Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40499217›Full record

Trial reportThe journal of nutrition, health & aging2025

Effects and Persistence of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BL-99 and Fructooligosaccharides on Older Adults with Functional Constipation: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Meina Li, Qi Zhang, Wen Zhao, Juan Chen, Yinghua Liu, Limian Zhou, Yihui Liu, Langrun Wang, Yiran Guan, Jian He and 10 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Meina LiDepartment of Nutrition and Health, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-constructed by Ministry of Education and Beijing Government, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China.
Qi ZhangDepartment of Nutrition and Health, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-constructed by Ministry of Education and Beijing Government, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Wen ZhaoDepartment of Nutrition and Health, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-constructed by Ministry of Education and Beijing Government, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Juan ChenDepartment of Nutrition and Health, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-constructed by Ministry of Education and Beijing Government, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Yinghua LiuDepartment of Nutrition, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
Limian ZhouDepartment of Nutrition and Health, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-constructed by Ministry of Education and Beijing Government, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Yihui LiuCollege of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China.
Langrun WangDepartment of Nutrition and Health, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-constructed by Ministry of Education and Beijing Government, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Yiran GuanDepartment of Nutrition and Health, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-constructed by Ministry of Education and Beijing Government, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Jian HeNational Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy, Hohhot, China.
Qiuyue JiangInner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co., LTD, China.
Zhaozhong ZengInner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co., LTD, China.
Xinmei GuoAnhui Jinqiao Biotechnology Co., LTD, China.
Can LiuAnhui Jinqiao Biotechnology Co., LTD, China.
Liwei ZhangDepartment of Nutrition and Health, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-constructed by Ministry of Education and Beijing Government, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Yong ZhangDepartment of Nutrition, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
Jie LuoDepartment of Nutrition and Health, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-constructed by Ministry of Education and Beijing Government, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Wei-Lian HungNational Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy, Hohhot, China. Electronic address: hongweilian@yili.com.
Jingjing HeResearch Center for Probiotics, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: hejingjing89@cau.edu.cn.
Ran WangDepartment of Nutrition and Health, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-constructed by Ministry of Education and Beijing Government, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: wangran@cau.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Research on effects of synbiotics in older adults with functional constipation (FC) is limited. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated a 4-week synbiotic (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BL-99 and fructooligosaccharides [FOS]) intervention in 67 participants ≥60 years old meeting Rome IV FC criteria. Compared to placebo, the synbiotic group showed significant improvements in weekly spontaneous bowel movements (Least squares mean ± standard error: 4.94 ± 0.25 vs. 3.00 ± 0.26, P < 0.001) and whole gut transit time (37.13 ± 3.78 vs. 50.64 ± 4.22 h, P = 0.019), with benefits sustained 2 weeks post-intervention. It also reduced time per toilet attempt and alleviated rectal discomfort symptoms more effectively than placebo. Fecal microbiome analysis revealed increased abundance of beneficial Bifidobacterium species, correlating with symptom improvement (P < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that BL-99/FOS supplementation ameliorates FC symptoms in older adults, with effects sustained post-discontinuation, potentially mediated through gut microbiota modulation. Further mechanistic investigation is warranted.

Indexed as

Bifidobacterium animalisConstipationOligosaccharidesSynbioticsAgedDefecationDouble-Blind MethodFecesFemaleGastrointestinal MicrobiomeGastrointestinal TransitHumansMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomefructooligosaccharideOligosaccharidesFunctional constipationGut MicrobiotaOlder adultsProbioticsSynbiotics

Identifiers

PMID40499217
PMCPMC12402385

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.