Saccharomyces boulardii and Reduced Diarrhea Rate

Research synthesisLow evidenceSmall effect3 studies · 3 beneficial · 0 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 3 studies, all reported beneficial small-to-moderate effects of Saccharomyces boulardii on reducing diarrhea rates, with 3 of 3 showing statistically significant findings. The most-studied population appears to be children with acute diarrhea and adults with SIBO, with doses ranging from 500 mg twice daily to unspecified amounts. Effects were predominantly small, and the median study duration was 35 days.

Effective dose range: 500 mg twice daily
Studied populations: Children aged 6 months to 5 years with acute diarrhea; patients with SIBO associated with long-term PPI use

Caveats: Evidence base is small (only 3 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. Available evidence is overwhelmingly positive — clinical literature in this area is subject to publication bias (null-result studies are less likely to be published or indexed). One study lacked dose and duration details, and another had a small sample size (108) and focused on a specific clinical population.

Generated Jun 9, 2026

Doses used in studies

mg/day: 1,000 (median 1,000, IQR 1,000–1,000) — 1 study

Time to effect

Median: 5 weeks · IQR 5 weeks–5 weeks · Range 5 weeks–5 weeks — Reported in 1 of 3 studies

Safety in these studies

Overall tolerabilityReported
Both probiotics showed improvement in secondary outcomes and were well-tolerated.
from: Randomized, direct comparison study of Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 versus multi-str
Overall tolerabilityReported
S. boulardii CNCM I-745 being considered a safe probiotic for use in children and adults also finds recommendations in several international guidelines for the management of acute diarrhea.
from: Unique Properties of Yeast Probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745: A Narrative Revie

3 of 3 papersPopulation:

Randomized, direct comparison study of Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 versus multi-strained Bacillus clausii probiotics for the treatment of pediatric acute gastroenteritis
- 2022-09-09
- RCT · n = 317
- Medicine 101(36)
- - J. Altcheh
  - Mabel V. Carosella
  - A. Ceballos
  - Ulises D’Andrea
  - Sandra M. Jofre
  - Carolina R. Marotta
  - Domingo Mugeri
  - Liliana Sabbaj
  - A. Soto
  - C. Josse
  - F. Montestruc
  - L. Mcfarland
- PubMed: 36086703
- DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000030500
7 Insights on
- Reduced Diarrhea Rate
- High evidence
- Large Human Trial
S boulardii CNCM I-745 showed a significant reduction (P = .04) in the mean duration of diarrhea (64.6 hours, 95% confidence interval [CI] 56.5-72.8) compared to those given B clausii (78.0 hours, 95% CI 69.9-86.1).
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes
Dose
not stated
[Study on the efficacy of combination therapy with rifaximin and Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 in patients with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth associated with long-term use of proton pump inhibitors].
- 2025-08-28
- RCT · n = 108
- Terapevticheskii arkhiv 97(8)
- - I V Maev
  - D N Andreev
  - R I Shaburov
  - A V Zaborovsky
  - A K Fomenko
  - P S Sokolov
  - S V Tsaregorodtsev
  - M K Devkota
  - D T Dicheva
  - S V Cheremushkin
  - N V Cheremushkinа
  - A V Vychkin
- PubMed: 40884341
- DOI: 10.26442/00403660.2025.08.203301
7 Insights on
- Reduced Diarrhea Rate
- High evidence
- Large Human Trial
- Clinical
Statistically significant resolution of diarrhea was observed only in Group 2 (p = 0.033).
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes
Dose
500 mg twice daily
Unique Properties of Yeast Probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745: A Narrative Review.
- 2023-10-01
- Review
- Cureus 15(10)
- - Sarath Gopalan
  - Sridhar Ganapathy
  - Monjori Mitra
  - Neha
  - Devesh Kumar Joshi
  - Krishna C Veligandla
  - Rahul Rathod
  - Bhavesh P Kotak
- PubMed: 37927652
- DOI: 10.7759/cureus.46314
3 Insights on
- Reduced Diarrhea Rate
- Low evidence
In AAD patients, prophylactic use of S. boulardii has shown a significantly lower risk of AAD (in comparison to controls) and restored the diversity of gut microbiota.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes

Saccharomyces boulardii and Reduced Diarrhea Rate

Randomized, direct comparison study of Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 versus multi-strained Bacillus clausii probiotics for the treatment of pediatric acute gastroenteritis

[Study on the efficacy of combination therapy with rifaximin and Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 in patients with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth associated with long-term use of proton pump inhibitors].

Unique Properties of Yeast Probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745: A Narrative Review.