Effect of Saccharomyces boulardii on Eradication of H. pylori Infection

Standard therapies for Helicobacter pylori infection are weakening in effectiveness as antibiotic resistance grows. One suggested approach to improving the efficacy of antibiotic therapies is through supplementation with probiotics, which has shown some initially promising results. Researchers have now augmented a prior meta-analysis with new studies of supplementation with a single probiotic, Saccharomyces boulardii, a nonpathogenic yeast, for the eradication of H. pylori.

Nine studies comprising 2200 participants were selected for analysis, including two studies comprising 330 children. Studies were of varying methodological quality. The pooled results showed a statistically significant but clinically minimal improvement in H. pylori eradi…