Authors

F. Grossenbacher, A. Gashi, I. Besseling-van der Vaart

Year

2016

Journal

Advances in Microbiology

Abstract

The potential benefit of probiotics on the gut microbiota and on various gastrointestinal disorders is well documented. It has become clear that these probiotic effects are
strain-specific, underlying the necessity for a well-founded strain selection for research
and clinical practice. Whether probiotics also have a positive effect on parameters of
gastrointestinal function in a healthy population is less investigated.
The objective of this in vivo observational study was to investigate the effect of a
6-week intervention with a multispecies probiotic product on gut health and quality of
life (QoL) in a population of otherwise healthy adults and to evaluate the feasibility of
conducting a controlled trial on probiotic effects in this population. A total of 40 participants
from 3 different health centres were included in the study. After a 1-week
inclusion phase, participants were supplemented for a 6-week period with Winclove
500/BactoSan pro FOS. During the run-in phase and each week during the observational
period, gastrointestinal functional parameters were documented by an adapted
version of the Eypasch questionnaire. Data on QoL was collected at baseline and at the
end of the intervention period. The total gastrointestinal (GI) symptom score was reduced
from 10 (4-21) at baseline to 6 (0-15)