Saturday Sep 20, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- A meta-analysis of data from previous studies sponsored by Nestec Ltd suggests that eating probiotics may help functional constipation.

Researchers at King's College London, Queen Mary University of London, and University College London in London, United Kingdom conducted a search and identified 660 records of which 14 were eligible for the analysis.  

The analysis found probiotic supplementation reduced whole gut transit time by 12 hours and increased stool frequency by 1.3 bowel movements per week.   However, not all probiotic bacteria were beneficial.  Bifidobacterium lactis provided the benefit while Lactobacillus vasei Shirota did not.

Probiotic supplementation also improved stool consistency.  But again it was B. lactis, not L. casei Shirota that was helpful.

No adverse effects were found associated with probiotic supplementation.

The researchers reported that attrition and reporting bias are high and caution needs to be excised when the findings are interpreted due to the high heterogenecity and  bias. (David Liu)

Eirini Dimidi, Stephanos Christodoulides, Konstantinos C Fragkos, S Mark Scott, and Kevin Whelan, The effect of probiotics on functional constipation in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, First published online August 6, 2014