Synbiotic Supplementation With Heyndrickxia coagulans TBC169 Improves Chronic Constipation in Middle-Aged and Elderly
An RCT with 140 participants found that a synbiotic containing H. coagulans TBC169 plus dietary fibers improved constipation outcomes compared to dietary fiber alone.
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What the study showed
The synbiotic group showed increased weekly bowel movements, higher Bristol Stool Scale scores, and reduced Wexner and PAC-QOL scores versus fiber-only controls. Post-intervention microbiota profiling revealed greater diversity indices and higher relative abundance of Blautia, Akkermansia, Faecalibacterium, and Bacillus, with lower Collinsella abundance. The authors explicitly flag microbiota findings as exploratory due to the absence of baseline fecal samples.
How it was done
Randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial enrolling 140 participants aged ≥45 years with chronic constipation; intervention group received H. coagulans TBC169 plus dietary fibers, control group received dietary fibers alone.
Risk of bias
No baseline fecal samples were collected, preventing causal attribution of microbiota changes to the intervention. Study duration, absolute effect sizes, and post-intervention follow-up are not reported in the abstract.
What this study does NOT prove
The study does not prove that observed microbiota changes were caused by the synbiotic or that benefits persist after discontinuation.
In clinical practice
Results are preliminarily favorable as an adjunct intervention for chronic constipation in older adults, but mechanistic conclusions are not supported. This single trial is insufficient to change clinical practice.
Limitations
No baseline fecal samples were collected, preventing causal attribution of microbiota changes to the intervention. Study duration, absolute effect sizes, and post-intervention follow-up are not reported in the abstract.
Technical appendix
Version history
- 1.0 · 2026-07-07 — Auto-generated under Evidence Standard v1.0
Paid access: structured summary from public metadata; consult the original study at the source.