Commercial Probiotic Products Researched

Table of Contents
Align
Bio-K+
Culturelle
Florastor
Mutaflor
VSL#3
Probiotics With Evidence Search Tool
Commercial Probiotic Expert Reviews
Further Reading And References

Below are probiotic products mentioned in a 2015 article that have research supporting them (1).

Align

Contains Bifidobacterium infantis 35624, which can improve IBS symptoms of bloating, cramping and stool frequency
A study of 362 patients with IBS showed a significant decrease in IBS symptoms when taking Bifidobacterium infantis 35624
B. infantis was superior to L. salivarius in reducing IBS symptoms, except stool frequency and consistency in a study of 77 individuals
Note that Align contains milk, however Alforex (available in the UK) which also contains Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 does not contain milk or lactose.
Further information about Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 functions here and in relation to IBS here

Contains both Lactobacillus acidophilus CL 1285 and L casei
A study of 216 patients who took Bio-K+ experienced significantly reduced rates of antibiotic associated diarrhoea than those who didn’t take Bio-K+
Another study of 89 hospital patients also showed reduced rates of antibiotic associated diarrhoea with Bio-K+ and fewer hospital days
Note that probiotics should be taken at least 2 hours away from each antibiotic dose to reduce the amount of the probiotic killed by the antibiotics
Further information about Lactobacillus acidophilus and L casei functions here and here

Contains Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53103
L rhamnosus GG has been shown to reduce severity and duration of acute infectious diarrhoea and antibiotic associated diarrhoea in both children and adults
L rhamnosus GG improved IBS symptoms, but not functional dyspepsia, IBS, or functional abdominal pain in a study of 104 children with these conditions
Note although Culturelle claims to be dairy free, the product information states: “Culturelle is grown on whey and will contain trace levels (less than 15 parts per million) of casein and whey, which are proteins found in milk.”
Further information about Lactobacillus GG functions here and in relation to IBS here

Contains Saccharomyces boulardii, a beneficial yeast
Saccharomyces boulardii was found to be effective in preventing antibiotic associated and traveller’s diarrhoea in a data study in 2010
World Gastroenterology Organisation’s probiotic guidelines suggest Saccharomyces boulardii reduces the severity and duration of acute infectious diarrhoea
Further information about the functions of Saccharomyces boulardii here and in relation to IBS studies here

Contains the bacteria E coli Nissle 1917
E coli Nissle 1917 may be as effective as mesalazine, an anti-inflammatory drug to aid remission of ulcerative colitis
Further information here regarding E coli Nissle 1917 being studied in relation to IBS

Contains eight different strains of bacteria: Lactobacillus paracasei, L plantarum, L acidophilus, L delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium longum, B breve, B infantis, and Streptococcus thermophilus
Has been shown to be helpful with ulcerative colitis, and pouchitis
In a study reported in 2013, hospitalised patients on antibiotics were given VSL#3 twice daily for the length of the antibiotics course and for seven days thereafter. Patients given VSL#3 showed a significant reduction in the incidence of antibiotic associated diarrhoea (6)
Further information here regarding a studies in relation to IBS

There is a great tool here (7) which allows you to search for researched probiotics.

Here is a link to the search by ‘Adult Health’ concern including IBS (8).

It includes the level of evidence for specific conditions with the following encoding:

Level I	Evidence obtained from at least one appropriately designed trial, (e.g., randomization, blinding, appropriate population comparisons) with a power calculation for the outcome(s) of interest. The expert review board reserves the right to make the final decision for the level of recommendation. (HIGHEST LEVEL)
Level II	Evidence obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomization; evidence obtained from randomized trials not satisfying all criteria listed in Level I. Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies, preferably from more than one center or research group. Evidence obtained from multiple time series with or without the intervention. Dramatic results in uncontrolled trials might also be regarded as this type of evidence
Level III	Opinions of respected authorities, based on clinical experience, descriptive studies, or reports of expert committees

Here are some websites that have reviewed probiotics: (9) (10).