SynthesisSaudi journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Saudi Gastroenterology Association
Efficacy and safety of probiotics in irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Saudi journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Saudi Gastroenterology Association. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Probiotics and gastrointestinal disorders: an umbrella meta-analysis of therapeutic efficacy.European journal of medical research · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Probiotic Supplements on Oncology Patients' Treatment-Related Side Effects: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- Probiotics in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Umbrella Review of 27 Systematic Reviews on Methodological Quality and Certainty of Evidence.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in Depression: Pathological Correlations, Molecular Pathways, and Therapeutic Interventions.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Strain-Specific Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of Probiotics Efficacy in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Probiotics Modulate Host Immune Response and Interact with the Gut Microbiota: Shaping Their Composition and Mediating Antibiotic Resistance.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Could the Microbiota Be a Predictive Factor for the Clinical Response to Probiotic Supplementation in IBS-D? A Cohort Study.Microorganisms · 2023Article
- Article
- The Gut Microbiome and Its Implication in the Mucosal Digestive Disorders.Biomedicines · 2022Review
- Survival effect of probiotics in a rat model of colorectal cancer treated with capecitabine.World journal of gastrointestinal oncology · 2021Article
- Psychological comorbidity in gastrointestinal diseases: Update on the brain-gut-microbiome axis.Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry · 2021Review
- Letter to the editor regarding "The efficacy and safety of infliximab and calcineurin inhibitors in steroid-refractory UC patients: A meta-analysis".Saudi journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Saudi Gastroenterology AssociationArticle
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae for abdominal pain and discomfort in irritable bowel syndrome patients.Pakistan journal of medical sciencesArticle
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.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
aimIrritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic functional bowel disorder and the evidence shows most drug therapies in the treatment of IBS are weak. Recently, some studies showed probiotics may have a positive effect in IBS and they are widely used to improve the symptom of IBS, which indicate probiotics may play an important role in the treatment of IBS. However, the exact effectiveness and safety of probiotics are largely unknown. This systematic review focuses on identifying the efficacy and safety of probiotics in the treatment of IBS. MATERIALS AND
methodsData sources were searched up to February 2019. Databases included MEDLINE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and Embase. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing probiotics including complex or individual probiotics with placebo or no therapy were screened, extracted, and appraised by two independent reviewers. The data were pooled using a random-effects model. The methodological quality of all RCTs was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias and Jadad scale. Outcomes included symptom-relevant and patient-relevant characteristics, such as symptom relief, abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, quality of life, and adverse event.
resultsThis review includes 28 studies with a total of 3606 participants. Particular combinations of probiotics, or specific species and strains, showed probiotics have beneficial effect on overall IBS symptoms (22 studies, n = 3144, RR of improvement in overall IBS symptoms = 1.5, CI 1.23 to 1.83) or overall IBS symptom and abdominal pain scores (18 studies, n = 2766, SMD = -0.31, CI -0.45 to -0.17). In addition, adverse events were not significantly higher with probiotics (8 studies, n = 923, RR = 1.05; 95% CI 0.85-1.31). However, there was no significant benefit on individual IBS symptom scores and quality of life.
conclusionCurrent evidence shows particular combinations, species or strains of probiotics are effective for overall IBS symptoms. However, it is hard to derive a definite conclusion due to high heterogeneity and unclear risk of bias of some trials. Large well-designed and rigorous trials are warranted.
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.