saccharomyces boulardii and Reduced Diarrhea Rate

Research synthesisHigh evidenceModerate effect5 studies · 4 beneficial · 1 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 5 studies, 4 reported beneficial effects of Saccharomyces boulardii on reducing diarrhea rate, with effect sizes ranging from large to moderate (most commonly moderate). The fourth study found a neutral, non-significant effect. Beneficial effects were observed predominantly in children with acute diarrhea or gastroenteritis. Dosing was inconsistently reported; one study used 250 mg twice daily.

Studied populations: Children with acute diarrhea or gastroenteritis

Caveats: Study durations and specific doses were not consistently reported across studies. The neutral study was conducted in hospitalized adults, suggesting benefits may be population-specific and not generalize to all adults. Most beneficial evidence comes from pediatric populations.

Generated May 13, 2026

Doses used in studies

mg/day: 500–2,000 (median 1,250, IQR 875–1,625) — 2 studies

Safety in these studies

Overall tolerabilityReported
There were no discernable adverse effects of yeast administration.
from: Prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea by Saccharomyces boulardii: a prospective stu
Overall tolerabilityReported
There were no adverse drug reactions in both groups.
from: Effectiveness and Safety of Saccharomyces Boulardii for the Treatment of Acute Gastroenter
Overall tolerabilityReported
this review and meta-analysis show that S. boulardii is safe
from: Efficacy and Safety of Saccharomyces boulardii for Acute Diarrhea
Overall tolerabilityReported
The drug was well accepted and tolerated. There were no reports of the side effects during treatment period.
from: Role of a probiotic (Saccharomyces boulardii) in management and prevention of diarrhoea.

5 of 5 papers

Role of a probiotic (Saccharomyces boulardii) in management and prevention of diarrhoea.
- 2006-10-31
- RCT · n = 100
- World Journal of Gastroenterology 12(28)
- - AG Billoo
  - Ma Memon
  - S. Khaskheli
  - G. Murtaza
  - K. Iqbal
  - M. Shekhani
  - Ahson Siddiqi
- PubMed: 16874872
- DOI: 10.3748/WJG.V12.I28.4557
6 Insights on
- Reduced Diarrhea Rate
- High evidence
- Highly Cited
In the following two months, S. boulardii group had a significantly lower frequency of 0.54 episodes as compared to 1.08 episodes in control group.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Significant
Yes
Dose
250 mg twice daily
Prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea by Saccharomyces boulardii: a prospective study.
- 1989-04
- RCT · n = 180
- Gastroenterology 96(4)
- - C. Surawicz
  - G. Elmer
  - P. Speelman
  - LynneV. McFarland
  - J. Chinn
  - G. Belle
- PubMed: 2494098
- DOI: 10.1016/0016-5085(89)91613-2
4 Insights on
- Reduced Diarrhea Rate
- High evidence
- Highly Cited
Of C. difficile-positive patients, 31% (5/16) on placebo developed diarrhea compared with 9.4% (3/32) on S. boulardii; this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.07).
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
Dose
capsule form (dose not specified in abstract)
Efficacy and Safety of Saccharomyces boulardii for Acute Diarrhea
- 2014-07-01
- Systematic Review
- Pediatrics 134(1)
- - S. Feizizadeh
  - A. Salehi-abargouei
  - Vajihe Akbari
- PubMed: 24958586
- DOI: 10.1542/peds.2013-3950
5 Insights on
- Reduced Diarrhea Rate
- High evidence
- Highly Cited
day 4 (RR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.24 to 0.59) after intervention compared with control
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Effectiveness and Safety of Saccharomyces Boulardii for the Treatment of Acute Gastroenteritis in the Pediatric Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
- 2022-09-20
- Meta-Analysis
- Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine 2022
- - H. Fu
  - Jinrong Li
  - Xunhua Xu
  - Caihuai Xia
  - Yajuan Pan
- PubMed: 36176742
- DOI: 10.1155/2022/6234858
6 Insights on
- Reduced Diarrhea Rate
- High evidence
treatment with Saccharomyces boulardii reduced the average number of diarrhea after 3 days of treatment by about 1.03 (MD = -1.03, 95% CI: -1.53, -0.53)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Saccharomyces boulardii in acute childhood diarrhoea: a randomized, placebo‐controlled study
- 2007-03-22
- RCT
- Acta Paediatrica 96(4)
- - Gladys Villarruel
  - Daniel Rubio
  - F. Lopez
  - Julio Cintioni
  - Rubén Gurevech
  - G. Romero
  - Y. Vandenplas
- PubMed: 17306006
- DOI: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2007.00191.x
6 Insights on
- Reduced Diarrhea Rate
- High evidence
- Highly Cited
The mean duration of diarrhoea was 6.16 days (range 2-13 days) in the placebo group and 4.70 days (range 2-10 days) in the S. boulardii group (p<0.05).
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Dose
administered for 6 days (dose not specified in abstract)

saccharomyces boulardii and Reduced Diarrhea Rate

Role of a probiotic (Saccharomyces boulardii) in management and prevention of diarrhoea.

Prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea by Saccharomyces boulardii: a prospective study.

Efficacy and Safety of Saccharomyces boulardii for Acute Diarrhea

Effectiveness and Safety of Saccharomyces Boulardii for the Treatment of Acute Gastroenteritis in the Pediatric Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Saccharomyces boulardii in acute childhood diarrhoea: a randomized, placebo‐controlled study