Is Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 effective for pain relief? Evidence review
A user asks whether Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 reduces pain. The assistant reviews the evidence, citing a single RCT on lactational breast abscess patients showing no statistically significant benefit, concluding the evidence is weak and the effect is neutral.
Does Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 actually help reduce pain, or is the evidence pretty weak?
Based on the available research, the evidence for Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 reducing pain is quite weak.
What the data shows
Pillser's research database catalogs 1 study on this specific strain and pain outcomes1:
- Study type: Multi-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial (n=51)
- Context: Patients with lactational breast abscess undergoing needle aspiration
- Finding: 19.6% of the probiotic group experienced moderate-to-severe pain by day 5, versus 14.0% in the placebo group — a difference that was not statistically significant (p = 0.451)2.
The study's own conclusion describes the effect as neutral and non-significant. So far, no studies have shown a statistically significant benefit for pain reduction with this strain.
Verdict
Metric Result Total studies 1 Beneficial 0 Neutral 1 Harmful 0 The evidence base is limited to a single trial, and the result did not reach statistical significance. At present, there isn't enough reliable data to say that Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 helps reduce pain.
Footnotes
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Pillser research database, Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 and Reduced Pain ↩
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Pillser research page, Breast microecology improvement using probiotics following needle aspiration in patients with lactational breast abscess ↩