Benefits
Bowel comfort, gas and bloating in placebo-controlled trials
In a 90-day trial in 36 people with diarrhea-predominant IBS who also received standard care, 2 billion CFU a day reduced bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and stool frequency more than placebo. In a 4-week trial in 70 adults with gas and bloating, the gas and bloating score fell from about 9 to 3 versus about 9 to 8 on placebo. Both trials were small and run by the maker.
Thermostable spore form
LactoSpore is sold as dormant spores, and the gas and bloating trial describes the strain as thermostable. None of the four human trials cited here measured how many spores survive storage or reach the intestine.
Gut microbiome changes measured in healthy adults
In a 28-day placebo-controlled trial in 30 healthy adults, the overall makeup of gut bacteria barely changed, with small increases in a few groups such as Faecalibacterium and Ruminococcus. That is a laboratory measure of bacteria rather than a health outcome you would notice, and none of the cited studies measured immune function. The trial was run by the maker.
Mechanism of action
Spore germination and lactic acid production
B. coagulans is a lactic acid-producing bacterium. The proposed mechanism is that spores pass through the stomach, germinate in the intestine and produce lactic acid, which may favor beneficial bacteria. The cited human trials did not test this directly. In the healthy-adult trial, the amount of B. coagulans found in stool varied widely between people before and after the study, so how long it stays in the gut is unclear.
Clinical trials
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot at three centres; 2 billion CFU a day or placebo for 90 days, alongside standard care. All authors are from Sabinsa, Sami Labs or a contract research firm. (Majeed et al. 2016, Nutr J)
36 adults newly diagnosed with diarrhea-predominant IBS.
Compared with placebo, the probiotic group had larger drops in bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and stool frequency (p < 0.01), lower disease severity and better quality of life. Laboratory safety values stayed normal. It is a small pilot run by the maker and has not been independently repeated.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial in southern India; 2 billion spores a day or placebo for 4 weeks. Authors are from Sami-Sabinsa and Sabinsa. (Majeed et al. 2023, Medicine (Baltimore))
70 adults with functional gas and bloating (66 completed).
The gas and bloating (indigestion) score fell from 8.91 to 3.06 with the probiotic versus 9.42 to 8.43 with placebo (P < .001 between groups), and the global patient rating improved more. Other digestive symptom scores fell in both groups, more with the probiotic, and stool type normalized in both groups. One person taking the probiotic reported brief acidity and nausea, and no serious adverse events occurred.