Trial reportThe British journal of nutrition2015
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.
Trial report in The British journal of nutrition, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06959758 (Effects of Probiotics), which is not on this map. Cited by 39 papers, 3 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.
Effects of Probiotics (BioKid LR - Contains Nine Different Species of Probiotics Bacteria Including L. Reuteri) in Children With Functional Constipation: a Double Blind Randomized Control Trial
Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 69 citations in OpenAlex.
- Safety of One of the Most Commonly Used Probiotic Strains: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Reported Adverse Events.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Pooled it
- Probiotics for the prevention or treatment of chemotherapy- or radiotherapy-related diarrhoea in people with cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Systematic review: probiotics in the management of lower gastrointestinal symptoms - an updated evidence-based international consensus.Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2018Pooled it
- The effect of multistrain probiotics on functional constipation in the elderly: a randomized controlled trial.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Efficacy of Probiotic Milk Formula on Blood Lipid and Intestinal Function in Mild Hypercholesterolemic Volunteers: A Placebo-control, Randomized Clinical Trial.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2021Trial
- Glucagon-like peptide-1: a critical link between gut microbiota dysbiosis and degenerative musculoskeletal diseases.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Bifidobacteria: biogeography, host adaptation and ecological functions.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2026Review
- Article
- Viable and Heat-InactivatedMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- Exploring Bifidobacteria-Fermented Dairy Products: Innovations, Challenges, and Health-Related Insights.Current microbiology · 2026Review
- Article
- Advancements in Immunomodulatory Therapies for IBD and Their Interplay With the Gut-Brain Axis: An Updated Review of Current Literature and Beyond.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Understanding the probiotic health benefits ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- Polydextrose-driven gut microbiota modulation from synbiotic yogurt intake simulated in theFrontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Exploring Gut Microbiota Imbalance in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Potential Therapeutic Effects of Probiotics and Their Metabolites.Nutrients · 2024Review
- Review
- Leaky Gut and the Ingredients That Help Treat It: A Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, BB-12®, on two primary end points - defecation frequency and gastrointestinal (GI) well-being - in healthy adults with low defecation frequency and abdominal discomfort. A total of 1248 subjects were included in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. After a 2-week run-in period, subjects were randomised to 1 or 10 billion colony-forming units/d of the probiotic strain BB-12® or a matching placebo capsule once daily for 4 weeks. Subjects completed a diary on bowel habits, relief of abdominal discomfort and symptoms. GI well-being, defined as global relief of abdominal discomfort, did not show significant differences. The OR for having a defecation frequency above baseline for ≥50% of the time was 1·31 (95% CI 0·98, 1·75), P=0·071, for probiotic treatment overall. Tightening the criteria for being a responder to an increase of ≥1 d/week for ≥50 % of the time resulted in an OR of 1·55 (95% CI 1·22, 1·96), P=0·0003, for treatment overall. A treatment effect on average defecation frequency was found (P=0·0065), with the frequency being significantly higher compared with placebo at all weeks for probiotic treatment overall (all P<0·05). Effects on defecation frequency were similar for the two doses tested, suggesting that a ceiling effect was reached with the one billion dose. Overall, 4 weeks' supplementation with the probiotic strain BB-12® resulted in a clinically relevant benefit on defecation frequency. The results suggest that consumption of BB-12® improves the GI health of individuals whose symptoms are not sufficiently severe to consult a doctor (ISRCTN18128385).
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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.