The Real-world Experience of Bimuno: Insights from the Real World Evidence Study

Understanding Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is thought to affect more than 40% of the global population, making it the most commonly diagnosed functional gastrointestinal disorder worldwide (Sperber et al., 2020). Characterised by symptoms such as abdominal pain, flatulence, bloating and either diarrhoea or constipation or an alternating mix of the two, IBS can severely impact patient quality of life and place an economic burden on healthcare systems (Sperber et al., 2020). There is no current known cure for IBS, and treatment is centred around dietary interventions and lifestyle practices to manage the condition and improve patient's quality of life.

IBS is considered a disorder of the gut-brain axis, which describes the communication between microbes residing in the gut, the brain and the enteric nervous system. Due to the far-reaching capabilities of the gut-brain axis, it has the ability to affect many areas of health, including emotional and cognitive capabilities, immune system function and hormone health (Agustí et al., 2018). As such, any disruptions to this network, such as changes in the composition of the gut microbiota and a reduction in the concentration of beneficial bacteria could lead to the onset of conditions such as IBS and other adverse health effects, such as anxiety, pain and sleep disturbances.

Sleep, in particular, is a key area that is currently being explored in relation to the gut microbiome. Research has shown that the gut microbiome is critical for maintaining normal sleep physiology and any disruptions to a balanced composition can lead to sleep disturbances (Han et al., 2022). This also applies vice versa; sleep disturbances and abnormal sleep patterns can disrupt the gut microbiome through changes in the functioning of the gut-brain axis (Han et al., 2022).

Whilst controlled studies have been conducted in patients with IBS to assess the correlation between IBS symptoms and sleep disturbances (Duan et al., 2018), and these are critical for laying the foundations for robust scientific evidence, the outcomes of these studies may not be an accurate representation of what is seen in a real-life setting.

As such, our recent study in collaboration with the Primary Care Society for Gastroenterology (PCSG) aimed to evaluate patient’s experiences of using our prebiotic, Bimuno, outside of an ideal, controlled setting, with a particular focus on gastrointestinal health and sleep. The intention of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of the motivations behind the use of Bimuno and the self-reported effects on key health parameters, such as gastrointestinal health and sleep disturbances.

The Real-world Experience of Bimuno

Out of the 1170 Bimuno users, more than 1 in 3 indicated a diagnosis or a self-diagnosis of IBS and a similar number of participants had sleep disturbances, with general stomach discomfort and indigestion (33%) and sleep (26%) reported as the primary motivators for using Bimuno. The biggest relative improvement was seen in those who use Bimuno for sleep-related issues and 53% of users reported that they felt their improvements were related to Bimuno.

Of those using Bimuno for bloating and stomach issues, 64% felt Bimuno was useful in the management of their symptoms, and of IBS sufferers, 62% rated Bimuno positively. As a result of these changes, there was also an overall improvement in quality-of-life scores.

Our Real-World Evidence research demonstrates the real-life impact that positive modulation of the gut microbiota with prebiotics, such as Bimuno, can have on key parameters of health and wellbeing, whilst also highlighting the important role real-world evidence data plays in complementing the findings from controlled studies and in understanding the practical effects of prebiotics outside of a controlled clinical setting. You can read the full open-access article in The Digest here.

 

References

Agustí, A., García-Pardo, M.P., López-Almela, I., Campillo, I., Maes, M., Romaní-Pérez, M. and Sanz, Y. (2018). Interplay Between the Gut-Brain Axis, Obesity and Cognitive Function. Frontiers in Neuroscience, [online] 12. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2018.00155/full

Chlebicz-Wójcik, A. and Śliżewska, K. (2021). Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics in the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment: A Review. Biomolecules, [online] 11(8), p.1154. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/11/8/1154.

Grover, M., Kolla, B.P., Pamarthy, R., Mansukhani, M.P., Breen-Lyles, M., He, J.-P. and Merikangas, K.R. (2021). Psychological, physical, and sleep comorbidities and functional impairment in irritable bowel syndrome: Results from a national survey of U.S. adults. PLOS ONE, [online] 16(1), p.e0245323. Available at:

Duan, L., Wang, B. and Duan, R. (2018). Prevalence of sleep disorder in irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology, [online] 24(3), p.141. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5985632/.

Han, M., Yuan, S. and Zhang, J. (2022). The interplay between sleep and gut microbiota. Brain Research Bulletin, [online] 180, pp.131–146. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0361923021003610.

Harper, A., Naghibi, M. and Garcha, D. (2018). The Role of Bacteria, Probiotics and Diet in Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Foods, [online] 7(2), p.13. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/7/2/13

Liu, Y., Wang, J. and Wu, C. (2022). Modulation of Gut Microbiota and Immune System by Probiotics, Pre-biotics, and Post-biotics. Frontiers in Nutrition, [online] 8. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.634897/full.

Sperber, A.D., Bangdiwala, S.I., Drossman, D.A., Ghoshal, U.C., Simren, M., Tack, J., Whitehead, W.E., Dumitrascu, D.L., Fang, X., Fukudo, S., Kellow, J., Okeke, E., Quigley, E.MM., Schmulson, M., Whorwell, P., Archampong, T., Adibi, P., Andresen, V., Benninga, M.A. and Bonaz, B. (2020). Worldwide Prevalence and Burden of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, Results of Rome Foundation Global Study. Gastroenterology, [online] 160(1). Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001650852030487X./p>