ProBio PCC

Pooled data from 26 randomized trials found probiotic supplementation was associated with improved markers of intestinal barrier integrity, including transepithelial resistance and serum zonulin.

Zheng Y, Zhang Z, Tang P, Wu Y, Zhang A, Li D, Wang CZ, Wan JY, Yao H, Yuan CS -- Frontiers in Immunology

An 8-week multistrain probiotic preparation was associated with improved symptom-severity scores and quality-of-life measures compared with placebo.

Williams EA, Stimpson J, Wang D, Plummer S, Garaiova I, Barker ME, Corfe BM -- Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics

In infant rabbits infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, daily Lactobacillus casei from birth cut bacterial colonization roughly 100-fold and lowered toxin concentrations and gut tissue damage by one week, linked to a stronger local antibody response.

Ogawa M; Shimizu K; Nomoto K; Takahashi M; Watanuki M; Tanaka R -- Infection and immunity

In 60 adults undergoing a one-week triple-drug regimen to eradicate H. pylori, adding the probiotic Lactobacillus GG significantly reduced diarrhea, nausea and taste disturbance compared with placebo, improving overall treatment tolerability.

Armuzzi A; Cremonini F; Bartolozzi F; Canducci F; Candelli M; Ojetti V -- Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics

In cell culture tests, three probiotic bacterial strains adhered strongly to human intestinal cell models, and their secreted compounds reduced the growth and invasiveness of the disease-causing E. coli O157:H7 strain.

Gopal PK; Prasad J; Smart J; Gill HS -- International journal of food microbiology

In a randomized trial giving Lactobacillus GG to mothers before birth and infants for six months after, atopic eczema at age two occurred in 23 percent of the probiotic group versus 46 percent of the placebo group in high-risk children.

Kalliomäki M; Salminen S; Arvilommi H; Kero P; Koskinen P; Isolauri E -- Lancet (London, England)

In an open-label pilot study of just 4 children with mild to moderate Crohn's disease, six months of Lactobacillus GG was followed by improved gut permeability and lower disease activity scores, though the study had no placebo comparison.

Gupta P; Andrew H; Kirschner BS; Guandalini S -- Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition

In 40 people with chronic pouchitis in remission, a 9-month course of a multi-strain probiotic blend prevented relapse in 85 percent of patients, compared with 100 percent relapse in the placebo group.

Gionchetti P; Rizzello F; Venturi A; Brigidi P; Matteuzzi D; Bazzocchi G -- Gastroenterology

In a randomized trial of 27 infants with atopic eczema, two months on formula supplemented with either of two probiotic strains significantly improved eczema severity scores compared with the same formula without probiotics.

Isolauri E; Arvola T; Sütas Y; Moilanen E; Salminen S -- Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology

A 2000 review concluded that while intestinal bacteria are implicated in inflammatory bowel disease, evidence for probiotic treatment was preliminary and encouraging mainly for ulcerative colitis and pouchitis, with benefit for Crohn's disease still unclear.

Shanahan F -- Inflammatory bowel diseases

A 1999 review describes how new molecular identification techniques improved scientists' ability to catalog gut bacteria species and their populations, calling this progress a step toward better understanding gut microbes and human health.

Tannock GW -- Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

In a randomized trial of 119 children given antibiotics for respiratory infections, those also receiving the probiotic Lactobacillus GG had diarrhea in 5 percent of cases within two weeks, compared with 16 percent in the placebo group.

Arvola T; Laiho K; Torkkeli S; Mykkänen H; Salminen S; Maunula L -- Pediatrics

A 1998 review outlined the gut's resident bacterial ecosystem and its role in digestion and health, describing probiotics as live bacterial cultures selected to help stabilize or improve gut microbial balance.

Holzapfel WH; Haberer P; Snel J; Schillinger U; Huis in't Veld JH -- International journal of food microbiology

In infants with cow's milk allergy and eczema, adding the probiotic Lactobacillus GG to a hydrolyzed formula was followed by significantly greater improvement in eczema severity and lower fecal markers of gut inflammation compared with the formula alone.

Majamaa H; Isolauri E -- The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology

In cell culture and mouse experiments, pretreatment with Lactobacillus casei GG reduced Salmonella invasion of intestinal cells and, in germ-free mice, delayed death from Salmonella infection from 9 days to 15 days after challenge.

Hudault S; Liévin V; Bernet-Camard MF; Servin AL -- Applied and environmental microbiology

In laboratory and mouse experiments, the spent culture liquid from a human Lactobacillus acidophilus strain reduced the viability of a wide range of disease-causing bacteria and lowered Salmonella levels in mouse intestines, independent of the lactic acid it also made.

Coconnier MH; Liévin V; Bernet-Camard MF; Hudault S; Servin AL -- Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy

In laboratory cell culture experiments, several human bifidobacteria strains adhered strongly to intestinal cell models and reduced infection and invasion by disease-causing E. coli and Salmonella strains in a concentration-dependent manner.

Bernet MF; Brassart D; Neeser JR; Servin AL -- Applied and environmental microbiology

In 39 children with acute rotavirus diarrhea, those given a Lactobacillus GG fermented milk product recovered in an average of 1.1 days versus 2.5 days for those given plain yogurt, and were more likely to develop a virus-specific antibody response.

Kaila M; Isolauri E; Soppi E; Virtanen E; Laine S; Arvilommi H -- Pediatric research

In mice, oral administration of Lactobacillus casei increased macrophage phagocytic activity starting on day two, while the related species Lactobacillus bulgaricus had little effect when given by mouth despite showing activity when injected into the abdomen.

Perdigon G; de Macias ME; Alvarez S; Oliver G; de Ruiz Holgado AA -- Infection and immunity

In coffee brews, co-culturing Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM-I745 with four probiotic Lactobacillus species, including Limosilactobacillus fermentum PCC, kept viable counts above 5.5 log CFU/mL for at least 6 months, versus under 3 months when cultured alone.

Mei Zhi Alcine Chan; Li Tan; Shermaine Wan Qing Heng; Shao‐Quan Liu -- Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute

In 20 elite male distance runners, four months of Lactobacillus fermentum VRI-003 was linked to fewer days of respiratory symptoms and a larger increase in whole-blood interferon-gamma response compared with placebo, with no significant change in salivary IgA.

A J Cox; D B Pyne; P U Saunders; P A Fricker -- British Journal of Sports Medicine

Lactobacillus fermentum PCC differentially improved penicillin-induced imbalance in upper respiratory tract microbial composition and metabolic pathways, with strain-specific immune modulation.

Feng Gao; Zhifeng Fang; Wenwei Lu -- Food & Function