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Evidence-Based Supplement Research
Evidence-Based Supplement Research

Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and Reduced Abdominal Pain

Research synthesisModerate evidenceSmall effect12 studies · 10 beneficial · 2 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 12 studies, 10 reported beneficial effects of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 on reducing abdominal pain, with effect sizes predominantly small. Two high-quality RCTs in children with functional constipation found no significant benefit, suggesting condition specificity. The most common dose range was 10⁸–2×10⁸ CFU/day, and evidence primarily comes from pediatric populations (children with functional abdominal pain disorders and infants) with a median study duration of 7 weeks.

  • Effective dose range: 10⁸–2×10⁸ CFU/day
  • Studied populations: Children with functional abdominal pain disorders (including functional abdominal pain, IBS, and functional constipation) and infants with gastrointestinal intolerance.

Caveats: Two high-quality RCTs found no significant benefit for abdominal pain in children with functional constipation, indicating the effect may be condition-specific. Most studies were in pediatric populations; generalizability to adults is unknown. The evidence includes several reviews and observational studies; the strongest evidence comes from a few RCTs with moderate sample sizes. The high proportion of positive findings (10 of 12) raises the possibility of publication bias, though the two null studies are among the highest quality.

Generated Jun 20, 2026
Doses used in studies
  • CFU/day: 100 million–400 million (median 100 million, IQR 100 million175 million) 4 studies
  • CFU single-dose: 200 million (median 200 million, IQR 200 million200 million) 1 study
Time to effect
Median: 7 weeks · IQR 5.5 weeks10.3 weeks · Range 4 weeks4 months — Reported in 4 of 12 studies
Safety in these studies
12 of 12 papers
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