Table 1.
Human trials of orally administered combinations of live microorganisms and a substrate reporting health outcomes
| Health outcome | Population studied | Synbiotic used | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substrate component and dose | Live microorganism(s) component and dose | |||
| Prevention of surgical infections and complications | Adults, n = 54 | GOS (12 g per day) | Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult (1×108/g), Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (1×108/g) (3 g per day) | 96 |
| Adults, n = 79 | FOS (dose not stated, three times per day) | Streptococcus faecalis T-110 (60 million), Clostridium butyricum TO-A (4 million), Bacillus mesentericus TO-A (2 million), Lactobacillus sporogenesa (100 million) (three times per day) | 97 | |
| Adults, n = 80 | Inulin, β-glucan, pectin and resistant starch (2.5 g of each, twice per day) | Pediococcus pentosaceus 5–33:3 (1010), Leuconostoc mesenteroides 77:1 (1010), Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei F19 (1010), Lactobacillus plantarum 2362 (1010) (twice per day) | 98 | |
| Adults, n = 92 | OFS (15 g, twice per day) | Lactobacillus acidophilus La5, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12, Streptococcus thermophilus (4×109 CFU) (three times per day) | 99 | |
| Adults, n = 46 | FOS (100 mg, twice per day) | L. acidophilus 10 (1×109 CFU), Lactobacillus rhamnosus HS 111 (1×109 CFU), L. casei 10 (1×109 CFU), Bifidobacterium bifidum (1×109 CFU) (twice per day) | 45 | |
| Adults, n = 61 | GOS (10 g per day) | B. breve strain Yakult (1×108/g), L. casei strain Shirota (1×108/g) (3 g per day) | 100 | |
| Treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease | Adults, n = 52 | FOS (250 mg per day) | L. casei PXN 37, L. rhamnosus PXN 54, S. thermophilus PXN 66, B. breve PXN 25, L. acidophilus PXN 35, Bifidobacterium longum PXN 30, L. bulgaricus PXN 39 (2×108 CFU per day) | 101 |
| Adults, n = 66 | FOS (dose not provided) | B. longum (dose not provided) | 102 | |
| Adults, n = 50 | FOS (125 mg, twice per day) | L. casei PXN 37, L. rhamnosus PXN 54, S. thermophilus PXN 66, B. breve PXN 25, L. acidophilus PXN 35, B. longum PXN 30, L. bulgaricus PXN 39 (2×108 CFU, twice per day) | 103 | |
| Adults, n = 75 | Inulin HP (10 g per day) | B. longum, L. acidophilus (2×107 CFU per day) | 104 | |
| Prevention of sepsis in infants | Infants, n = 4,556 | FOS (150 mg per day) | L. plantarum ATCC-202195 (~109 per day) | 105 |
| Treatment of overweight or obesity and metabolic syndrome | Adults, n = 225 and n = 134 | Litesse Ultra polydextrose (12 g per day) | Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis 420 (1010 CFU per day) | 46,106 |
| Adults, n = 38 | FOS (250 mg, twice per day) | L. casei PXN 37, L. rhamnosus PXN 54, S. thermophilus PXN 66, B. breve PXN 25, L. acidophilus PXN 35, B. longum PXN 30, L. bulgaricus PXN 39 (2×108 CFU, twice per day) | 107 | |
| Treatment of T2DM and glycaemia | Adults, n = 62 | Inulin (0.36 g, three times per day) | L. sporogenesa (9×107 CFU, three times per day) | 108 |
| Adults, n = 81 | Inulin (0.07 g/1 g bread) (120 g per day as synbiotic bread) | L. sporogenesa (1×108 CFU/g, 120 g per day as synbiotic bread) | 109 | |
| Treatment of dyslipidaemia | Women with gestational diabetes, n = 70 | Inulin (800 mg per day) | L. acidophilus, L. casei, B. bifidum (2×109 CFU per day of each) | 110 |
| Adults with T2DM, n = 78 | Inulin (0.07 g/1 g bread) (120 g per day as synbiotic bread) | L. sporogenesa (1×108 CFU/g, 120 g per day as synbiotic bread) | 109 | |
| Adults with CHD and T2DM, n = 60 | Inulin (800 mg per day) | L. acidophilus, L. casei, B. bifidum (2×109 CFU/g of each per day) | 111 | |
| Adults with T2DM, n = 62 | Inulin (0.36 g, three times per day) | L. sporogenesa (9×107 CFU, three times per day) | 108 | |
| Treatment of inflammation | Elderly, n = 37 | GOS (8 g per day) | B. lactis Bi-07 (109 CFU per day) | 112 |
| Adults, n = 36 | FOS (1.4 g per day) | L. acidophilus La5, B. animalis ssp. lactis Bb-12, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, L. paracasei ssp. paracasei (2.4×109 CFU per day) | 113 | |
| Adults with T1DM and T2DM on haemodialysis, n = 60 | Inulin (0.8 g per day) | L. acidophilus, L. casei, B. bifidum (2×109 CFU of each per day) | 114 | |
| Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome | Adults, n = 85 | FOS (100 mg, three times per day) | Bacillus coagulans (15×107 spores, three times per day) | 115 |
| Children, n = 71 | Inulin (900 mg, twice per day) | B. lactis B94 (5×109 CFU, twice per day) | 116 | |
| Eradication of Helicobacter pylori | Adults, n = 76 | FOS (250 mg per day) | L. casei PXN 37, L. rhamnosus PXN 54, S. thermophilus PXN 66, B. breve PXN 25, L. acidophilus PXN 35, B. longum PXN 30, L. bulgaricus PXN 39 (2×108 CFU per day) | 117 |
| Children and youth, n = 104 | Inulin (900 mg per day) | B. lactis B94 (5×109 CFU per day) | 118 | |
| Treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome | Adults, n = 60 | Inulin (800 mg per day) | L. acidophilus strain T16 (IBRC-M10785), L. casei strain T2 (IBRC-M10783), B. bifidum strain T1 (IBRC-M10771) (2×109 CFU/g of each per day) | 119 |
| Adults, n = 60 | Inulin (800 mg per day) | L. acidophilus strain T16 (IBRC-M10785), L. casei strain T2 (IBRC-M10783), B. bifidum strain T1 (IBRC-M10771) (2×109 CFU/g of each per day) | 120 | |
| Treatment of chronic kidney disease | Adults, n = 30 | Inulin (2.2 g), tapioca-resistant starch (1.3 g) (three times per day) | L. plantarum (5×109), L. casei subsp. rhamnosus (2×109), Lactobacillus gasseri (2×109), Bifidobacterium infantis (1×109), B. longum (1×109), L. acidophilus (1×109), Lactobacillus salivarius (1×109), L. sporogenesa (1×109), S. thermophilus (5×109) (3 times per day) | 121 |
| Adults, n = 66 | FOS (500 mg capsule with undefined FOS dose, two capsules per day) | L. casei, L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. rhamnosus, B. breve, B. longum, S. thermophilus (500 mg capsule with undefined dose of microorganism, two capsules per day) | 122 | |
| Adults, n = 37 | Inulin, FOS, GOS (7.5 g per day for first 3 weeks then 15 g per day for second 3 weeks) | Nine different strains across Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus genera (45×109 CFU/day for first 3 weeks then 90×109 CFU per day for second 3 weeks) | 123 | |
| Prevention of atopic dermatitis | Pregnant women, n = 1,223 | Newborn infants received the synbiotic: GOS (0.8 g, once per day) | Mothers received only the probiotic twice per day: L. rhamnosus GG (5×109 CFU), L. rhamnosus GG LC705 (5×109 CFU), B. breve Bb99 (2×108 CFU), Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii JS (2×109 CFU); infants received the probiotic once per day | 124 |
| Treatment of atopic dermatitis | Infants 12–36 months of age, n = 90 | FOS (50 mg, twice per day) | L. acidophilus DDS-1, B. lactis UABLA-12 (5×109 CFU, twice per day) | 125 |
| Infants: 3 months to 6 years of age, n = 40 | FOS (958 mg, twice per day) | L. casei PXN 37, L. rhamnosus PXN 54, S. thermophilus PXN 66, B. breve PXN 25, L. acidophilus PXN 35, B. infantis PXN 27, L. bulgaricus PXN 39 (1×109 CFU, twice per day) | 126 | |
| Children: 2–14 years of age, n = 60 | FOS (475 mg, twice per day) | L. salivarius PM-A0006 (2×109 CFU, twice per day) | 127 | |
The selected studies contained in this table represent blinded, randomized, controlled trials that showed a health benefit of the combination product. Studies listed did not necessarily test both the health benefit and selective utilization by the microbiota, so we have avoided the use of the term ‘synbiotic’ in this table. Null trials and studies using the inappropriate term ‘symbiotic’ were excluded. CHD, coronary heart disease; FOS, fructo-oligosaccharides; GOS, galacto-oligosaccharides; OFS, chicory root oligofructose; T1DM, type 1 diabetes mellitus; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus. aL. sporogenes is an invalid species name; this name has been used incorrectly by some to refer to Bacillus coagulans.