Lactobacillus plantarum 299v and Reduced Abdominal Pain

Research synthesisVery low evidenceMixed effect size3 studies · 2 beneficial · 1 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 3 studies on Lactobacillus plantarum 299v for reduced abdominal pain, 2 reported beneficial effects (moderate to large) and 1 found no significant difference. The evidence is preliminary and mixed — the beneficial studies were a non-interventional observational trial and a review, while the sole randomized controlled trial (n=190) showed a neutral, non-significant effect.

Effective dose range: 1 × 10^10 CFU/day (based on one observational study)
Studied populations: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients

Caveats: Evidence base is small (only 3 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. The only RCT available (n=190) reported no significant difference in abdominal pain, conflicting with the observational and review findings. The beneficial effects come from lower-quality study designs (observational and review), limiting certainty.

Generated May 12, 2026

Doses used in studies

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

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 papers

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
- Reduced Abdominal Pain
- 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
[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
- Reduced Abdominal Pain
- High evidence
abdominal pain (H: -51%)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Significant
Yes
Dose
1 capsule/day; 1×10^10 CFU
The role of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v in supporting treatment of selected diseases.
- 2021-01-25
- Review
- Central-European journal of immunology 45(4)
- - Karolina Kaźmierczak-Siedlecka
  - Agnieszka Daca
  - Marcin Folwarski
  - Jacek M Witkowski
  - Ewa Bryl
  - Wojciech Makarewicz
- PubMed: 33613097
- DOI: 10.5114/ceji.2020.101515
11 Insights on
- Reduced Abdominal Pain
- Low evidence
The intake of L. plantarum 299v provides benefits for IBS patients, mainly due to normalization of stool and relief of abdominal pain
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes

Lactobacillus plantarum 299v and Reduced Abdominal Pain

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

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

The role of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v in supporting treatment of selected diseases.