Symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating,
and flatulence commonly occur
in patients with IBS. These symptoms
may result in part from fermentations
taking place in the colon that generate
gas. Certain gut bacteria process leftover
food that reaches the colon without
producing gas. Other species even
may consume gas, particularly hydrogen.
But others produce gas, which is
eliminated from the body through flatulence.
In a double-blind, clinical trial
of 48 patients with bloating-predominant
IBS, the probiotic mixture VSL#3
decreased flatulence scores (Kim et al.
2005). Likewise, two other placebocontrolled
trials have shown relief of
abdominal bloating in patients with IBS
treated with VSL#3 or Lactobacillus
plantarum 299V (Kim et al. 2003;
Nobaek et al. 2000). In children, L.
rhamnosus GG decreased perceived abdominal
distension but not abdominal
pain (Bausserman and Michail 2005).
Finally, two large studies in adults
showed that either Bifidobacterium
infantis 35624 or a strain mixture (L.