The Beneficial Effects on the Intestinal Function of a Food Supplement Based on an Extract of Green Tea and a Pool of Probiotics in Subjects With Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Predominance of Constipation

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

food supplement based on a mixture of green tea extract and a pool of probiotics.: two capsules of food supplement (verum) or placebo, daily for 56 consecutive days. The daily consumption of the food supplement provides: green tea extract (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze - folium) 300 mg, as a green capsule, and a pool of probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus LRH020 2x10\^9 UFC, Bifidobacterium lactis BL050 2x10\^9 UFC, Lactobacillus plantarum PBS067 2x10\^9 UFC), as a white capsule.

Placebo: 1 capsule/day of maltodextrin (500 mg) with a green shell, and 1 capsule/day of maltodextrin (500 mg) with a white shell for 56 days. The two colours are applied to maintain the binding.

Study summary

The study will aim to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of a food supplement, based on a green tea extract (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze - folium) and a pool of probiotics (L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus and B. animalis subsp. lactis), in the management of gastrointestinal distress in the general population and in subjects with IBS in the predominant form of IBS-C, with an impact on quality of life.

The primary outcome is the overall improvement of perceived gastrointestinal symptoms in subjects with IBS in the predominant form of IBS-C; than the secondary outcomes are the 1) assessment of the impact of constipation on perceived quality of life in the last 4 weeks, 2) effectiveness in improving stool consistency, 3) effectiveness of the frequency of bowel movements, 4) efficacy with respect to the frequency and intensity of the characteristic symptoms of IBS, 5) effectiveness of the decrease in frequency in the use of salvage treatments 6) efficacy against abdominal pain to be evaluated separately from intestinal discomfort 7) evaluation of the reduction of intestinal inflammatory status through the analysis of fecal inflammatory markers Calprotectin and Zonulin and 8) probiotic colonization rate, improving the quality of life of the subjects affected by IBS-C.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Efficacy of the food supplement in the overall improvement of perceived gastrointestinal symptoms. — [Time frame: baseline (t0), day 28 (t28d), day 56 (t56d), day 84 (t84d)]
  Validated questionnaire for self-assessment of the severity of global gastrointestinal symptomatology characterizing IBS, IBS Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS). The questionnaire consists of 5 items referring to: abdominal pain, bowel dysfunction and general well-being. It is commonly used as an outcome measure in clinical efficacy trials, due to its high sensitivity following treatment. The total score obtained allows to determine the severity of global gastrointestinal symptoms, whether IBS-related symptoms are mild, moderate or severe and whether, following treatment, there is an improvement in global symptoms in the treated group compared to the placebo group.

Trial sites (1)