Yakult and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Yakult is currently marketed worldwide as a probiotic drink that helps improve gut health, by helping the gut’s natural microflora establish or re-establish itself.

A recent small scale study involving 18 patients indicates that like other probiotic bacteria, the Lactobacillus strain Shirota found in Yakult may also be a safe and effective alternative for the management of irritable bowel syndrome.

After 6 week of treatment with 1 x 65 mL dose of Yakult daily, 9 of 14 patients (64%) completing the study had reversal of ERBHAL, with the median time of first rise increasing from 45 to 75 min (P = 0.03). Furthermore, symptoms improved in those in whom ERBHAL was corrected. The results indicate that Yakult(R) alters fermentation patterns suggesting a reduction in SIBO. ERBHAL can also indicate rapid small intestinal transit and therefore, in order to confirm the effect of Yakult(R) on SIBO, future studies will include monitoring of transit time in addition to placebo control.

ERBHAL stands for early rise in breath hydrogen with lactulose, a breath test that is used to indicate small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which is a characteristic of IBS. One bottle of Yakult daily for six weeks was found to elicit reduced SIBO, associated with reduced symptoms. These results offer a promising probiotic alternative IBS treatment, but need to be confirmed with larger scale trials.