For people who are suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS for short, here’s some excellent news for you: the probiotic strain B. infantis shows promising results when it comes to normalizing the frequency of bowel movements in people who are suffering from constipation and diarrhea.
Just in case you don’t know, constipation and diarrhea are 2 ends of spectrum in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Probiotics, by the way, are viable micro organisms that have beneficial physiologic and even therapeutic effects and activities.
Probiotics is the subject of different analysis that are shown at the 70th Annual Scientific Meeting Of The American College for Gastroenterology. Different and recent studies have shown promising results in the role that probiotics play in treating IBS.
Together with his colleagues at the University Cork College in Ireland as well as University Of Manchester in UK, Dr. Eamonn Quigley showed results of a subset analysis concerning a trial of the strain B. infantis where 85 women suffering from IBS received the strain and 80 women taking placebo for 4 straight weeks.
According to the research, using B. infantis significantly normalized bowel movement in IBS patients (with diarrhea or constipation). It increased the bowel movements in constipated women while decreasing it for those who are suffering from diarrhea.
On the other hand, scientists and researchers at the Mayo Clinic conducted a meta analysis of different clinical trials involving probiotics and focusing especially on how it fights IBS. This meta analysis examined 7 randomized and controlled trials in their research.
The focus of the analysis is the improvement in the symptom of bloating. There is significant variation in the effect of different probiotics used in the study. In conclusion, YES, probiotics lead to modest improvement in bloating. HOWEVER, along with that, the researchers state that more and larger trials are needed to drive the point home.
Last BUT not the least, there is a team of investigators from the University Of Mexico who conducted a systematic review on the safety and efficacy of probiotics when treating IBS. Using 8 randomized clinical trials in adults, the group noted the large variation in the results of the studies that included only a small number of patients.
In conclusion, the group stated that different regimens involving probiotics could be useful for treating IBS. BUT larger trials are essential to confirm the findings found in the earlier studies and smaller studies analyzed by the team.
A Look At Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
For those of you who don’t know it, IBS is a functional gastro intestinal (GI for short) disorder which is identified by abdominal discomfort and pain together with an altered bowel habit. It could be constipation, diarrhea, or even both.
Well over 58 million people suffer from IBS. 80 percent of the people suffering from IBS are women. While this is a real medical condition, it is NOT life threatening and it will NOT lead to more serious conditions. HOWEVER, it is definitely something you don’t want to put up with for years!
BUT now, you don’t have to!
Not when there probiotics and probiotic supplements (especially those that contain B. infantis) that will help you cope up with this annoying and usually painful medical condition or disorder.
Why NOT have a look at some of the most respectable probiotics supplements out there? It’s an excellent first step NOT just in fighting IBS but in keeping your body healthy and excellent shape!