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Effect of probiotics intake on constipation in children: an umbrella review

Mingyang Dong1, Yuting Wu1, Mengzhen Zhang2

  • 1Department of Pharmacy, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.

Frontiers in Nutrition
|September 18, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Probiotic intake in children with functional constipation (FC) significantly improves treatment success and bowel movement frequency. These probiotics are safe and do not increase adverse events, offering a promising approach for managing childhood constipation.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Gastroenterology
  • Microbiome Research

Background:

  • Functional constipation (FC) is a common pediatric gastrointestinal disorder.
  • Current treatments for FC have varying efficacy and potential side effects.
  • The role of probiotics in managing pediatric constipation requires comprehensive evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a comprehensive review of existing evidence on probiotic intake for constipation in children.
  • To evaluate the quality, effectiveness, and potential bias of studies examining probiotics for pediatric constipation.
  • To synthesize findings on treatment success, symptom frequency, and adverse events.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review and meta-analysis of nine existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
  • Included data from 628 articles.
  • Analyzed seven effectiveness indicators and adverse reaction incidence in pediatric FC.

Main Results:

  • Probiotic intake significantly improved treatment success rate and defecation frequency in children with FC.
  • A decreased recurrence rate of constipation was observed with probiotic use.
  • No significant associations were found for probiotic intake with abdominal pain, stool consistency, defecation pain, or fecal incontinence.
  • Probiotics demonstrated good safety with no increased incidence of adverse reactions.

Conclusions:

  • Probiotics are effective in improving key outcomes for children with functional constipation, including treatment success and bowel movement frequency.
  • Probiotic supplementation is safe and well-tolerated in pediatric populations with constipation.
  • Further research may explore specific probiotic strains and their targeted effects on constipation-related symptoms.

Keywords:
childrenconstipationfunctional constipationprobioticsumbrella review

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