Prebiotics for irritable bowel syndrome

Abstract

Evaluation of: Silk DBA, Davis A, Vulevic J, Tzortzis G, Gibson GR. Clinical trial: the effects of a trans-galactooligosaccharide on faecal microbiota and symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 29, 508–518 (2009).While a variety of probiotic preparations have been quite extensively studied in the short-term treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), little is known regarding the efficacy of prebiotics – the nondigestible but fermentable foods that promote the growth of one or a number of species of beneficial commensal flora in the human colon – in IBS. In this study, a specially designed prebiotic, a trans-galactooligosaccharide, was studied in two doses, 3.5 and 7 g, in a single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 4-weeks duration in Rome II-positive IBS patients. The researchers found that the prebiotic altered the fecal flora, increasing the numbers of Bifidobacteria in a dose-dependent manner and also improved, but in a less predictable manner, individual IBS symptoms, such as flatulence and bloating, as well as impacting on a composite score of the subjects’ global assessment of relief and quality of life. This study indicates that prebiotics, either on their own or in combination with a probiotic, deserve further study in IBS.