The patients were advised to maintain a moderate lifestyle in
terms of their eating habits, exercise, sleep, daily work, smoking
habits, and alcohol intake, and to avoid any other probiotic products
and laxative supplements during the study period. A follow-up
was performed every week during the study period via a questionnaire,
using symptomatic improvement questions and a stool
diary following the Bristol Stool Scale (Riegler & Esposito, 2001).
The participants were interviewed before and throughout the study
to ensure their compliance with these lifestyle requirements. The
subjects provided written informed consent prior to participating