SynthesisAlimentary pharmacology & therapeutics2013
Systematic review: probiotics in the management of lower gastrointestinal symptoms in clinical practice -- an evidence-based international guide.
Synthesis in Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
85 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 209 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of oral synbiotics on the gut microbiota and inflammatory biomarkers in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Nutrition reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Fecal microbiota transplantation for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.World journal of gastroenterology · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of Probiotics on Inflammation and Uremic Toxins Among Patients on Dialysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2019Pooled it
- Systematic review: probiotics in the management of lower gastrointestinal symptoms - an updated evidence-based international consensus.Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2018Pooled it
- Choosing an appropriate probiotic product for your patient: An evidence-based practical guide.PloS one · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- PHAGE-2 Study: Supplemental Bacteriophages ExtendNutrients · 2020Trial
- Rifaximin is associated with modest, transient decreases in multiple taxa in the gut microbiota of patients with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.Gut microbes · 2019Trial
- A prospective, interventional, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Bacillus coagulans LBSC in the treatment of acute diarrhea with abdominal discomfort.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2019Trial
- Trial
- The effects of a multispecies probiotic on migraine and markers of intestinal permeability-results of a randomized placebo-controlled study.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2017Trial
- Irritable bowel syndrome symptom severity improves equally with probiotic and placebo.World journal of gastroenterology · 2016Trial
- A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial: The Efficacy of Multispecies Probiotic Supplementation in Alleviating Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Associated with Constipation.BioMed research international · 2016Trial
- Effect of the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, BB-12®, on defecation frequency in healthy subjects with low defecation frequency and abdominal discomfort: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial.The British journal of nutrition · 2015Trial
- Ehealth: low FODMAP diet vs Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in irritable bowel syndrome.World journal of gastroenterology · 2014Trial
- Commercially available probiotic drinks containing Lactobacillus casei DN-114001 reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea.World journal of gastroenterology · 2014Trial
- Clinical Guidance and Practical Recommendations for Probiotic Use in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Functional Constipation, andJournal of neurogastroenterology and motility · 2026Review
- Clinical guidance and practical recommendations for probiotic use in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, functional constipation, and Clostridioides difficile infection considering sex-based differences: a Korean translation.Ewha medical journal · 2026Article
- Survival and Impact on Microbial Diversity ofNutrients · 2025Article
- The Efficacy of Probiotics Supplementation on the Quality of Life of Patients with Gastrointestinal Disease: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies.Preventive nutrition and food science · 2024Review
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 10 institutions in 9 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEvidence suggests that the gut microbiota play an important role in gastrointestinal problems.
aimTo give clinicians a practical reference guide on the role of specified probiotics in managing particular lower gastrointestinal symptoms/problems by means of a systematic review-based consensus.
methodsSystematic literature searching identified randomised, placebo-controlled trials in adults; evidence for each symptom/problem was graded and statements developed (consensus process; 10-member panel). As results cannot be generalised between different probiotics, individual probiotics were identified for each statement.
resultsThirty seven studies were included; mostly on irritable bowel syndrome [IBS; 19 studies; treatment responder rates: 18-80% (specific probiotics), 5-50% (placebo)] or antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD; 10 studies). Statements with 100% agreement and 'high' evidence levels indicated that: (i) specific probiotics help reduce overall symptom burden and abdominal pain in some IBS patients; (ii) in patients receiving antibiotics/Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy, specified probiotics are helpful as adjuvants to prevent/reduce the duration/intensity of AAD; (iii) probiotics have favourable safety in patients in primary care. Items with 70-100% agreement and 'moderate' evidence were: (i) specific probiotics help relieve overall symptom burden in some patients with diarrhoea-predominant IBS, and reduce bloating/distension and improve bowel movement frequency/consistency in some IBS patients and (ii) with some probiotics, improved symptoms have led to improvement in quality of life.
conclusionsSpecified probiotics can provide benefit in IBS and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea; relatively few studies in other indications suggested benefits warranting further research. This study provides practical guidance on which probiotic to select for a specific problem.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.