Probiotic Benefits

Welcome back!

As you already know, Probiotics have known and other soon to be discovered benefits to our overall health, as well as benefits in certain ailments.  A recently published study supports the use of Probiotics in very prevalent conditions such Irritable Bowel Disorder, Antibiotic Associated Diarrhea (including treatments for Helicobacter Pylori), and improvements in overall symptoms for these commonly diagnosed conditions.

I have consistently believed and recommended Probiotics for these and other conditions and I am very excited about the results of this study.  I have summarized the highlights for you below.

Ancoraflor – Daily Health Probiotic has been used by hundreds of patients and we at Ancora are proud to report the high amount of patient satisfaction we have received.  This report and the benefits I have seen with Probiotics fully support the Better Balance. Better Health concept.

Here is the summary!

IBS = Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Helicobacter Pylori = A bacteria associated with Peptic Ulcer Disease

AAD = Antibiotic Associated Diarrhea

Systematic review: probiotics in the management of lower gastrointestinal symptoms in clinical practice – an evidence-based international guide

A P S Hungin, C Mulligan, […], and N Wit

Practical implications of consensus statements for physicians

Grade of evidence for effect                    Symptoms/indications Meaning for physicians
High Overall symptoms and abdominal pain in IBSPrevention or reduction of diarrhea in patients receiving antibiotics, including Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy Probiotics with supportive evidence for benefit should be tried
Moderate Overall symptoms in IBS-D (Diarrhea) Bowel movements and bloating/distention in IBS Probiotics with supportive evidence for benefit could be tried
Low Overall symptoms in IBS-C Probiotics with supportive evidence for benefit could be considered
Very low Flatus in IBS*Diarrhea in IBS Currently no evidence to support use of probiotics

 

Results:

Thirty 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 diarrhea (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 favorable 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 diarrhea-predominant IBS, and reduce bloating/distention 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.

Conclusions:

Specified probiotics can provide benefit in IBS and antibiotic-associated diarrhea; 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.