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Randomized trial · measured the question itself

4-week trial in 242 adults with constipation found mixed results for a probiotic mix

Lai and colleagues · Gut microbes · 2023

Original title: Effects of dietary fibers or probiotics on functional constipation symptoms and roles of gut microbiota: a double-blinded randomized placebo trial.

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What the study found

Mixed

No group-by-time difference for bowel movement frequency, Bristol stool score or straining. Stool softness score rose 0.95-1.05 in the four active groups, not in placebo (P = 0.170); 4-week change was similar to the other active groups and better than placebo.

The study at a glance

Type of study
Randomized trial
Who or what was studied
242 people · 250 adults with long-term constipation (242 finished)
What was tested
Probiotic mix (Bifidobacterium animalis lactis HN019 plus Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HN001, with added oligosaccharides) vs placebo for 4 weeks; three fiber formulas were also tested
What it measured
The question itself: gut symptoms such as bloating, pain and irregular bowels
How long
4 weeks
Trial registration
NCT04667884
Who has a stake
Company stake
BYHEALTH Co., LTD supplied the fiber and probiotic products.
Journal
Gut microbes, 2023
Source
PubMed record 37078654. This page is based on the abstract only.

How much this study counts

  • ✓Randomized: people were put into groups by chance, so the groups start out alike.
  • ✓Compared with a placebo, a dummy treatment.
  • •Medium size: 242 people.
  • –Short: 4 weeks. Longer-term effects are unknown.
  • ✓Measured the question itself: gut symptoms such as bloating, pain and irregular bowels.
  • –Company stake: BYHEALTH Co., LTD supplied the fiber and probiotic products.
  • •Summarized from the PubMed abstract only. The full paper may hold details the abstract leaves out.

✓ Strength– Limit• Note

These points come from fixed rules about the type of study, its size and length, what it measured, and who has a stake. Every study on Digestery gets the same rules.

Where this study sits

Each dot is one on-topic paper on this question. Steps near the top answer the question more directly.

↑ Stronger evidence

  1. Trials in people: gut symptoms such as bloating and IBS

    9

    5 benefit, 2 mixed, 2 no difference

    ↑ This study is the ringed dot

  2. Trials in people: other measures

    10

    4 benefit, 2 mixed, 4 no difference

  3. Trials in people: lab tests or safety

    0

    None among the papers we read.

  4. Population studies

    0

    None among the papers we read.

  5. Blood levels and genes

    0

    None among the papers we read.

↓ Weaker evidence

  • Points to benefit
  • Mixed
  • No difference
  • No direction
  • Points to harm

How it fits with the other research

The short answer to “Do probiotics improve gut health?”

Some strains may help some symptoms.

Confidence: low. Based on 28 on-topic papers.

Read the full answer

Of the other 8 papers on the same step: 5 benefit, 1 mixed, 2 no difference. This one found mixed. It differs from most of them.

Other papers on the same step

See all 28 studies on this question

How this page was made

Label

First read of the abstract
Claude Sonnet
Independent second read
Claude Haiku
Differences settled
The two reads agreed on every checked field. Claude Opus 5.5.
Headline
Claude Sonnet, from the checked study record. A script checked its numbers and wording.
Numbers
Checked against the abstract by a script
“How much this study counts”
Fixed rules, the same for every study
Source check by a person
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