# Help with Probiotics



## miserableme (May 10, 2012)

Could you help me with the correct probiotic for IBS-C? Like is there a particular ingredient and or number of strands that I should be looking for?


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

No not really. Just try one and give it a decent trial... think weeks not days. Good ones are Align, Florastor, Culturelle, Sustenex etc... If you find it doesn't help at all... after several weeks... then try another with different bacterial strains. (Just read the labels to see the type of bacteria)But no there isn't one for D types and another for C types.. so just pick one and try it.


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## jadjac (Jun 4, 2012)

My GI just recommended TuZen to me. http://www.tuzen.ca/irritable-bowel-syndrome.asp


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

here is a recent and very comprehensive article from medscape on probiotics for the treatment of irritable syndrome. you have to register to read it but registration is free and well worth it. medscape has a very large, up to date and informative library of gastro articles.it's a long article but there is a section on defecatory function and specifically mentions probiotic strains that studies have shown to help with constipation etc:..."Benefits over placebo were reported in 13 of the 24 trials assessed using an index of defecatory function as one of their endpoints (primary or secondary). B. infantis 35624 has been shown to improve bowel habit satisfaction (0.29 point improvement over placebo) as well as reduce passage of gas (0.24 point improvement over placebo), incomplete evacuation (0.3 point reduction over placebo) and straining (0.31 point reduction over placebo) using a 6-point Likert scale. Similarly, B. bifidum MIMBb75 treated IBS subjects showed a significant reduction in urgency (0.62 point reduction compared to placebo on a 7-point Likert scale)whereas B. animalis DN 17310 exhibited an ability to increase stool frequency in a subgroup of patients with less than three bowel movements per week. Of the Lactobacilli strains evaluated, L. plantarum 299V showed a trend towards normalisation of stool frequency in constipated patients and L. paracasei B2106 significantly reduced bowel movements (20% improvement over prebiotic alone). However, trials evaluating L. salivarus UCC4331 and L. casei GG showed no beneficial effects on bowel movements or urgency respectively. Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6086 was found to reduce the average number of bowel movements per day. Although VSL #3 had no effect on urgency, it did retard colonic transit (0.56 points over placebo on scintigraphy score) suggesting a possible role in the treatment of diarrhoea-predominant IBS (D-IBS). Of the other multispecies LAB preparations, benefits were found for stool frequency in a C-IBS subgroup (45% increase in stool frequency over placebo at 3 weeks), as well as defecation duration, urgency, straining and feelings of incomplete evacuation although the latter trial was designed to assess the additive benefits of dietary fibre rather than the benefits of probiotics per se." here is the link to the section on defecatory function. the second link is to the main article. you may have to register to read these articles but registration is free. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/757843_6 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/757843?src=nl_topicand yes, BQ is definitely right--it's a lot of trial and error. good luck! hope you find one that works well for you.


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## Tiger337 (Jul 20, 2007)

miserableme said:


> Could you help me with the correct probiotic for IBS-C? Like is there a particular ingredient and or number of strands that I should be looking for?


I use probiotics from Custom Probiotics and Kirkman Labs. Acidophilus works best from me, but the probiotics that I use have a mixture of strands.Alan


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