Probiotics for IBS—what’s next? Explore the potential of synbiotics and microencapsulated butyrate with leading gut health scientist

Summary 

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is extremely prevalent among adults worldwide, yet current strategies for managing symptoms are not always effective and can lead to unpleasant side effects. This is driving demand for more effective biotic-based solutions like prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and—more recently—butyrate.
• New clinical research, supported by dsm-firmenich and published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, is the first to explore the benefits of combining a previously tested synbiotic with butyrate for IBS, showing significant symptom relief in just four weeks.
• Keep reading to unpack the key findings with the senior author of the study and discover how this research could pave the way for more convenient and effective options for managing IBS symptoms.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders, affecting up to 20% of the global population of adults, depending on the region and diagnostic criteria.^1,2,3 This prevalent condition can greatly impact quality of life and is characterized by abdominal discomfort, including cramping, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation. To better support people suffering from IBS, research behind the role of biotic-based solutions for alleviating IBS symptoms—especially synbiotics (combinations of pre- and probiotics) and the microencapsulated short chain fatty acid butyrate—is growing.

To build on this evidence, new clinical science from the Medical University of Lodz in Poland published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine has explored, for the first time, the potential benefits of combining synbiotics with microencapsulated butyrate for IBS support in adults.⁴ We sat down with the senior author of the study—Dr. Robert E. Steinert, HNC Principal Scientist at dsm-firmenich—to explore what inspired this research, unpack the key findings, and discuss what these fresh insights could mean for the future of IBS management (and beyond).

1. Why is IBS research so important?

“IBS is a highly prevalent and often lifelong condition. There are several ways that individuals can improve their symptoms like eating a healthy diet, exercising, or avoiding triggers like alcohol and foods high in FODMAPs (a collection of short-chain carbohydrates that can trigger symptoms in people with IBS). However, there is currently no single solution that works for everyone with IBS.⁵ What’s more, muscle relaxers, antidiarrheal drugs, and laxatives are commonly used to help manage IBS symptoms, but can result in unpleasant side effects when used long-term.⁶ As such, there is an exciting opportunity to expand options for individuals suffering from IBS, opening the door to more convenient and efficient solutions.”

2. What inspired this new study and how does it build on previous IBS research?

“IBS can be very frustrating to live with and it can have a big impact on everyday life, preventing people from socializing, exercising, or trying new activities for fear of a flare-up. Finding more effective strategies to help people manage their symptoms is what has really inspired our latest research, as this is key to improving quality of life for IBS sufferers.

“To date, we still do not fully understand why some people develop IBS. Several factors that could trigger the disease include altered intestinal movements, food hypersensitivity, genetics, dysbiotic intestinal microbiota, and impairment of the bidirectional communication pathways between the gut, its microbiota, and the central nervous system—also referred to as the gut–brain axis.⁶ Given these possible causes, it is therefore likely that the intestinal microbiome is involved in the development of IBS.⁷

“To investigate this further, there has been a surge in research exploring whether microbiome-modulating solutions can support individuals suffering from IBS, like those featuring prebiotics, probiotics or synbiotics (a combination of pre- and probiotics). This is something that the team here at dsm-firmenich, together with our collaborators, is particularly excited about. In fact, research driven by dsm-firmenich has previously demonstrated the efficacy of a synbiotic preparation in relieving IBS symptoms.⁸

“Short chain fatty acids are also emerging as a potential solution to alleviate IBS issues, as they are important for maintaining intestinal balance.⁹ Butyrate in particular seems to play a key role in supporting gastrointestinal health by preventing dysbiosis, protecting the gut barrier, and modulating the immune system and the gut–brain axis, mechanisms that are all relevant to IBS.^10,11 However, the benefits of combining butyrate with dsm-firmenich’s proven synbiotic mix have not been explored in clinical research—until now.”

3. Can you walk us through the design of the new study?

“To explore the potential benefits of combing synbiotics with microencapsulated butyrate, dsm-firmenich supported a new randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study investigating the effects of probiotic mixture (1 x 10⁹ CFU), small amounts of the prebiotic short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOSs) (64 mg), and microencapsulated sodium butyrate (300 mg) in 120 adults with IBS.⁵

“The probiotics included Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactocaseibacillus rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium lactis, the latter two of which were sourced from our Humiome® biotics portfolio. Participants took two capsules daily—either the biotic supplement or a placebo—one 30 minutes after breakfast and one after dinner for a total of 12 weeks. To find out how the biotics performed, data was collected from the participants via several questionnaires and measurements of selected inflammatory cytokines.”

4. What were the main findings from the trial?

“Overall, the findings revealed noteworthy improvements in the biotic group compared to the placebo group. At just four weeks, significantly more adults in the biotic group (64.7%) reported relief from IBS symptoms compared to the placebo group (42%), as shown in figure 1. A similar trend was also observed at weeks eight and 12.

Figure 1. Graph shows the proportion of participants reporting adequate relief of IBS symptoms, based on the IBS-Adequate Relief (IBS-AR) questionnaire, in the biotic and placebo groups at weeks 4, 8, and 12.

“Also at 12 weeks, considerably fewer adults in the biotic group (5.9%) described ‘worsening of symptoms’ versus placebo (16%), further highlighting the benefits of the biotic supplement on alleviating IBS symptoms. Furthermore, individuals in the biotic group recorded a significant reduction in ‘urgency to defecate’ at 12 weeks, a symptom of IBS that can be very uncomfortable and possibly lead to social anxiety.”

5. What do these findings mean for people living with IBS?

“This exciting clinical science from the Medical University of Lodz highlights a new safe, fast, and effective pathway for managing gastrointestinal symptoms of IBS through a unique mix of high-quality and science-backed synbiotics plus microencapsulated butyrate. As IBS varies between individuals, having more management options means that a larger proportion of people are likely to find a solution that works for them.

“Moreover, not only have we proven that this biotic plus microencapsulated butyrate supplement is effective, but it’s convenient too. By adding butyrate to the synbiotic preparation, lower dosages of probiotics and scFOS were able to be used without compromising the effectiveness of the supplement. By reducing these dosages, this enabled the supplement to be delivered in a convenient capsule format, as opposed to sachets.”

6. What’s next for IBS and wider health from the gut research?

“Looking ahead, we are eager to understand the effects of this unique biotic mixture across the four subtypes of IBS, which are IBS with predominant constipation (IBS-C), IBS with predominant diarrhea (IBS-D), IBS with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M), and unclassified IBS (IBS-U). This could open the door to more tailored, effective strategies for symptom management. To help brands get ahead in this space, our Humiome®-powered product concepts are ready-to-go—enabling the creation of science-backed solutions designed to elevate the health of individuals living with IBS.

“Beyond IBS, we are also advancing research across our broader Health from the Gut platform. We’re investigating how our Humiome® probiotics, postbiotics, and multi-ingredient custom solutions—including biotics and vitamins delivered via Microbiome Targeted Technology™—can address other high-interest health areas like the brain-gut axis. We’re only scratching the surface of biotic-based research, so watch this space to find out what we discover next.”