Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Agnieszka Chlebicz-Wojcik, Katarzyna Slizewska
Summary: Irritable bowel syndrome is not life-threatening but significantly impacts quality of life and economic loss. Research focuses on the role of intestinal microbiota in disease development, with an emphasis on therapies modulating the microbiota such as probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics. Most studies have focused on probiotics, but there are also promising results from studies on prebiotics and synbiotics.
Review
Microbiology
Wen Xue Zhang, Lu Bo Shi, Min Si Zhou, Jing Wu, Hai Yun Shi
Summary: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of probiotics, prebiotics or synbiotics in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The results showed that probiotics have a therapeutic role in IBS, but the effect varies depending on the specific genus of probiotics. The minimum effective dose of probiotics is 109 colony-forming units per day, and the therapeutic effect can occur within 4 weeks. However, the efficacy of prebiotics and synbiotics in IBS remains uncertain due to the lack of available randomized controlled trials.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Joann Phan, Divya Nair, Suneer Jain, Thibaut Montagne, Demi Valeria Flores, Andre Nguyen, Summer Dietsche, Saurabh Gombar, Philip Cotter
Summary: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by abdominal discomfort and irregular bowel movements, with the gut microbiome posited to play a significant role. This study analyzed stool samples from individuals with IBS and without IBS and found differences in microbial features, with synbiotic supplementation showing potential to impact these features. Further research is needed to determine the relationship between microbiome changes and improvement in IBS symptoms.
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Vivek C. Goodoory, Mais Khasawneh, Christopher J. Black, Eamonn M. M. Quigley, Paul Moayyedi, Alexander C. Ford
Summary: This article conducted a meta-analysis to study the efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The study found that certain combinations of probiotics or strains may be beneficial for IBS, but the certainty of the evidence was low.
Review
Food Science & Technology
Parisa Janmohammadi, Zeinab Nourmohammadi, Siavash Fazelian, Atieh Mirzababaei, Shahab Alizadeh, Mahtab Zarei, Elnaz Daneshzad, Kurosh Djafarian
Summary: Several studies have suggested that formulas containing synbiotics (composed of prebiotics and probiotics) may have a positive effect on anthropometric indices. However, the results of these studies are inconsistent. This meta-analysis found that the consumption of formulas containing synbiotics did not significantly affect the growth of healthy infants.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Flavia di Michele
Summary: This review summarizes the current evidence of nutraceutical supplementation in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), including probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, butyrate, palmitoylethanolamide, and colostrum. These compounds have multiple mechanisms of action and show good safety and tolerability profiles. Though further studies are needed to strengthen the evidence, supplementation with these compounds may be useful, especially for special populations of patients, and is more readily accepted by patients compared to pharmacological therapy.
CURRENT MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Orestis Ioannidis, Christos Chatzakis, Maria Tirta, Elissavet Anestiadou, Konstantinos Zapsalis, Savvas Symeonidis, Stefanos Bitsianis, Efstathios Kotidis, Manousos George Pramateftakis, Ioannis Mantzoros, Stamatios Angelopoulos
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on bowel function in patients who had undergone abdominal surgery. The study found that administration of probiotics reduced the occurrence of post-operative bowel dysfunction, shortened the time to first flatus and defecation, and reduced the prevalence of post-operative abdominal distension. The combination of probiotics and prebiotics also reduced the time to first flatus and hospitalization days.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Ziran Zhao, Gui Xiao, Jieqiong Xia, Honghua Guo, Xiaoli Yang, Qian Jiang, Hu Wang, Jiaji Hu, Caihong Zhang
Summary: This meta-analysis examines the effects of interventions that alter gut microbes on anxiety and finds that probiotics and synbiotics can reduce anxiety scores, while the reduction in anxiety scores with prebiotics is not significant. However, due to small effect size and sample size, the clinical efficacy of these interventions in alleviating anxiety is uncertain. There is also no consensus on the optimal dose, treatment duration, treatment type, or probiotic strain in improving anxiety.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Dongliang Liu, Xilu Wang, Hang Zhang
Summary: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of gastrointestinal microbiome supplementation (GMS) for patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), and found that GMS resulted in better improvement in symptoms, quality of life, and medication scores compared to controls. However, GMS was less effective in reducing serum total IgE levels and the ratios of serum Th1/Th2. Overall, GMS yielded acceptable benefits for AR patients, although potential negative effects should be considered.
Review
Immunology
Tao Zhang, Cunzheng Zhang, Jindong Zhang, Feng Sun, Liping Duan
Summary: This network meta-analysis found that B.coagulans exhibited significant efficacy in treating IBS patients, L.plantarum ranked first in improving quality of life, and L.acidophilus had the lowest incidence of adverse events. Treatment length significantly influenced the efficacy of probiotics in improving abdominal pain and straining.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Hauna Sheyholislami, Kristin L. Connor
Summary: This study evaluated the adverse effects of probiotic, prebiotic, and/or synbiotic supplementation for pregnant and lactating mothers, finding that these products are safe for use and do not pose serious health concerns for the mother or infant. Visualisations of the findings can help healthcare professionals and consumers make informed decisions about the use of these products.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Xiao-Feng Zhang, Xiao-Xian Guan, Yu-Jun Tang, Jin-Feng Sun, Xiao-Kai Wang, Wei-Dong Wang, Jian-Ming Fan
Summary: The study found that probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics can induce/maintain IBD remission and reduce the disease activity index of UC. Probiotic supplements can increase beneficial bacteria (especially Bifidobacteria) in the gut of patients with IBD to some extent.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
(2021)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Tong Wu, Yanhong Li, Yinlan Wu, Xiuping Liang, Yu Zhou, Zehui Liao, Ji Wen, Lu Cheng, Yubin Luo, Yi Liu
Summary: This study systematically compares the data from published randomized, controlled trials on the use of intestinal microecological regulators as adjuvant therapies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Twelve RCTs were included, and the results showed that microecological regulators treatment significantly improved disease activity score (DAS) and health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) scores, as well as reduced inflammatory parameters such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-1 beta. However, no significant impact on visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) reduction was observed. Further large clinical studies are needed to confirm these findings and consider confounding variables.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Pooneh Angoorani, Hanieh-Sadat Ejtahed, Fateme Ettehad Marvasti, MinaSadat Taghavi, Behzad Mohammadpour Ahranjani, Shirin Hasani-Ranjbar, Bagher Larijani
Summary: Accumulating evidence suggests that the gut microbiota plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders in PCOS. Microbiota-modulating interventions, such as probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics, show potential in managing PCOS. However, the optimal strains, types, duration, and doses of these interventions remain uncertain due to limited evidence and high heterogeneity.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Lina Miao, Jianpeng Du, Zhuhong Chen, Dazhuo Shi, Hua Qu
Summary: This study systematically evaluated the effects of microbiota-driven therapy on decreasing TMAO and its related metabolites, finding that current evidence does not support that this treatment reduces circulating levels of TMAO, choline, betaine aldehyde, and L-carnitine. However, further research is needed to confirm this conclusion due to the small sample size.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Siavosh Nasseri-Moghaddam, Amir-Hossein Mousavian, Amir Kasaeian, Takeshi Kanno, Yuhong Yuan, Alexander C. Ford, Paul Moayyedi
Summary: This study evaluated the prevalence of clinically significant endoscopic findings in patients with dyspepsia and found that dyspeptic symptoms cannot accurately predict endoscopic pathology. Among individuals with dyspepsia, 11.0% had erosive esophagitis and 4.4% had peptic ulcer, with a higher likelihood of peptic ulcer in the dyspepsia group. Most endoscopic findings were normal, and the prevalence of gastroesophageal cancer was very low.
CLINICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Brigida Barberio, David J. Gracie, Christopher J. Black, Alexander C. Ford
Summary: This study conducted a network meta-analysis to compare the relative efficacy of various biological therapies and small molecules in the treatment of luminal Crohn's disease. The results showed differences in the effectiveness of different drugs in inducing and maintaining clinical remission, and previous exposure to biologics also had an impact on treatment outcomes.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Emily C. L. Wong, Paul Moayyedi, Neeraj Narula
Summary: Improving racial diversity in IBD clinical trials requires action at multiple levels to increase opportunities for patients of all races to participate in trials, ultimately leading to improved care for diverse patients in clinical practice.
JOURNAL OF CROHNS & COLITIS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Eamonn M. M. Quigley, Alex Stevenson, Ian Jeffery, Jacob Masters
ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Vivek C. Goodoory, Cho Ee Ng, Christopher J. Black, Alexander C. Ford
ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
David Gunn, Alexander Ford, Amanda Farrin, Robin Spiller
Summary: This article is related to the papers by Gunn et al.
ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Letter
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Vivek C. Goodoory, Elspeth A. Guthrie, Cho Ee Ng, Christopher J. Black, Alexander C. Ford
ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Letter
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Vivek C. Goodoory, Cho E. Ng, Christopher J. Black, Alexander C. Ford
Summary: This article is associated with Goodoory et al papers. Click the link to access these articles.
ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Letter
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Alexander C. Ford, Colin W. Howden
CLINICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Mais Khasawneh, Orla F. Craig, David J. Gracie, Christopher J. Black, Alexander C. Ford
Summary: The study suggests that diagnosing IBS according to the Rome IV criteria and conducting limited investigation is safe and durable. Among IBS patients, although 1 in 6 were referred again due to gastrointestinal symptoms, missed organic gastrointestinal disease occurred in only 1% of patients.
CLINICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Vivek C. Goodoory, Mais Khasawneh, Christopher J. Black, Eamonn M. M. Quigley, Paul Moayyedi, Alexander C. Ford
Summary: This article conducted a meta-analysis to study the efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The study found that certain combinations of probiotics or strains may be beneficial for IBS, but the certainty of the evidence was low.
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Pierfrancesco Visaggi, Brigida Barberio, Giulio Del Corso, Nicola de Bortoli, Christopher J. Black, Alexander C. Ford, Edoardo Savarino
Summary: A network meta-analysis was conducted to compare the efficacy of different drugs for active eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). The results showed that most available drugs were more effective than placebo in treating EoE. However, significant heterogeneity among the trials hindered the establishment of a solid therapeutic hierarchy.
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Adam Saleh, Shyon Parsa, Manuel Garza, Eamonn M. M. Quigley, Bincy P. Abraham
Summary: Microbiome and/or microbiome-host immune system interactions play an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), leading to interest in microbiota-modulating interventions like fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for managing ulcerative colitis (UC). Studies have shown varying clinical responses to FMT in UC, but certain characteristics of the donor microbiome, such as increased biodiversity, specific bacteria, and reduced bacteriophages, predict a positive response. However, inconsistencies in FMT protocols and the need for further randomized controlled trials hinder its widespread recommendation as a treatment for UC.
DIGESTIVE DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Brigida Barberio, Keeley M. Fairbrass, David J. Gracie, Alexander C. Ford
Summary: In this 12-month longitudinal study, one-third of patients with IBD reported presence of Rome III IBS-type symptoms at any point in time. Reporting such symptoms was associated with significant impacts on psychological health and/or quality of life.
NEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY AND MOTILITY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Mais Khasawneh, Orla F. Craig, David J. Gracie, Christopher J. Black, Alexander C. Ford