Effectiveness of Probiotics in Patients With Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

A recent meta-analysis suggests that probiotic supplementation is moderately efficacious in decreasing intestinal transit times compared with control, demonstrating probiotics' potential for treating chronic idiopathic constipation. This decrease in intestinal transit times has been proposed to be attributed to the capacity of probiotics to alter the gastrointestinal microflora, improve intestinal motility, and alter biochemical factors. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to estimate the effectiveness of probiotics in patients with constipation. The search was performed using PubMed, PMC, and Medline databases. Relevant data were extracted and assessed for quality using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool for randomized clinical trials (RCTs). A random effects model and the I2 statistic were used to estimate the pooled prevalence and explore heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on the experimental group and the placebo group. Sensitivity analysis was performed, and publication bias was explored. Our meta-analysis assessed probiotics ' efficacy in constipation management by incorporating a sample size comprising 1,243 patients drawn from 10 distinct studies. Subgroup analyses unveiled a heterogeneity of 95%, accompanied by a statistically significant analysis (p-value < 0.05) that unequivocally favored probiotics over placebo for treating constipation. These findings underscore the statistically significant effectiveness of probiotics for individuals with constipation. They support the imperative to fortify this body of evidence through robust, larger-scale RCTs to deepen our understanding of the manifold benefits probiotics confer in nurturing and sustaining optimal gut health.