Sabinsa probiotic found to reverse depression in IBS patients

31 Jul 2018 --- Adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) show improvement from co-existing depression when taking the probiotic strain Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856, Sabinsa’s LactoSpore, versus subjects given a placebo, according to a clinical study published in the journal Food & Nutrition Research. These findings hint at the possibility that LactoSpore may be a new treatment option for major depressive disorder in IBS patients and open new avenues for the probiotic’s use in gut and psychological conditions.

IBS is characterized by the alterations in bowel function or discomfort, abdominal pain or bloating and diarrhea or constipation, with a prevalence estimated between 9 percent and 23 percent in the population across the world. IBS patients are also frequently affected by chronic anxiety, mood disorders and major depression.

This study provides evidence of clinical efficacy of B. coagulans MTCC 5856 in patients experiencing major depression symptoms with IBS and supports the hypothesis that the modification of microbial ecology in human gut by supplementing probiotics may be an alternative strategy to ameliorate or prevent depression. 

The study demonstrates that consumption of probiotic B. coagulans MTCC 5856 may improve gut symptoms and psychological issues, i.e., major depression, sleeplessness and dementia in IBS. This provides a new opportunity not only to help patients suffering from gastrointestinal related disorders but also the patients suffering from extra-intestinal disorders such as major depression, quality of sleep and dementia.

This 90 day randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involved 40 adults with IBS co-existing with major depressive disorder. Twenty participants took a daily dose of the probiotic B. coagulans MTCC 5856 (2 billion spores per day) and other 20 subjects were on placebo. At 90 days, subjects receiving the probiotic (2 × 109 spores/day) reported a significant change/decrease in their depression clinical symptoms along with a decrease in IBS as compared to subjects receiving placebo. It was also noticed that the subjects in the B. coagulans MTCC 5856 group reported improvement in sleeplessness and to a lesser extent for dementia.

The study reported no clinically significant changes in vital signs, no abnormal lab values (biochemistry and hematology), and also no Serious Adverse Events or Significant Adverse Events associated with the consumption of probiotic B. coagulans MTCC 5856, suggesting its excellent clinical safety in patients suffering from major depression with IBS.