Some probiotics could ease fatigue and pain in people with multiple sclerosis, according to a review of clinical trials involving nearly 300 adults.

Researchers from Malaga’s IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND and the University of Malaga, working with Spain’s cardiovascular research network CIBERCV, pooled the results of randomised trials comparing probiotics with a placebo. The review was published in Clinical Nutrition.

Across the trials, people who took probiotics reported greater improvements in fatigue and pain than those who took a placebo.

Researchers also found reductions in some markers of inflammation.

The analysis found no significant improvements in neurological disability, depression or broader measures of mental health.

The findings add to research into how gut microbes interact with the immune system and the brain.

People with MS can have a different mix of gut microbes, and the researchers want to understand whether changes in those communities help explain the shifts they saw in inflammatory markers.

The trials tested different products for different lengths of time.

Most included strains of Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, while some used yeasts or combined probiotics with prebiotics.

The researchers also noted that all the trials took place in the same region, which makes it harder to know whether the findings would hold in populations with different diets and lifestyles.

The team called for larger trials in Spain and elsewhere in Europe to test whether specific probiotic formulations could help manage fatigue and pain alongside standard MS treatment.

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