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©2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 7, 2013; 19(29): 4718-4725
Published online Aug 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i29.4718
Published online Aug 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i29.4718
Probiotic supplementation decreases intestinal transit time: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Larry E Miller, Miller Scientific Consulting, Inc., Arden, NC 28704, United States
Arthur C Ouwehand, DuPont Nutrition and Health, FIN-02460 Kantvik, Finland
Author contributions: Miller LE and Ouwehand AC contributed equally to this work; Miller LE designed the research; Miller LE analyzed the data; Miller LE and Ouwehand AC performed the research, wrote the paper, and approved the final draft of the paper.
Correspondence to: Larry E Miller, PhD, Miller Scientific Consulting, Inc., 26 Portobello Road, Arden, NC 28704, United States. larry@millerscientific.com
Telephone: +1-928-6079657 Fax: +1-928-2683563
Received: January 31, 2013
Revised: March 20, 2013
Accepted: April 10, 2013
Published online: August 7, 2013
Revised: March 20, 2013
Accepted: April 10, 2013
Published online: August 7, 2013
Core Tip
Core tip: Clinical trials of probiotics for gut health often utilize intestinal transit time (ITT) as a measure of clinical success although treatment effects are not consistent across studies. We performed the first systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to investigate the efficacy of probiotic supplementation on ITT in adults and to identify factors that influence these outcomes. Overall, short-term probiotic supplementation decreases ITT with consistently greater treatment effects identified in constipated or older adults and with certain probiotic strains.