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Efficacy of synbiotic, probiotic, and prebiotic treatments for irritable bowel syndrome in children: A randomized
Ahmet Baştürk1, Reha Artan, Aygen Yılmaz
1Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Akdeniz University School of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey. drahmetbasturk@hotmail.com.
Insights
Synbiotics and probiotics significantly improved symptoms in children with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Synbiotic treatment led to a higher full recovery rate compared to prebiotics, suggesting its efficacy for pediatric IBS.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Microbiome Research
- Gut Health
Background:
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) poses significant social and economic burdens.
- Pediatric IBS affects children aged 4-16 years.
- Effective treatment options for pediatric IBS are crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of synbiotic, probiotic, and prebiotic treatments for pediatric IBS.
- To compare the effectiveness of Bifidobacterium lactis B94 with inulin (synbiotic), B. lactis B94 alone (probiotic), and inulin alone (prebiotic).
Main Methods:
- A randomized, double-blind, controlled, prospective study.
- 71 children (4-16 years) diagnosed with IBS (Rome III criteria) participated.
- Treatments (synbiotic, probiotic, or prebiotic) were administered twice daily for 4 weeks.
Main Results:
- Both probiotic and synbiotic treatments improved symptoms like belching, abdominal fullness, bloating, and constipation.
- Synbiotic treatment also significantly reduced mucus in the feces.
- The synbiotic group showed a significantly higher full recovery rate (39.1%) compared to the prebiotic group (12.5%).
Conclusions:
- Synbiotics and probiotics offer significant improvements for pediatric IBS symptoms compared to prebiotics alone.
- Synbiotic administration demonstrated a superior full recovery rate in children with IBS.
- Twice-daily synbiotic administration is recommended for treating pediatric IBS.
Background/Aims:
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an important health problem that presents serious social burdens and high costs. Our study investigated the efficacy of synbiotic (Bifidobacterium lactis B94 with inulin), probiotic (B. lactis B94), and prebiotic (inulin) treatment for IBS in a pediatric age group.
Material And Methods:
This study was randomized, double-blind, controlled, and prospective in design and included 71 children between the ages of 4 and 16 years who were diagnosed with IBS according to the Rome III criteria. The first group received synbiotic treatment [5×109 colony forming units (CFU) of B. lactis B94 and 900 mg inulin]; the second group received probiotic treatment (5×109 CFU B. lactis B94), and the third group received prebiotic treatment (900 mg inulin) twice daily for 4 weeks.
Results:
Probiotic treatment improved belching-abdominal fullness (p<0.001), bloating after meals (p=0.016), and constipation (p=0.031), and synbiotic treatment improved belching-abdominal fullness (p=<0.001), bloating after meals (p=0.004), constipation (p=0.021), and mucus in the feces (p=0.021). The synbiotic group had a significantly higher percentage of patients with full recovery than the prebiotic group (39.1% vs. 12.5%, p=0.036).
Conclusion:
Administration of synbiotics and probiotics resulted in significant improvements in initial complaints when compared to prebiotics. Additionally, there was a significantly higher number of patients with full recovery from IBS symptoms in the synbiotic group than in the prebiotic group. Therefore, the twice daily administration of synbiotics is suggested for the treatment of children with IBS.
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