Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Nutrients. 2018 Jun 26;10(7):824. doi: 10.3390/nu10070824.
Synbiotics approach complementarily and synergistically toward the balance of gastrointestinal microbiota and improvement in bowel functions. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to examine the effects of a synbiotics supplement among constipated adults. A total of 85 constipated adults, diagnosed by Rome III criteria for functional constipation were randomised to receive either synbiotics ( = 43) or placebo ( = 42) once daily (2.5 g) in the morning for 12 weeks. Eight times of follow-up was conducted every fortnightly with treatment response based on a questionnaire that included a record of evacuation (stool frequency, stool type according to Bristol Stool Form Scale), Patients Assessment on Constipation Symptoms (PAC-SYM), and Patients Assessment on Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QOL). There were no significant differences in stool evacuation, but defecation frequency and stool type in treatment group were improved tremendously than in placebo group. While the treatment group was reported to have higher reduction in severity of functional constipation symptoms, the differences were not statistically significant. Dietary supplementation of synbiotics in this study suggested that the combination of probiotics and prebiotics improved the functional constipation symptoms and quality of life although not significant. This was due to the high placebo effect which synbiotics failed to demonstrate benefit over the controls.
合生素通过互补和协同作用来平衡胃肠道微生物群，并改善肠道功能。一项随机、双盲、安慰剂对照研究旨在研究合生素补充剂对便秘成年人的影响。共有 85 名便秘成年人被诊断为功能性便秘，符合罗马 III 标准，他们被随机分为两组，分别接受合生素（n=43）或安慰剂（n=42），每天一次（2.5 克），持续 12 周。每隔两周进行 8 次随访，根据问卷调查的结果评估治疗反应，该问卷记录了排便情况（粪便频率、根据布里斯托粪便形态量表评估的粪便类型）、便秘症状患者评估量表（PAC-SYM）和便秘患者生活质量评估量表（PAC-QOL）。两组在粪便排空方面没有显著差异，但治疗组的排便频率和粪便类型明显改善。虽然治疗组报告功能性便秘症状的严重程度有更高的降低，但差异无统计学意义。本研究中合生素的膳食补充表明，益生菌和益生元的组合改善了功能性便秘症状和生活质量，但无统计学意义。这是由于合生素未能表现出优于对照组的效果，高安慰剂效应导致了这一结果。
