Can You Take Probiotics If You Live With Reflux or SIBO?

You can and you should, are the correct answers. There is scientific evidence which reports the benefits of certain probiotic strains on symptoms of reflux esophagitis (RE) and small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) cases.  More generally, the role of probiotics to support a healthy and balanced gut microflora is well documented. Gut health represents the first area of clinical evidence for probiotics. 68% of consumers recognize the link between digestive health and overall health. Research in this area is still going strong and many potential applications are rising.

That Feeling When Something Went Down the Wrong Way

Reflux esophagitis: Reflux esophagitis (RE) is also called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It is a digestive disorder occurring when gastric and duodenal contents flow pathologically into the esophagus with common chronic relapsing. With a global prevalence of almost 14% (Nature, 2020), reflux esophagitis related symptoms include heartburn, regurgitation, and water brash, which are all causing significant discomfort. As stress, smoking, obesity, poor diet, microbiome dysbiosis, are some of the risk factors of RE, they are the first habits to tackle to feel better. Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is a major treatment option for RE as it reduces stomach acid production and therefore provides symptom relief. PPI taken alone though, can lead to an unbalanced microbiota causing the development of SIBO.

Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth: Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is defined as an abnormal increase in the overall bacterial population in the small intestine with an imbalanced distribution of types. With a global prevalence of 2.5% to 22% (Bures, 2010), SIBO can cause nutrient malabsorption, fatigue, food sensitivities, skin breakouts and other consequences impacting quality of life. SIBO can also be associated with irritable bowel syndrome, and seen in higher prevalence, ranging from 30 to 85%, for patients with specific disorders (Bures, 2010).

Luckily as science evolves, a natural probiotic supplement with clinical evidence to demonstrate minimizing recurrent symptoms and maximizing quality of life is now available to help patients regain control over their lives.

Moreover, probiotics for gut health have well-defined modes of action, interacting with the intestinal microflora, the gut, the Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT) and the Enteric Nervous System (ENS). Their mode of action naturally supports a healthy gut microflora and the gut barrier integrity.

IBacilluS+ Will Set Things Right*

*For other use than food/dietary supplements

IBacilluS+ is a unique, highly documented probiotic formula combining E. faecium Rosell®-26 and B. subtilis Rosell®-179. The beneficial health effects of IBacilluS+ for serious gut conditions have been studied in various meta-analyses and clinical trials, totalizing over 6 000 participants.

This documented probiotic solution has gained the recognition of Health Canada with the following claims. IBacilluS+:

• Helps reduce the reappearance of reflux esophagitis symptoms following proton pump inhibitor treatment.
• Helps extend time between reappearance of reflux esophagitis symptoms following proton pump inhibitor treatment.
• Helps reduce the risk of Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth after proton pump inhibitor treatment.

These claims are supported by recent clinical finding [Sun, 2019], investigating effect of IBacilluS+ in 130 adults with RE, in combination with and following esomeprazole intake. It demonstrated that IBacilluS+ significantly extends time between reappearance of RE over the follow-up period, reduces SIBO and decreases diarrhea scores vs. esomeprazole alone. These results have been confirmed in a study on SIBO, and modulation of microflora in participants with functional bowel disorders [Shi, 2020], where IBacilluS+ significantly decreases SIBO rate and helps balance the microflora in people with gut disturbance/SIBO.

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