Efficacy of Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis

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#abdominal-pain #bifidobacterium-longum-subspecies-infantis #female #humans #irritable-bowel-syndrome

Efficacy of Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis

Yuan et al., 2017 | Curr Med Res Opin | Meta Analysis

Citation

Yuan Fuqiang, Ni Huijuan, ... Ren Jinma. Efficacy of Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis. Curr Med Res Opin. 2017-Jul;33(7):1191-1197. doi:10.1080/03007995.2017.1292230

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a challenge because its cause remains unknown. Previous clinical trials to examine the efficacy of probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 (B. infantis) in patients with IBS have shown inconsistent findings. This study aimed to assess the combined effect of B. infantis on reducing the symptom severity of IBS based on the published data. METHODS: A meta-analysis was conducted using fixed-effect models to estimate the combined effect of B. infantis on primary outcomes, which included abdominal pain, bloating/distention, and bowel habit satisfaction. A systematic review was performed based on PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases to identify the randomized controlled trials comparing probiotic B. infantis with placebo in treating IBS symptoms, published up until 31 December 2016. The standardized mean difference (SMD) method was used to combine data since scales to measure the efficacy of probiotics were different among studies. RESULTS: A total of five studies were identified as suitable for inclusion, including three studies with single probiotic B. infantis and two studies with composite probiotics containing B. infantis. Treatment with single probiotic B. infantis didn't impact on abdominal pain, bloating/distention, or bowel habit satisfaction among IBS patients. However, patients who received composite probiotics containing B. infantis had significantly reduced abdominal pain (SMD, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.03-0.41) and bloating/distention (SMD, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.04-0.56). After combining the data from six studies, the improvement of bloating/distention among IBS patients remained significant (SMD, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.07-0.35). CONCLUSION: Composite probiotics containing B. infantis might be an effective therapeutic option for IBS patients, which could significantly alleviate the symptoms of IBS without significant adverse effects. However, the efficacy of single probiotic B. infantis on IBS has not been confirmed yet, which needs to be further validated by more large-sized randomized clinical trials.

Key Findings

A total of five studies were identified as suitable for inclusion, including three studies with single probiotic B. infantis and two studies with composite probiotics containing B. infantis. Treatment with single probiotic B. infantis didn't impact on abdominal pain, bloating/distention, or bowel habit satisfaction among IBS patients. However, patients who received composite probiotics containing B. infantis had significantly reduced abdominal pain (SMD, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.03-0.41) and bloating/dis

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population ibs have shown inconsistent
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Abdominal Pain
  • Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Male
  • Probiotics
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Treatment Outcome

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: probiotics

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09