Clinical trial: Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) improves symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the symptomatic efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (L. plantarum 299v) (DSM 9843) for the relief of abdominal symptoms in a large subset of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients fulfilling the Rome III criteria.


METHODS
In this double blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-designed study, subjects were randomized to daily receive either one capsule of L. plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) or placebo for 4 wk. Frequency and intensity of abdominal pain, bloating and feeling of incomplete rectal emptying were assessed weekly on a visual analogue scale while stool frequency was calculated.


RESULTS
Two hundred and fourteen IBS patients were recruited. After 4 wk, both pain severity (0.68 + 0.53 vs 0.92 + 0.57, P < 0.05) and daily frequency (1.01 + 0.77 vs 1.71 + 0.93, P < 0.05) were lower with L. plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) than with placebo. Similar results were obtained for bloating. At week 4, 78.1 % of the patients scored the L. plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) symptomatic effect as excellent or good vs only 8.1 % for placebo (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
A 4-wk treatment with L. plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) provided effective symptom relief, particularly of abdominal pain and bloating, in IBS patients fulfilling the Rome III criteria.
Department of Gastroenterology (Inserm UMR-1073), Rouen University Hospital and Rouen University, 76031 Rouen Cedex, France. philippe.ducrotte@chu-rouen.fr
Philippe
P
Ducrotté
Prabha
P
Sawant
Venkataraman
V
Jayanthi
D000328:Adult; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D048191:Lactiplantibacillus plantarum; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019936:Probiotics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult