Best Probiotics For Constipation & Bloating
Best Probiotics For Constipation and Bloating
Constipation is one of the most common gut disorder afflicting a large number of people. Bloating is also an associated abdominal discomfort felt when the stomach feels full and tight due to distension. Bloating due to underlying gut issues has also been quite common among many people. Bloating can have various causes such as constipation, excess gas formation, food intolerances or dietary factors. Recently, scientific community is talking about the use of the best Probiotics For Constipation and Bloating to effectively overcome these problems.
Constipation is one of the main reasons for causing bloating since the longer the faeces remain in the colon, larger is the amount of gas produced as a result of bacterial fermentation due to prolonged gut transit time. This gives a feeling of intense bloating and sometimes abdominal cramps. Certain foods also cause bloating due to their content of soluble fibres, sugars and starches.
Fiber have been long recommended as a therapeutic nutrient for resolving constipation, however, the interaction of the gut microbiota with the fiber is responsible for facilitating the benefits of fiber. Hence, supplementing probiotics along with dietary fiber has been the novel therapeutic strategy in tackling chronic or IBS related constipation.Best Probiotics For Constipation & Bloating
Probiotics have been long studied for their varied health benefits ranging from improving gut health to improving mood. In the recent times, probiotics have undergone several clinical trials for establishing their efficiency in resolving constipation and bloating issues. Most of the gut issues arise due to an imbalance in the gut microbiota i.e. the bad bacteria outnumber the good, friendly bacteria in the gut.
Mechanisms of Action of Probiotics in Regulation of Gut Motility
Normal gut motility motility is regulated by several factors such as mucus secretion, bile acid metabolism, GI microbiota and fermentation and good nervous system response. Any aberrations in any one of the above factors can result in affecting gastric motility and hence giving rise to constipation.
Several studies have shown that in functional constipation there is decrease in Bifidobacterium and Lactobacilli (healthy bacteria strains) and a concomitant increase in pathogenic bacteria. Probiotics increase the short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentration in the gut thus easing gut motility. This is because constipation decreases the SCFA concentration in the gut [R]. Probiotics alters the intestinal microbiota in patients with constipation. Probiotics also modifies the intraluminal environment by reducing luminal pH and increasing the products of bacterial fermentation [R].
Beneficial Probiotic Strains For Constipation and Bloating
Various studies have been conducted on several probiotic strains for their efficacy in constipation. A clinical trial showed that Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium lactis helped relieve subjects of hard stools and evacuation disorders. Lactobacillus casei Shirota and Lactobacillus reuteri improved frequency of bowel movements along with softness of stools. Lactobacillus reuteri also showed to improve colonic motility. Studies showed Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173010 and Bifidobacterium longum improved lactose digestion [R].
Essential Probiotic Supplements in Market for Constipation & Bloating
Following are few of the most effective and top rated supplements which are widely used for constipation and bloating issues.
Phillips Colon Health
It contains the following strains of probiotics such as Lactobacillus Gasseri KS-13, Bifidobacterium Bifidum G9-1, and Bifidobacterium longum MM-2. It provides 1.75 billion CFU per serving and has been found to be very effective against constipation, bloating as well as diarrhea. It is quite reasonable in price but not suitable for vegans and vegetarians. One of the Best Probiotics For Constipation and Bloating.
It contains 13 different strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria both of which are effective for constipation. As named, it provides 50 billion CFU per serving. It also contains green blend, which is a prebiotic blend consisting of wheatgrass, barley grass, oatgrass and alfalfa. It is quite expensive as compared to other probiotic brands but is worth to give a try since its been very effective against abdominal pain, stomach cramps, bloating, constipation and also fatigue (improves energy levels). It is most suitable for vegans and vegetarians since its available in a cellulose capsule.
Critical Digestion
It contains 8 strains of probiotic bacteria with 1 billion CFU per serving. There are also several digestive enzymes which aids in maintaining the gut health. It has been found to ease IBS symptoms along with food intolerances and bloating. Its quite expensive and suitable for vegans and vegetarians. However, it seems to have been effective for some and completely ineffective for others. This is one of the Best Probiotics For Constipation and Bloating
Aum Gastrolyf
It contains 2 billion CFU of bacillus coagulans (Lactospore) per serving. It also comprises an enzyme as well as prebiotic digestive blend containing mainly organic, natural ingredients. The enzymatic blend is composed of protease, amylase, lipase and cellulose whereas the digestive blend is composed of extracts of ginger, psyllium husk, chicory root, peppermint, rice and slippery elm. It is cost effective and suitable for vegans and vegetarians. It has found to be very effective against digestive issues among most of the customers using this product.
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VSL#3 contains freeze dried forms of 8 strains of active live probiotic strains of bacteria such as Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophiles.
VSL#3 Probiotic Medical Food
VSL#3 consists of 450 billion live bacteria per sachet. It requires to be shipped in a temperature controlled package to preserve the product potency, hence is the most expensive from among other probiotics, and is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
One clinical trial conducted utilized this supplement to study its efficacy on functional constipation.
It was found that VSL#3 administration increased complete spontaneous bowel movement per week, improved stool consistency and provided relief from abdominal pain.
Also, there was significant number of Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides species in flora post intervention [R].
- Dimidi . E et. al., (2017) Mechanisms of Action of Probiotics and the Gastrointestinal Microbiota on Gut Motility and Constipation. American Society of Nutrition ;8:484–94; doi:10.3945/an.116.014407.
- S et. Al., (2015) Change of Fecal Flora and Effectiveness of the Short-term VSL#3 Probiotic Treatment in Patients With Functional Constipation. Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, Vol. 21, No. 1.
- Y et.al., (2016) Intestinal microbiota and chronic constipation. Springer Plus, 5:1130.
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