J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2026;32(2):198-216.
Clinical Guidance and Practical Recommendations for Probiotic Use in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Functional Constipation, and Clostridioides difficile Infection Considering Sex-based Differences.
제1저자 김용성, 박선영, 강승주 · 교신저자 김나영, 박무인
소속 (9)
- Digestive Disease Research Institute, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonlabuk-do, Korea.
- Kim's GutEase Internal Medicine, Gunpo, Gyeonggi-do, Korea.
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.
- Department of Internal Medicine, Healthcare System Gangnam Center Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
- Department of Internal Medicine and Liver Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea.
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Konyang University, Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea.
- Division of Healthcare Research, National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, Seoul, Korea.
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
Abstract
Probiotics have gained increasing clinical attention as adjunctive treatment for lower gastrointestinal disorders. However, evidence supporting their therapeutic efficacy remains limited, particularly with regard to sex-related differences. This expert review provides evidence-based insights and practical recommendations for the use of probiotics in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional constipation (FC), and Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), considering possible sex-related differences. Evidence from randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses indicates that probiotics can modestly improve global symptoms, abdominal pain, and bloating in IBS and enhance bowel movement frequency and stool consistency in FC. However, these effects are strain-specific and heterogeneous. Although clinical studies on probiotics in IBS have not confirmed significant sex-related differences, experimental animal studies using stress-induced IBS models have demonstrated sex-dependent responses to specific probiotic strains, supporting the biological plausibility of such differences. For CDI, the efficacy of probiotics in preventing primary or recurrent infections remains inconsistent across large trials, and current guidelines usually do not recommend their routine use. However, sex and age difference of immunology supports the clinical differences of CDI. Probiotics are generally considered safe for healthy individuals, although caution is advised in patients who are immunocompromised or critically ill. Clinicians should select probiotic products based on strain-specific clinical evidence, adequate viable doses, patient's characteristics, or patient's sex. In conclusion, probiotics might play a role as adjunctive therapy for IBS and FC, with variability in responses influenced by microbial, host, and potential sex-related factors. Further research is needed to establish optimized personalized probiotic strategies.
Keywords
Clostridioides difficileConstipationIrritable bowel syndromeProbioticsSex
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그림 출처: PubMed Central 공개 논문 (PMC13071424)
Conflict of interest statement
Conflicts of interest: None.
그 밖의 정보
- 출판 형태
- Journal Article, Review
- 저널
- Journal of neurogastroenterology and motility · ISSN 2093-0879
- 전자 출판
- 2026-03-10
- 참고문헌
- 154편