Bifidobacterium longum
Bifidobacterium longum is a bacterial species that lives naturally in the human gut and is used in probiotic products. Effects can depend on the specific strain.
What did the constipation trials find?
The two trials below are useful precisely because their findings differ. One tested a live probiotic in older patients; the other tested a heat-killed preparation in otherwise healthy people prone to constipation. 1 2
The CLA8013 study was funded by Biofermin, and several authors were company employees. That commercial involvement is another reason independent replication would be useful. 2
In the four-week BB536 trial, 79 older patients completed follow-up. The main overall constipation score did not improve significantly versus placebo, although stool frequency did. That supports a narrower finding than broad constipation relief. 1
The CLA8013 trial analyzed 104 participants after two weeks. Bowel frequency increased more with the heat-killed preparation than with placebo; the reported study amount was 25 billion heat-killed organisms daily. This short trial does not establish the same benefit for live B. longum products. 2
Does that make it a general remedy for a sensitive gut?
IQWiG finds that probiotics can ease irritable bowel symptoms for some people, but the best bacteria and doses remain uncertain. That broader evidence cannot identify every B. longum product as effective. 3 4
Other proposed benefits
This profile does not assess B. longum for brain fog, mental energy, immune support, diarrhea or inflammatory bowel disease.
Effects by health goal
Open an effect to see the studies behind its rating. Bars show the size of the effect; the letter grades the evidence.
Gut Health4 effects
No study is linked to this rating.
No study is linked to this rating.
Immune Support1 effect
Cognition2 effects
No study is linked to this rating.
Other effects3 effects
All studies
11 publications are linked to Bifidobacterium longum, newest first.
Sources
- Usefulness of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 in Elderly Individuals With Chronic Constipation: A Randomized Controlled Trial American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2023 · Study record
- Effects of Bifidobacterium longum CLA8013 on bowel movement improvement: a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study Bioscience of Microbiota, Food and Health, 2023 · Study record
- Probiotics: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals NIH Office of Dietary Supplements