Probiotic Blend of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. Lactis BB-12 in Non-constipated Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.
- 2025-11-18
- Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology 41(1)
- Uday C Ghoshal
- B S Ramakrishna
- Pravin M Rathi
- Akash Shukla
- Manas Kumar Panigrahi
- Shubham Jain
- Indraneel Saha
- Karmabir Chakravartty
- Madhuri Singh
- Uzma Mustafa
- Shikha Sahu
- Ujjala Ghoshal
- Sanjay Chandnani
- Mahesh K Goenka
- Monjori Mitra
- PubMed: 41255078
- DOI: 10.1111/jgh.70137
Background
As dysregulated gut microbiota is known in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and probiotics may improve it, we investigated the efficacy and safety of a combination probiotic, Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB-12 in non-constipated IBS.Methods
Two hundred non-constipated IBS patients were randomized to the above-mentioned probiotic and placebo for 84 days. The outcome measures included IBS-Global Improvement Scale (IBS-GIS), IBS-Quality of Life (IBS-QoL), EAR3Q, IBS-Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS), and patient-reported improvement. Fecal microbiota was evaluated in a subset.Results
Response in IBS-GIS was higher with probiotics than with placebo at days 28 (19.3% vs. 8.9%; p = 0.048), 56, and 84. Total and abdominal pain, distension, and QoL scores of IBS-SSS decreased at day 28 with probiotics that persisted till days 56 and 84. The percentage of patients with "severe" symptoms reduced from 20.8% at baseline to 3.9% at day 84, and the median IBS-QoL score decreased significantly at day 28; the beneficial effect on QoL was sustained till days 56 and 84 (p < 0.001). Improvement in abdominal pain, distension, urgency of defecation, bowel habit satisfaction, and stool frequency was noted earlier with probiotics than with placebo; 4.0% in the probiotic group and 0.9% in the placebo group had mild/moderate adverse events (p = 0.167). Symptom recurrence occurred in 3.0% in the probiotic group and 3.9% in the placebo group during follow-up of 180 days (p = 0.718). No difference was observed in the fecal microbiota between the two groups, but healthy genera were enriched with probiotics.Conclusions
The probiotic blend studied was more effective than placebo in non-constipated IBS in adults.Research Insights
| Supplement | Health Outcome | Effect Type | Effect Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Improved Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms | Beneficial | Moderate |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Improved Quality of Life | Beneficial | Moderate |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | No Change in Fecal Microbiota Overall | Neutral | Small |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | No Increase in Adverse Effects | Neutral | Small |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | No Significant Changes in Global Fecal Microbiota Profile | Neutral | Small |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Reduced Incidence of Adverse Events | Neutral | Small |
| Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 | Reduced Symptom Severity | Beneficial | Moderate |