Inflammatory Bowel DiseasePre, Pro, Synbiotics

Update: Probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers from the University of Otago Medical School in Dunedin, New Zealand summarize the state-of-the-art.

Here’s what we know.

  • Laboratory and animal experiments support using probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
  • Studies in humans have not provided definite evidence for probiotics in IBD.
  • However, under certain conditions there is benefit.
    • Pouchitis
    • Maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis
  • Conditions where probiotics appear ineffective.
    • Crohn’s disease
    • Active ulcerative colitis

The bottom line?
The authors think that the next 5 years, as newer studies are published, the role of probiotics in IBD will be defined.

3/6/09 21:09 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.