Probiotics keep bloating at bay

The findings were as follows:

• All of the participants had improvement in overall digestive symptoms and quality of life.
• Probiotics users had greater reductions in abdominal bloating and after-meal discomfort at the four- and eight-week follow-ups.
• Improvements in abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and IBS symptom severity were similar in both groups.
• Four weeks after the end of treatment, symptoms in both groups were similar to the beginning of the study (baseline).

“Our findings suggest that the combination of probiotic bacteria used in this study may be helpful in alleviating symptoms of bloating in patients with [IBS],” the study’s authors said, adding, “In view of the high prevalence of bloating symptoms in patients with [IBS], their overall impact of patients’ health and well-being, and the lack of effective treatment, this probiotic combination may be an important and useful addition to the management of patients with these symptoms.”

Take care of your bacterial garden

In a healthy gut environment, beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacter species establish colonies that thrive, and a lack of such thriving colonies appears to be a contributing factor in IBS. Since the improvements seen in this study were lost after the end of treatment, it further appears that a problem in the gut environment might be to blame.

Below are some strategies to promote thriving colonies of healthy gut bacteria or otherwise improve the symptoms of IBS:

• Identify food intolerances and sensitivities. Food intolerances have been shown in many studies to be an important contributing factor in some people with IBS.
• Get plenty of dietary fibre. For some people, increasing dietary fibre may improve symptoms of IBS, both through a direct effect in the gut and by altering intestinal flora. Once healthy bacteria are in place, they need fruit and vegetable fibres to sustain them.

(J Clin Gastroeneterol 2011; online publication)