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Evidence-Based Supplement Research
Evidence-Based Supplement Research

Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and Reduced Abdominal Pain

Research synthesisHigh evidenceSmall effect13 studies · 11 beneficial · 2 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 13 studies, 11 reported beneficial effects of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 on reducing abdominal pain, with a predominant small effect size. The most commonly studied dose was 10^8 CFU/day, and effects were typically observed over 8 weeks (median study duration 56 days). Key populations include children with functional abdominal pain disorders and infants with colic.

  • Effective dose range: 10^8 CFU/day (range 10^8 to 4×10^8 CFU/day)
  • Studied populations: Children with functional abdominal pain disorders (including functional abdominal pain and IBS) and infants with colic

Caveats: Two high-quality RCTs found no significant benefit over placebo, suggesting the effect may be context-dependent. One study showed a large effect in infants using a combination with vitamin D, potentially confounding the result. Most evidence is in pediatric populations; applicability to adults is limited.

Generated Jul 21, 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
  • drops/day: 5 (median 5, IQR 55) 1 study
Time to effect
Median: 8 weeks · IQR 6 weeks2.8 months · Range 4 weeks4 months — Reported in 5 of 13 studies
Safety in these studies
13 of 13 papers
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