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Our Research

Lab4 Probiotics have to date been subject to more than 35 probiotic clinical trials supported by continuous in vitro and in vivo studies. These studies cover a broader range of conditions than any other multi-strain probiotic consortia* in the world, including IBS, immunity, allergy, athletic performance, cognitive function, antibiotics and weight loss. 

Lab4 Probiotics Research 

More than 100 papers/PhDs published on Lab4 and/or the microbiome 

35+

Clinical Trials

10+

PhD Programmes

8+

In Vivo Publications

20+

In Vitro Publications

Research at a Glance

 

Lab4

Lab4B

Lab4P

Lab4S

Safety Assessment

 

 

Gut Health

 

 

 

 

IBS

 

 

 

Intestinal permeability

 

 

 

Gut symptoms/Bowel habits

 

 

Gut microbiota preservation

 

 

Antibiotics

 

 

 

 

Antibiotic prescription

 

 

 

Antibiotic resistance

 

 

Allergy

 

 

 

 

Atopic eczema

 

 

 

Atopic sensitisation

 

 

 

Immune Health

 

 

 

 

URTI

 

 

Immune response

 

 

 

Metabolic Health

 

 

 

 

Weight management

 

 

 

sdLDL cholesterol

 

 

 

Mental Health

 

 

 

 

Anxiety, depression in IBS

 

 

 

Anxiety/Cognitive function

 

 

 

Quality of Life

 

 

Athletic Performance

 

 

 

 

Race time

 

 

 

Energy utilisation

 

 

 

Metabolic perturbation

 

 

 

Timeline of Publications

Lab4

1998

Lab4 Probiotic consortium developed & introduced commercially

1999

First Clinical Trial using Lab4 conducted

2004

The Cambridge Clostridium difficile Study

Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that showed supplementation with Lab4 Probiotics can reduce the incidence of antibiotic associated Clostridium difficile diarrhoea in hospitalised patients.

2005

The Cambridge Probiotic/Antibiotic Trial 1

Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that Lab4 Probiotics supplementation alongside antibiotic therapy reduced the overgrowth of undesirable and potentially harmful bacteria both during and following antibiotic therapy.

The Cambridge Probiotic/Antibiotic Trial 2

Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that Lab4 Probiotics supplementation alongside antibiotic therapy reduces the extent of gut microbiota disruption AND reduces the level of antibiotic resistance in the ‘re-growth’ microbiota.

2008

The Sheffield IBS Trial

Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that showed Lab4 Probiotics significantly reduced total symptoms and improved quality of life in diagnosed IBS sufferers. Continued supplementation was considered necessary to sustain this improvement.

2009

The Cardiff Tracking Study

This study used the colony fingerprint technique (RAPD) to track probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus CUL21 (from Lab4) and Lactobacillus salivarius CUL61 (from Lab4B) and showed that they remained viable and can be ‘tracked’ through the gut passage during probiotic consumption by healthy volunteers.

2010

The Swansea ‘Safety in Newborns’

This study confirms that the use of Lab4B Probiotics is perfectly safe for mums-to-be and their healthy newborn babies.

2013

The Cambridge IBS Study

This study showed that supplementation with Lab4 Probiotics prior to and alongside antibiotics may provide protection against overgrowth by yeasts in IBS sufferers.

The Adult Immune Response Study

This study examined the effect of a 12-week Lab4 Probiotics and fructooligosaccharide (FOS, prebiotic fibre) supplementation on ex-vivo pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells extracted from healthy volunteers, showing potential immunomodulatory benefits.

2014

The Swansea Baby Study

This large randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria administered to pregnant women and infants aged 0-6 months prevented atopic sensitisation and atopic eczema.

The Keele Study

This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed the benefit of Lab4 Probiotics for cognitive function in healthy adults, showing improvements in ‘trait anxiety and ‘continuity of attention’.

Running to Exhaustion Study

This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study showed that four weeks of Lab4-based multi-strain probiotic supplementation significantly increased running time to exhaustion in hot environmental conditions.

2015

The ProChild Study

This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that Lab4 Probiotics in combination with vitamin C significantly reduced the incidence and duration of both coughs and colds, and absenteeism from school.

2016

The Hertfordshire Study

This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that Lab4 Probiotics with fibre alone or in combination with antioxidants protect athletes from gut disturbances during endurance training and improve their race finishing times.

2017

The Ultra Marathon Endurance Study

This study showed that Lab4 Probiotics supplementation improved runners’ completion time during the ultra-marathon.

2019

The Marathon Endurance Study

This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that supplementation with Lab4 Probiotics protects endurance runners from gut disturbances during a marathon race and may help to maintain running pace during the latter stages of racing.

2020

The Promagen Study

This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that supplementation of overweight and obese adults with Lab4P Probiotics for 6 months resulted in a significant reduction in body weight in the participants with no diet or lifestyle restrictions. In addition, the incidence of URTI symptoms decreased significantly and the reported Quality of Life improved in response to the probiotics.

The Cycling Endurance Study

This randomised, couple-blind, placebo-controlled endurance study showed that supplementation with Lab4 Probiotics increases total carbohydrate oxidation during endurance cycling, whilst fat oxidation is reduced.

2021

The Probe Study

This randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled study showed that supplementation with Lab4P Probiotics for nine months resulted in a significant reduction in body weight in overweight adults aged 45-65 without any lifestyle restrictions. 40% of participants reached the desirable annual 5% weight loss shown to be beneficial for health and wellbeing. The findings of this second study with Lab4P Probiotics support the outcomes of the previous Promagen study.

The ProChild-2 Study

This second randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study undertaken over six months with pre-school and school-age children, showed that Lab4 Probiotics in combination with low dose vitamin C reduced the incidence of coughing and sore throats, as well as absence from school and antibiotic use. To our knowledge, this is the first time two probiotic studies (ProChild and ProChild-2) with the same intervention for the same duration showed a beneficial effect in the management of URTIs in children attending school.

The Promagen Study: Viral Pandemic Link?

This further analysis of the Promagen Study investigated the impact of Lab4P Probiotics on the occurrence of specific upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and their relationship with age, BMI and gut microbiota diversity. It showed that supplementation of overweight and obese adults with Lab4P Probiotics for six months resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of specific URTI symptoms, with greatest benefit in individuals aged 45 years and over and/or with BMI over 30. Lab4P Probiotics demonstrated a protective role in preventing changes in gut microbiota composition in the older participants who developed URTI symptoms.

The Marathon Endurance Study: Metabolites

This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that Lab4 Probiotics supplementation can lessen the significant change in the metabolome (serum metabolites) induced by running a marathon.

2023

The ProChild-2 Study: Antibiotic Prescriptions

This secondary analysis of the multi-centre randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled ProChild-2 study showed that a combination of Lab4 Probiotics and low dose vitamin C presents a promising and cost-effective approach to reducing the need for antibiotic prescriptions in children.

The Probiotics & Healthy Adult Study

This post hoc analysis of a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial showed that healthy adults can benefit from daily probiotic intake and Lab4 Probiotics showed the most beneficial effects on gastrointestinal symptoms and bowel habits.

2024

The ProChild & ProChild-2 Studies: Preschool children

This pooled analysis of data from two studies (ProChild and ProChild-2) confirmed the beneficial effects of Lab4 Probiotics with low dose vitamin C on preventing cough and cold symptoms and reducing absenteeism, GP visits and antibiotic usage among preschool children.

The IBS in Women Study

This double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study confirmed the beneficial effects of Lab4 Probiotics on IBS symptoms in women aged 18 to 40 years. It is the second study to confirm the benefits of Lab4 Probiotics supplementation in the management of IBS.

Antibiotics and Gut Microbiome Study

This double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study showed that the combination of Lab4 Probiotics and Saccharomyces boulardii alongside antibiotic treatment may help to reduce antibiotic-associated disturbances by protecting against loss of microbial diversity and lowering antibiotic resistance in the re-growth microbiota.

For further information on our research, please contact us at info@lab4probiotics.co.uk 

*more than two probiotic strains