Trial reportPloS one2020
Multi-strain probiotics (Hexbio) containing MCP BCMC strains improved constipation and gut motility in Parkinson's disease: A randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 102 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
102 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Efficacy of gut microbiota-targeted therapies in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Pooled it
- Comparative efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions for Parkinson's disease with constipation: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Guidelines for Parkinson's disease management part II: consensus from the movement disorders scientific department of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology - non-motor symptoms.Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria · 2025Guideline
- Conservative, physical and surgical interventions for managing faecal incontinence and constipation in adults with central neurological diseases.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- How Can We Treat If We Do Not Measure: A Systematic Review of Neurogenic Bowel Objective Measures.Topics in spinal cord injury rehabilitation · 2024Pooled it
- Probiotics treatment for Parkinson disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.Aging · 2022Pooled it
- The Role of Psychobiotics in Supporting the Treatment of Disturbances in the Functioning of the Nervous System-A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Pooled it
- Probiotics for constipation in Parkinson's: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of probiotics in Parkinson's constipation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Randomized controlled trial evaluating synbiotic supplementation as an adjuvant therapy in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.Inflammopharmacology · 2025Trial
- Effects of probiotics on selected anthropometrics and biochemical measures in overweight or obese Saudi subjects: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial.Public health nutrition · 2024Trial
- Synbiotic supplementation may globally improve non-motor symptoms in patients with stable Parkinson's disease: results from an open label single-arm study.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- The effects of probiotic supplements on oxidative stress and inflammation in subjects with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.Inflammopharmacology · 2024Trial
- Extracellular vesicles and their RNA cargo facilitate bidirectional cross-kingdom communication between human and bacterial cells.Gut microbes · 2026Article
- Prebiotics and SCFA Alleviate Parkinson's-Related Constipation: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial.Neurology and therapy · 2026Article
- Functional Reconstruction of the Gut Microecosystem in Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders: Roles of Probiotics, Prebiotics, Synbiotics and Postbiotics.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Probiotic supplementation for anxiety symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.NPJ Parkinson's disease · 2026Article
- The gut as a central hub for multi-organ crosstalk in aging.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2026Review
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, depleted in the Parkinson's disease microbiome, improves motor deficits in α-synuclein overexpressing mice.NPJ Parkinson's disease · 2026Article
42 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
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveWe determined the effectiveness of a multi-strain probiotic (Hexbio®) containing microbial cell preparation MCP®BCMC® on constipation symptoms and gut motility in PD patients with constipation.
methodsPD patients with constipation (ROME III criteria) were randomized to receive a multi-strain probiotic (Lactobacillus sp and Bifidobacterium sp at 30 X 109 CFU) with fructo-oligosaccaride or placebo (fermented milk) twice daily for 8 weeks. Primary outcomes were changes in the presence of constipation symptoms using 9 items of Garrigues Questionnaire (GQ), which included an item on bowel opening frequency. Secondary outcomes were gut transit time (GTT), quality of life (PDQ39-SI), motor (MDS-UPDRS) and non-motor symptoms (NMSS).
resultsOf 55 recruited, 48 patients completed the study: 22 received probiotic and 26 received placebo. At 8 weeks, there was a significantly higher mean weekly BOF in the probiotic group compared to placebo [SD 4.18 (1.44) vs SD 2.81(1.06); (mean difference 1.37, 95% CI 0.68, 2.07, uncorrected p<0.001)]. Patients in the probiotic group reported five times higher odds (odds ratio = 5.48, 95% CI 1.57, 19.12, uncorrected p = 0.008) for having higher BOF (< 3 to 3-5 to >5 times/week) compared to the placebo group. The GTT in the probiotic group [77.32 (SD55.35) hours] reduced significantly compared to placebo [113.54 (SD 61.54) hours]; mean difference -36.22, 95% CI -68.90, -3.54, uncorrected p = 0.030). The mean change in GTT was 58.04 (SD59.04) hour vs 20.73 (SD60.48) hours respectively (mean difference 37.32, 95% CI 4.00, 70.63, uncorrected p = 0.028). No between-groups differences were observed in the NMSS, PDQ39-SI, MDS-UPDRS II and MDS-UPDRS III scores. Four patients in the probiotics group experienced mild reversible side effects.
conclusionThis study showed that consumption of a multi-strain probiotic (Hexbio®) over 8 weeks improved bowel opening frequency and whole gut transit time in PD patients with constipation.
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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.