Testing shows a probiotic-based supplement does not help relieve constipation

An international team of gastroenterologists, gut microbiologists and health researchers has found via testing of volunteers that consumption of the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis, offers no measurable relief for people suffering from chronic constipation.

In their paper published in JAMA Network Open, the group describes how they tested the efficacy of Bifidobacterium animalis in patients at several hospitals who suffered from chronic constipation.

Prior research has shown that for some people, constipation can be more than an occasional minor nuisance; it can seriously disrupt daily life if it becomes chronic. Over the past several years, some supplement makers have begun claiming that their products, which typically contain probiotics, can help people suffering from occasional or chronic constipation.

Prior research has shown that most such products contain the probiotic, Bifidobacterium animalis, which the researchers on this new effort note, has not been proven to relieve constipation.

The claims behind the benefits of supplement makers who sell probiotics are generally based on the notion that some health problems are due to an intestinal microbe imbalance. By consuming their products, people can, they claim, rebalance their gut biome and be cured of their ailments.

Unfortunately, most supplements sold around the world are not controlled or even monitored by governmental health agencies, thus it is not known whether they offer the benefits claimed. In this new study, the researchers wanted to know if probiotic-based supplements sold as a means for finding relief from constipation work as advertised.

The work by the team involved giving more than 200 patients at several hospitals in China, either placebos or a dose of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis HN019 for eight weeks—all the volunteers had what the researchers describe as functional constipation. Each of the volunteers was asked to keep a diary to describe their bowel movements.

In studying the data in the diaries, the research team found no difference between constipation symptoms in those volunteers who were given the probiotic and those given the placebo—both groups saw a slight rise in complete, spontaneous bowel movements over the course of the study, likely the researchers suggest, a reaction to being in the test. They did find one difference, however—volunteers in the placebo group reported experiencing more bloating and pain.

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