Probiotics have been the focus of a vast body of research performed over the last couple of decades which has revealed many potential health benefits on the microbiota and on a range of gastrointestinal disorders. Although many people consume probiotics daily, assuming this will confer a beneficial health effect, the effect of probiotics on healthy people has hardly been studied.
Winclove, in collaboration with the Swiss pharma company Mepha, investigated the effect of the multispecies formulation Winclove 500, in Switzerland on the market as Bactosan pro Fos on gut health and quality of life (QoL) in otherwise healthy adults.
In this observational study, 40 participants were given either the multispecies probiotic for 6 weeks. Gastrointestinal symptoms were scored weekly through a validated questionnaire. Data on QoL was collected at baseline and at the end of the intervention period. The total gastrointestinal (GI) symptom score was significantly reduced from 10 (4-21) at baseline to 6 (0-15) after 6 weeks of intervention (p<0.05). More specifically, after the probiotic intervention the percentage of participants that were fully resolved of a particular symptom significantly increased to 27.5% (p<0.02) for gastrointestinal pain, to 25% (p<0.03) for epigastric fullness/bloating and to 20% (p<0.02) for flatulence, compared to baseline. Moreover, the treatment was well-tolerated and 66% of the participants reported to be satisfied with the effect on intestinal function.