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Probiotic LP299V Could Help Patients With Irritable Bowel

The probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum 299V (LP299V) appears to have a beneficial effect on patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

But, further studies are still necessary to establish its place in the IBS treatment, Polish researchers suggest.

They assessed the efficacy of L. plantarum by randomising 40 IBS patients to four weeks of therapy either with the probiotic (20 patients) or placebo (20 patients). They examined the patients at baseline and again at the end of the study.

Participants also assessed their own symptoms using a scoring system.

"All patients treated with LP299V reported resolution of their abdominal pain as compared to 11 patients from the placebo group," report researchers from M. Curie Regional Hospital and the Pomeranian Academy of Medicine in Szczecin.

"There was also a trend toward normalisation of stool frequency in constipated patients in six out of 10 patients treated with LP299V, compared to two out of 11 treated with placebo."

The investigators point out that 95 percent of the LP299V patients said they improved on all IBS symptoms. Only 15 percent of placebo patients said their IBS symptoms were better overall.

"Further studies on larger cohorts of patients and with longer duration of therapy are required in order to establish the place of L. plantarum in the treatment of IBS," the researchers concluded.
European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 2001; 13: 1143-1147. "A controlled, double-blind, randomized study on the efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum 299V in patients with irritable bowel syndrome"

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