Several studies have noted symptom improvement in IBS sufferers taking probiotic supplements. Symptoms that improved included abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhoea/constipation. And some studies have noted no symptom improvement.

If MAP is a major cause of IBS, why would probiotics improve symptoms? A study by Donaghy JA and colleagues, found that specific probiotic strains (Lb. paracasei isolates) inhibited MAP growth in milk, and they concluded that the possibility exists for “their use as biotherapeutic agents in the gastro-intestinal tract”.

I’m proposing that MAP causes disease by attaching itself to a host's gut lining and fermenting a wide-range of sugars to produce enough organic acid(s) at low ph to burn the gut lining. Indeed, a significant number of studies have noted worsening IBS symptoms with various quantities of sugar consumption. And, conversely, a number of studies have noted symptom improvement on sugar restricted diets. Also, patient sugar consumption may explain why some probiotic studies failed to note symptom improvement.

If MAP causes IBS and MAP’s disease-causing is mechanism is acid production, combining a clinically-effective probiotic formula with a low-carb diet may be the most effective way to treat irritable bowel syndrome. A future study could test such a dietary/probiotic regimen.