in studies

CFU/day: 10 billion (median 10 billion, IQR 10 billion–10 billion) — 1 study

Time to effect

Median: 4 weeks · IQR 4 weeks–4 weeks · Range 4 weeks–4 weeks — Reported in 1 of 3 studies

Safety in these studies

Overall tolerabilityReported
Self-assessment identified that long-term treatment with LP299V was tolerated well by 94 % of patients.
from: [Treatment of IBS with Lactobacillus plantarum 299v: Therapeutic success increases with le

3 of 3 papersPopulation:

Role of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v versus Placebo in symptomatic improvement of irritable bowel syndrome patients.
- 2022-02-03
- RCT · n = 190
- JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association 72(3)
- - Ahmad Nawaz Babar
  - Muhammad Kamran Hassan
  - Fazl Ullah
  - Anwar Ullah
- PubMed: 35320214
- DOI: 10.47391/jpma.0758
7 Insights on
- Improved Bowel Movement Frequency
- High evidence
- Large Human Trial
There was no significant difference in terms of relieving abdominal pain, bloating and rectal emptying between the groups (p>0.05).
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
A controlled, double-blind, randomized study on the efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum 299V in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
- 2001-10
- RCT · n = 20
- European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology 13(10)
- - K Niedzielin
  - H Kordecki
  - B Birkenfeld
- PubMed: 11711768
- DOI: 10.1097/00042737-200110000-00004
3 Insights on
- Improved Bowel Movement Frequency
- High evidence
- Highly Cited
- Clinical
There was also a trend towards normalization of stools frequency in constipated patients in six out of 10 patients treated with LP299V compared with two out of 11 treated with placebo (P = 0.17).
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
[Treatment of IBS with Lactobacillus plantarum 299v: Therapeutic success increases with length of treatment - real-life data of a non-interventional study in Germany].
- 2021-02
- Observational · n = 221
- Zeitschrift fur Gastroenterologie 59(02)
- - Heiner Krammer
  - Martin Storr
  - Ahmed Madisch
  - Julia Riffel
- PubMed: 33556972
- DOI: 10.1055/a-1340-0204
20 Insights on
- Improved Bowel Movement Frequency
- High evidence
significant reduction of severity (S) and frequency (H) of individual symptoms, such as abdominal pain (S: -67%, H: -51%), flatulence (S: -61%, H: -63%), diarrhea (S: -70%, H: -32%) and constipation (S: -79%, H: -6%) was observed.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes
Dose
1 capsule/day (1 × 10^10 CFU)

Lactobacillus plantarum 299v and Improved Bowel Movement Frequency

Role of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v versus Placebo in symptomatic improvement of irritable bowel syndrome patients.

A controlled, double-blind, randomized study on the efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum 299V in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

[Treatment of IBS with Lactobacillus plantarum 299v: Therapeutic success increases with length of treatment - real-life data of a non-interventional study in Germany].