Effect of Multispecies Probiotic Supplementation on Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common, chronic and sometimes disabling functional disorder of the gastrointestinal system and its treatment remains as health problem. Thus the aim of this study was to evaluate the Effect of multispecies probiotic supplementation, as a novel and Controversial therapeutic method on Irritable bowel syndrome.

Materials and Methods: In this randomized double blind Placebo-controlled clinical trial, 60 patients with IBS were enrolled. The patients were divided randomly into two groups. Patients in intervention group received two 500 mg probiotic capsules (Familact®) and in control group, received two 500 mg placebo capsules daily for 30 consecutive days. The symptoms and quality of life were measured and compared at the beginning and just after the end of study for each case.

Results: Results showed the mean score of Abdominal pain after 1 month of treatment in the probiotic group was significantly lower than the control group (1.76 ± 2.04 vs. 2.88 ± 2.25, P=0.049, respectively). While, other symptoms and quality of life did not change significantly (P>0.05). Furthermore, defecation habit and global symptoms improvement was similar after intervention in both groups and we did not observe significant differences in these items (P>0.05).

Conclusion: The results of this study showed the beneficial effects of multispecies probiotic supplementation in controlling IBS patients’ abdominal pain. thus it can be prescribed as a therapeutic option in addition to standard therapy and significantly lead to better control of this symptom in the short term.