ACG hears strong data for probiotics in IBS

Several studies presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's 2008 annual meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, highlighted the safety and efficacy of probiotics in improving symptoms and normalizing bowel movement frequency in patients suffering from constipation or diarrhea related to irritable bowel syndrome.

A systematic review of the efficacy of probiotics in IBS that included 19 randomized controlled trials in 1,628 IBS patients found that "probiotics are effective in IBS, but we do not have enough information to be sure whether there is one probiotic that is particularly effective or whether combinations of probiotics are required," according to lead study author Paul Moayyedi.

In another study presented at the ACG conference, a multi-strain probiotic administered daily for 28 days normalized bowel habits in IBS patients compared to those who received the placebo.