Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

An excellent review article (see first reference below) on prebiotics, probiotics and SIBO by a well-known GI researchers concluded "Probiotics appear, therefore, to possess a number of properties that could be of benefit in bacterial overgrowth and intestinal failure; their introduction into the therapeutic armamentarium, however, must await the results of well-conducted clinical trials as are performed for poorly absorbed antibiotics."

A recent study on a small number (18) of IBS patients found the probiotic Lactobacillus casei might have had some benefit but the trial was too small to draw any firm conclusions (see second reference).

Not all probiotics contain dairy. You have to read the ingredients label. Those that do contain dairy usually contain a very small amount and for many people it will not pose any problems. You might have to try them to find out. However, probiotics can also contain other things such as FOS which can be problematic for those with fructose malabsorption problems.

References
Quigley, E. M. M. and R. Quera, 2006: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth: Roles of antibiotics, prebiotics and probiotics . Gastroenterology, 130, S78-S90

Barrett, J. S., K. E. Canale, R. B. Gearry, P. M. Irving, and P. R. Gibson, 2008: Probiotic effects on intestinal fermentation patterns in patients with irritable bowel syndrome . World Journal of Gastroenterology, 14, 5020-5024.

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