Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common but complex functional gastrointestinal disorder affecting around 10% of the population. Characterized by recurrent abdominal pain, bloating, and irregular bowel habits, IBS significantly impairs patients’ quality of life and imposes a notable burden on healthcare systems. While its etiology remains multifactorial and not fully understood, disturbances in gut microbiota have emerged as a key contributing factor.

Probiotic and synbiotic interventions—the latter combining beneficial bacteria with prebiotics to enhance microbial growth—have gained traction in IBS research. Among these, balanced multi-strain synbiotics, which avoid dominance by any single bacterial strain, have shown particular promise.

A recent clinical investigation, the ViIBS trial, evaluated such a synbiotic in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled format across multiple primary care centers in Poland. The 12-week treatment demonstrated significant improvement in symptom severity (IBS-SSS), global symptom perception (IBS-GIS), and patient-reported adequate relief (IBS-AR) compared to placebo.

Six months post-intervention, a cross-sectional follow-up assessed long-term patient behavior and symptom patterns. Key objectives included:

• Determining patient willingness to return for follow-up;

• Evaluating continued synbiotic use;

• Re-assessing symptom severity and diagnosis status using standardized tools.

Despite inherent limitations in observational designs—including recall bias and lack of causality—this follow-up provided valuable insight. It highlighted patient interest in non-pharmacological IBS management and informed the feasibility of longer-term probiotic studies.

The ViIBS findings support the potential of balanced multi-strain synbiotics as a viable adjunctive treatment for IBS. Continued research is needed, particularly around accessibility and sustained efficacy in real-world settings.

For more information about this topic, you can view the online video entitled "IBS Patients 6 Months Post-ViIBS".