Men's Health Women's Health Senior's Health Antioxidants Sports Nutrition Diet & Weight Loss Vitamins & Minerals Herbs Specialty Supplements Targeted Supplements Spa Products Anti-Aging Basics Body Systems Body Structure Book Store Pet Health My Recommendation My Favorite Articles Our Most Popular Specials Bargain Basement Brands

MSM

Health News Archive 116 - Irritable Bowel Syndrome
<<back to structure/function index

Probiotic Normalizes Most IBS Symptoms

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare the response of symptoms and cytokine ratios in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with ingestion of probiotic preparations containing a lactobacillus or bifidobacterium strain.

METHODS: Seventy-seven people with IBS were asked to consume a malted drink every morning.  The drink contained the probiotics Lactabacillus salivarius, Bifidobacteria infantis 35624 or no bacteria at all.  The subjects consumed these beverages over a period of eight weeks.  The cardinal symptoms of IBS were recorded on a daily basis and assessed each week.

RESULTS: For all symptoms, with the exception of bowel movement frequency and consistency, those randomized to B infantis 35624 experienced a greater reduction in IBS symptom scores; composite and individual scores for abdominal pain/discomfort, bloating/distention, and bowel movement difficulty were significantly lower than for placebo for those randomized to B infantis 35624 for most weeks of the treatment phase. At baseline, patients with IBS demonstrated an abnormal IL-10/IL-12 ratio, indicative of a proinflammatory, Th-1 state. This ratio was normalized by B infantis 35624 feeding alone.

CONCLUSIONS: B infantis 35624 alleviates symptoms in IBS; this symptomatic response was associated with normalization of the ratio of an anti-inflammatory to a proinflammatory cytokine, suggesting an immune-modulating role for this organism, in this disorder.

SOURCE: O'Mahony L, McCarthy J, Kelly P, Hurley G, Luo F, Chen K, O'Sullivan GC, Kiely B, Collins JK, Shanahan F, Quigley EM. Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium in irritable bowel syndrome: symptom responses and relationship to cytokine profiles. Gastroenterology, March 2005;128(3):541-551.