H. Pylori and BB12 – Stability During Eradication
H. Pylori? What’s that?
Helicobacter pylori, often simply called H. pylori, is a common type of bacteria that can live in the stomach. Typically it spreads from person to person via direct human contact, so it’s not unusual for members of the same household to have it.
For many people it causes no problems, and can sit dormant without ever causing any symptoms. But for others this isn’t the case. Some severe symptoms of H. Pylori infection can include bloating and nausea on the milder end, and on the more severe end vomiting blood and even gastric ulcers have been known to occur!
Typically H. Pylori infection is fought with a very intensive course of antibiotics called eradication therapy, often over a period of 14 days or so. Even with such an intensive treatment H. Pylori is tough to fight off, with most doctors recommending testing afterwards to make sure it’s really gone.
As you can imagine, such a strong course of antibiotics, whilst necessary, can be very disruptive to your gut.
So how does BB12 come into it?
BB12 has been studied very extensively in fighting H. Pylori infection. Researchers have explored how this well-known live culture, often combined with Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5, can help to support balance and comfort during H. pylori treatment and beyond, both encouraging stability but actually fighting the bacteria itself as well.
Across seven human clinical studies, including several large, randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trials involving hundreds of participants, BB-12 has repeatedly been shown to support higher H. pylori eradication success when used alongside standard medical treatment. It also has helped reduce common digestive side effects associated with antibiotics and promote faster restoration of natural gut bacteria after therapy.
Let’s have a look at how this powerful little microbe cand support treatment for this infection…
So what does the research show?
Here are just a few areas within H. Pylori therapy that BB12 has been studied in…
Improved treatment success and gut recovery
In one double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 160 adults, those who received standard H. pylori therapy along with a yogurt containing BB-12 and LA-5 achieved a 91% treatment success rate, compared to 78% in the group who received medication alone. Researchers also found that only the BB-12 group successfully restored healthy Bifidobacterium levels in the gut afterwards. This is important as not only did BB12 lead to a higher success in recovery, but it helped the gut rebuild after the fighting was over!
A second high-quality RCT involving 138 adults who had not responded to initial antibiotic therapy found similar results. After taking BB-12® and LA-5® daily for four weeks before retrying treatment, eradication rates rose from 71% to 85%. This again shows that BB12 can help to boost the effectiveness of treatment in this area, even in people whose treatment was unsuccessful first time around.
These studies are particularly meaningful because they included hundreds of adults, and were held to RCT standards, giving strong confidence in the results.
Helping calm the stomach naturally
In another controlled trial involving 70 adults who carried H. pylori but weren’t taking antibiotics, a yogurt containing BB-12 and LA-5 was consumed twice daily for six weeks by 59 adults, with 11 adults remaining as the control. The results showed a highly significant reduction in H. pylori activity (P < 0.0001), meaning the bacteria became much less active. Laboratory work from the same study also revealed that BB-12 could directly inhibit H. pylori, highlighting its natural interaction with the stomach environment.
This is very encouraging as it directly suggests that BB12 can take the fight straight to the infection, working alongside the antibiotics, and not just mitigating the side effects of them.
Greater tolerance of antibiotic therapy
A separate double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 88 adults receiving H. pylori treatment found that those who took a fermented milk drink containing BB-12 and LA-5 experienced shorter episodes of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, just 4 days on average, compared with 10 days for those taking a control product.
All participants saw some reduction in H. pylori activity, but the BB12 group saw a considerable reduction in diarrhoea, with a further reduction in gastrointestinal pain scores. This shows that as well as helping to eradicate the H. Pylori in the first place, BB12 also helped to reduce the impact of the antibiotics on the gut.
Consistent results across large populations
When data from multiple studies were combined in a meta-analysis including more than 300 adults undergoing H. pylori eradication therapy, researchers found that using BB-12 (with LA-5) alongside medication more than doubled the odds of successful eradication and cut the risk of side effects by around 70%!
Even when BB-12 wasn’t used as part of antibiotic therapy but on its own, studies consistently showed that it could help calm the stomach, reduce unwanted side effects such as diarrhoea, and directly impact the H. Pylori itself with increased eradication rates.
So how does this apply to me?
If you’ve ever been prescribed antibiotics for H. pylori, and been unfortunate enough to suffer from this infection, you’ll know how harsh both this bacteria and those treatments can be on the digestive system. The research on BB-12 provides a clear picture: adding it alongside antibiotics can make treatment more effective, mitigate the side effects, and help rebuild your gut microbiome after the fighting is over.
In multiple large clinical studies people who took BB-12 alongside their prescribed treatment not only had better eradication success but also fewer side effects and quicker recovery of their gut’s natural balance.
For anyone who is unfortunate enough to suffer from this infection, there is very promising research to suggest that BB12 can offer a very real helping hand to ensuring that treatment goes smoothly, and increasing the odds of success first time around.
References (the science) – Don’t just take our word for it:
1. Sheu, B.S. et al. (2002) ‘Impact of supplement with Lactobacillus- and Bifidobacterium-containing yogurt on triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication’, Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 16(9), pp. 1669–1675. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2036.2002.01335.x. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12197847/
- Wang, K.Y., et al. (2004). Effect of consuming yogurt containing Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5® and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12® on the Helicobacter pylori infection. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 80(3), 737–741. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/80.3.737
- Sheu, B.S., et al. (2006). Pretreatment with yogurt containing Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5® and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12® improves eradication of resistant Helicobacter pylori. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(4), 864–869. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/83.4.864
4. de Vrese, M. et al. (2011) ‘Probiotic lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in a fermented milk product with added fruit preparation reduce antibiotic associated diarrhea and Helicobacter pylori activity’, Journal of Dairy Research, 78(4), pp. 396–403. doi: 10.1017/S002202991100063X. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21871144/
5. Gorelov, A.V., Andreeva, I.V., Zakharenko, S.M. and Sinopalnikov, A.I. (2024) ‘The use of probiotics containing a combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 strains: Meta-analysis of efficacy in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and in Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy’, Therapy, 9(10), pp. 74–82. doi: 10.18565/therapy.2023.10.74–82. Available at: https://journals.eco-vector.com/2412-4036/article/view/626279/en_US
