Dr Teruaki Aoki and colleagues from Japan reviewed previously reported results of irregular bowel movement and disturbances of the intestinal microbiota/environment in gastrectomized patients.
The team performed a placebo-controlled, double-blind comparative study to evaluate the effects of a fermented milk beverage containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) in such patients.
The major evaluated factors of this article were “bowel movement” and “quality of life.”
The team's secondary evaluated factors were “fecal microbiota” and “enteric environment.”
|LcS reduced the degree of constipation |
|Scandanavian Journal of Gastroenterology|
Of the 190 gastrectomized subjects who participated in the team's previously reported defecation survey, 134 subjects judged as having abnormal defecation gave consent to participate in this study.
These subjects continuously ingested the test beverage containing 40 billion LcS or placebo.
In the LcS-ingested group, among the 118 subjects who completed the tests, the assessments of the subjects were based on their division into groups based on their symptoms with the scoring system for constipation/diarrhea.
Although there was no significant ingestion effect in total, the team found that in the constipation group, LcS reduced the degree of constipation compared with that in the placebo group.
In the diarrhea group, the researchers reported that LcS ingestion improved diarrhea compared with that in the preingestion state.
The team observed that fecal Staphylococcus level was decreased.
Dr Aoki's team commented, "The results suggest the possibility that the continuous consumption of LcS-fermented milk relieves irregular bowel movement in gastrectomized patients."