SUMMARY BackgroundA sensation of abdominal swelling (bloating) and actual increase in girth (distension) are troublesome features of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is more common in patients with constipation, especially those with delayed transit.

The ability of probiotics to improve bowel habits or transit time has been shown in healthy populations. Additional data are required to support the use of specific probiotics to improve gastrointestinal (GI) well-being. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of consuming fermented milk (FM) on GI well-being, digestive symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) amongst women without diagnosed GI disorders. In this double-blind, controlled, parallel-design study, subjects were randomised to ingest daily either 2 £ 125 g FM containing Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 and yoghurt strains or a control non-fermented dairy product for 4 weeks followed by a 4-week wash-out period. GI well-being and digestive symptoms were assessed weekly. HRQoL was measured every 4 weeks. Data were analysed using analysis of covariance and logistic regression, correcting for baseline values on the full analysis set population of 197 women (aged 18 -60 years). The percentage of women reporting an improvement in their GI well-being was significantly (P,0·01) higher in the FM group v. the control group (OR 1·69; 95 % CI 1·17, 2·45). A significantly (P, 0·05) more pronounced decrease in the composite score of digestive symptoms was observed in the FM group when comparing with the control group (least squares mean 2 0·57; 95 % CI 21·12, 20·02). Among HRQoL dimensions, the digestive comfort score was significantly (P, 0·05) improved in the FM group compared with the control group. The present study showed that the daily consumption of a specific FM is able to improve GI well-being and digestive symptoms in adult women without GI disorders. Probiotics: Gastrointestinal tract: Adults: Randomised controlled trialsClinical evidence of the efficacy of some probiotics in the improvement of symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has recently emerged (1 -3) . The variability of the effects reported has highlighted the product and strain specificity, which is supported by the high variability in their properties (anti-inflammatory activity, effect on motility or visceral sensation) (1,2) . However, due to the complexity of the pathophysiology of IBS which remains poorly understood to date, specific research is required to demonstrate these benefits in a more general population with minor digestive complaints. Only a few studies have been focused on the effects of probiotics on gastrointestinal (GI) well-being in a general population. Most of these studies have investigated the effect of probiotics on bowel habits and were conducted in small sample sizes (from thirty to eighty subjects). Improvement of stool frequency and/or volume or weight, and stool consistency has been shown (4 -8) . Unfortunately, only one study (4) has investigated the impact on a specific digestive symptom (i.e. flatulence), showing a positive effect on this parameter; therefore, the real end-benefits of such functional changes for the consumers are open to question. Studies in human subjects have been designed to investigate the effect of a fe...

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract