Yogurt and CSBMs (Complete Spontaneous Bowel Movements)

In a randomized controlled trial, the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis—used in many probiotic products, including Dannon’s Activia yogurts—did nothing to improve bowel health in people with constipation, according to data from a randomized triple-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open. Popular gut probiotic completely craps out in randomized controlled trialhttps://arstechnica.com/health/2024/10/popular-gut-probiotic-completely-craps-out-in-randomized-controlled-trial/

Here’s a lesson in the need to read the original study. I found this statement from the researchers:

The 2 study groups were very similar with respect to baseline characteristics. The participants had a low dietary fiber intake (9 g/d), which is in line with observations by others (11.7 g/d) and well below recommended levels (25.0 g/d).14 This may be a contributing factor to the bowel movement problems experienced by the participants. Eight-Week Supplementation With Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 and Functional Constipationhttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2824333

IMO the low dietary fiber intake in this shitting study leads me to think the entire study results were…crappy.

BTW yesterday I had two CSBMs. That’s what I get for eating a bowl of black eye peas http://garyskitchen.net/2022/01/16/vegetarian-badass-black-eyed-peas-2022/ and a baked sweet potato in the same day.

The More Drugs You Take…(fill in the blank)

This was a retrospective longitudinal cohort study of adults aged 60 years and older.

An increase in polypharmacy severity was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of all-cause hospitalization within 1 year, but not a hospitalization related to IBD. Use of a PIM (potentially inappropriate medication) was also associated with a higher probability of all-cause hospitalization compared with patients without. Hospitalization Risk in Older Adults With IBD Associated With Severe Polypharmacyhttps://www.gastroenterologyadvisor.com/news/hospitalization-risk-in-older-adults-with-ibd-associated-with-severe-polypharmacy/

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IBS – Diet or Medication?

What are the new findings?

  • In a controlled trial enrolling 470 newly diagnosed primary care IBS patients, a self-management FODMAP-lowering smartphone application was superior to standard medical therapy in alleviating IBS symptoms.
  • The superiority of the diet app was already present at 4 weeks and persisted at 8 and 16 weeks.
  • The diet app had a high acceptability and adherence rate.
Diet or medication in primary care patients with IBS: the DOMINO study – a randomised trial supported by the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE Trials Programme) and the Rome Foundation Research Institute — https://gut.bmj.com/content/71/11/2226?rss=1