2009 Review of probiotic trial research finds only Bifantis able to claim efficacy for IBS symptoms

"Commercially available probiotics such as VSL#3 or Flora-Q which are mixtures of several different bacterial species have been used for treating small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and IBS, but their effectiveness is not known.

Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 is the only probiotic that has been demonstrated to be effective for treating patients with IBS." -
www.medicinenet.com/irritable_bowel_syndrome/page6.htm

March 23, 2009 – A review by researchers at Northwestern University (Chicago, IL.) and University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) of the utility of probiotics in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) found that Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 was the only probiotic strain out of 13 different individual strains or preparations reviewed to significantly improve symptoms of IBS, including abdominal pain, bloating and bowel movement difficulty. Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 is marketed as Bifantis® and can be found in a daily probiotic supplement by Procter & Gamble. The researchers reviewed 16 random-controlled-studies, evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of probiotics in the treatment of IBS. With the exception of the Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 studies, researchers found the other trials did not use an appropriate study design and did not adequately report adverse events.

"Probiotics are gaining popularity for the treatment of multiple gastrointestinal disorders, including IBS," said Darren. M Brenner, MD, Division of Gastroenterology and Department of Internal Medicine, at Northwestern University and lead investigator of this study. "After assessment of the methodological and statistical designs of these studies, B. infantis 35624 was the only probiotic that showed repeated efficacy."

Clinical evidence and support for Bifantis continues to grow

Bifidobacterium infantis 35624, discovered in the early 1990s by microbiologists at Alimentary Health in Cork, Ireland in partnership with P&G, has been independently tested and evaluated in several clinical trials conducted with humans. This latest review provides continued clinical evidence of Bifantis efficacy in helping to manage a range of gastrointestinal issues including abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas and urgency. Bifantis efficacy data has been published or referenced in several medical journals, including the American Journal of Gastroenterology-2 , Gastroenterology-3 , New England Journal of Medicine-4 , Public Library of Science ( PLoS)-5 and Nutrition in Clinical Practice-6. Bifantis is found in the number one gastroenterologist recommended probiotic supplement in the United States-7 .

1. Am J Gastroenterology advance online publication, 10 March 2009; doi: 10.1038/ajg.2009.25

2. Whorwell PJ, Altringer I, Morel J, et al, Efficacy of an Encapsulated Probiotic Bifidobacterium Infantis 35624 in Women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Am. J Gastroenterology, 2006:101(7): 1581-1590

3. O'Mahony L, McCarthy J, Kelly P, et al, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Symptom Responses and Relationships to Cytokine Profiles, Gastroenterology, 2005;128 (3): 541-551

4. E. A. Mayer, M.D., Irritable Bowel Syndrome; N Engl J Med 2008;358;1692-9

5. O'Mahony C, Scully P, O'Mahony D, Murphy S, O'Brien F, et al. (2008) Commensal-Induced Regulatory T Cells Mediate Protection against Pathogen-Stimulated NF-kB Activation. PLoS Pathog 4(8): e1000112. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000112

6. Arnold Wald and David Rakel; Behavioral and Complementary Approaches for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Nutrition In Clinical Practice; 2008:23 (3): 284 - 292

7. Among those who recommended a brand of probiotic in 2008, Wolters Kulwer survey, 2008

8. LadabaumU. Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Adv Stud Med 2004; 4(3):128-134; Drossman DA, Camilleri M, Mayer EA, Whitehead WE. AGA Technical Review of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Gastroenterolgy 2002;123:2108-2131; Johns Hopkins Resource Center, Digestive Diseases Library. Monograph on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (2004). www.hopkins-gi.org
foodconsumer.org/7777/8888/F_ood_C_hemicals_37/Review_of_probiotic_trial_research_finds_only_Bifantis_able_to_claim_efficacy_for_IBS_symptoms.shtml

Medz, do you not understand that IBS and IBD are NOT the same thing?
IBS=Irritable bowel syndrome
IBD=Inflammatory bowel disease (UC and CD are forms of IBD)

Figure that out before you keep trying to prove everyone else wrong.

If you want to talk about IBS, there's a forum for that too!

Ta-Ta!

So what that I only have one post? I know the difference between IBS and IBD, where you clearly don't.

If you knew the difference between IBS and IBD, you'd see that VSL3# is very much proven, as you seem to not believe. Do a PubMed literature search with "IBD and probiotics," or "VSL#3 and UC" or other similar terms, you'd find many studies showing effectiveness of VSL#3 (and other probiotics) in treating UC.

 

I have. And that's why I know that VSL#3 has been proven, through very well-designed studies, to be effective in treating UC.

You seem to not understand that nobody disagrees with you that bifantis works on IBS; it's that you refuse to believe that VSL#3 is proven to work on UC. But so long as you keep searching "VSL#3 and IBS" you probably won't find anything.

So, can you please tell me if you understand that IBS is different from UC/IBD?

I think Dr Ohhira's contains that probiotic. I tried it. It was expensive and it didn't help. I actually went into a big flare while I was on this probiotic. Not saying it was related, because I don't think it was, just saying it didn't do anything to keep me out of a flare.

Here is the site for Ohhira's if anyone is interested:

http://www.probioticsforlife.info/

Post Edited (notsosicklygirl) : 9/10/2010 4:32:17 PM (GMT-6)

And why can't they BOTH(probiotics that are being argued about) be good?

You guys are my entertainment tonight ;)

Do these count? Just a few of many I found about the efficacy of probiotics and IBS, as well as UC...different diseases.

CONCLUSIONS: VSL#3 is safe and more effective than placebo in ameliorating symptoms and improving the quality of life in children affected by IBS:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20453678  

CONCLUSIONS: VSL#3 is safe and effective in achieving clinical responses and remissions in patients with mild-to-moderately active UC:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19631292

CONCLUSIONS: Composite probiotics containing Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4, Lactobacillus acidophilus AD031, and other species are safe and effective, especially in patients who excrete normal or loose stools.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20431731

good thing my Ultimate Flora Critical Care is primarily bifido biotics. Medz, I think your posts would be more well received if you weren't so rude. Calling someone else a newb, when you just registered in May is like the pot calling the kettle black. Have you been lurking for long? When exactly were you diagnosed with UC? What do you take for meds, out of curiosity? Are they helping much? Aside from proving the probiotic point, it'd be nice to hear about your personal experiences with your treatment regime, symptoms, etc.

Judy- ditto that. I had to try a few different ones before I settled on a probiotic that worked for me. I can tell when I miss a dose, or two. If it helps you, use it. If I only considered frontline "research" as a basis, (or only followed my doctors' ramblings that diet change/natural supplements could not possibly have any affect on my UC symptoms), I'd still be sick. Sometimes, ya just have to take your health into your own hands and do what works for "you".

Medz, this sub-forum is for Ulcerative Colitis. Please stop posting irrelevant information. Are you some kind of spammer with a financial stake in Align/Bifantis or something? I think the mods should give you a warning and then ban you if you don't stop. This kind of forum is no place for trolls as most of us are dealing with a serious illness and don't need this kind of distraction.

Actually, there are a number of enterobacteria which are patented by various food, pharmaceutical or supplement manufacturers. Probiotics are becoming big business, meaning big profits, so there will be a lot of new research coming up.

I'm not of the "drug companies are only interested in keeping us sick so they can make money" persuasion, but companies rarely fund research that doesn't deal with some product they do or hope to produce. I'm very selective about what "supplements" I take because I believe a lot of them only relieve us of our money, but some of them help some people.

Eva Lou said...
When exactly were you diagnosed with UC? What do you take for meds, out of curiosity? Are they helping much?

Like Joylu, Align put me into remission, it's all in my sig.

Most physicians agree that symptoms of IBS can occur in patients with IBD, which is why they prescribe Bentyl for IBD problems, and many posters in this UC forum have confirmed how effective it is for our symptoms.

kim123 said...
.... Huh???

Three years between "promising" in 2006 and "effectiveness is not known." in 2009, likely due to lack of evidential studies.