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Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus subtilis (DE111 / R0179)

Shelf-stable spore-forming probiotic with promising but still-preliminary human GI and immune data

Preliminary evidence 🦠Probiotics🛡️Gut & Immune

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Preliminary
Research weight
Citations
9 verified / 9
Classification
Probiotics
❝
What the evidence says. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive.

What is Bacillus subtilis?

Bacillus subtilis (Bacillus subtilis (DE111 / R0179)) is a probiotic strain used for reduces days of vomiting and hard stools / occasional gi discomfort in young children (de111, 1 billion cfu/day). NutriDex grades the human evidence as Preliminary. Bacillus subtilis is a spore-forming probiotic whose acid-resistant spores survive gastric transit; both DE111 and R0179 designations have been shown in human RCTs to reach and germinate in the small intestine and to be well tolerated. The strongest data are for digestive comfort: in a 2021 RCT of 102 daycare children, DE111 (1 billion CFU/day x 8 weeks) reduced days of vomiting and hard stools versus placebo. In healthy adults, a 2021 pilot RCT (n=44) found DE111 enhanced regulatory T-cell responses but left most GI symptom and inflammation markers largely unchanged, and a 2015 R0179 dose-ranging trial (n=81) confirmed tolerability and GI survival without persistent microbiota shifts. Overall the human evidence is positive but small and pilot-grade — no large meta-analyses yet exist for these specific strains.

Purported Benefits

✓Reduces days of vomiting and hard stools / occasional GI discomfort in young children (DE111, 1 billion CFU/day)
✓Eases occasional constipation and diarrhea / improves daily bowel-movement profile in healthy adults
✓Enhances regulatory immune responses (increased CD25+/FoxP3+ Tregs after LPS challenge) in healthy adults (DE111)
✓Survives gastric transit and germinates in the small intestine (spore-based delivery; DE111, R0179)
✓May improve body-fat percentage when combined with resistance training in female athletes (DE111, 5 billion CFU/day)
✓May attenuate circulating pro-inflammatory TNF-alpha in trained athletes (DE111)

Evidence by outcome

The same supplement can be well-proven for one use and unproven for another — here is the human evidence graded outcome by outcome.

OutcomeEvidenceEffectStudies
Reduces GI discomfort (vomiting, hard stools) in young childrenSingle 102-child RCT of DE111 showed fewer days of vomiting/hard stools; not yet replicated or meta-analyzed. Preliminary ↑ benefit · moderate 1
Improves bowel-movement profile in healthy adultsOne small RCT showed improved bowel profile, but a second pilot found GI symptoms largely unchanged. Preliminary ↔ mixed · small 2
Survives gastric transit and germinates in small intestineIleostomy and dose-ranging RCTs confirm spore survival/germination; a delivery property, not a clinical outcome. Moderate ↑ benefit · moderate 2
Enhances regulatory T-cell (Treg) immune responseSingle n=44 pilot RCT showed increased Tregs after LPS challenge; surrogate marker, no clinical endpoint. Preliminary ↑ benefit 1
Reduces body-fat percentage with resistance trainingOne small female-athlete RCT showed greater fat loss; a male-athlete RCT found no body-composition change. Preliminary ↔ mixed · small 2
Attenuates circulating TNF-alpha in athletesSingle 25-athlete RCT showed lower TNF-alpha; inflammatory biomarker only, no clinical correlate. Preliminary ↑ benefit 1

Dosing & Compounds

Typical Dose
Typically 1 billion CFU/day (DE111) for GI/pediatric use, up to 5 billion CFU/day in athlete trials; R0179 well tolerated from 0.1 to 10 billion CFU/day. Taken once daily as a shelf-stable spore capsule, with or without food, over 4-8 weeks in trials.
Active Compounds
DE111 (Deerland, branded spore strain; 1-5 billion CFU)R0179 (Lallemand/Rosell dose-ranging strain)BS50, DG101 (other studied B. subtilis strains)Acid-resistant spore capsules, gummies, and shelf-stable powders (no refrigeration needed)

Safety & Cautions

Well tolerated across all human trials, including children 2-6 years and adults up to 10 billion CFU/day; reported adverse events (mild flatulence, transient constipation/diarrhea) were non-severe and similar to placebo. As with any live probiotic, use caution in critically ill, severely immunocompromised, or central-venous-catheter patients given theoretical bacteremia risk. Spores are cleared from the gut shortly after dosing stops and do not durably colonize. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Bacillus subtilis with any medicine.

Key Studies

RCT Slivnik / Paytuvi-Gallart et al. 2021 (DE111) ✓ Source
RCT in 102 daycare children (1 billion CFU/day x 8 wk): fewer days of vomiting (2 vs 14) and hard stools (0 vs 15) vs placebo, supporting GI health.
RCT Freedman et al. 2021 (DE111) ✓ Full text
Parallel RCT (n=44, 1 billion CFU/day x 4 wk): DE111 increased regulatory CD25+/FoxP3+ Tregs after LPS stimulation; GI symptoms and inflammation markers largely unchanged.
RCT Toohey et al. 2020 (DE111) ✓ Source
RCT in 23 female Division I athletes (5 billion CFU/day x 10 wk): greater body-fat reduction with DE111 (-2.05%) vs placebo (-0.2%), p=0.015; no performance change.
RCT Colom et al. 2021 (DE111) ✓ Full text
Randomized crossover DB placebo-controlled ileostomy study (n=11) confirming DE111 spores are present and germinate in the human small intestine.
RCT Cuentas et al. 2017 (DE111) ✓ Source
Randomized DB placebo-controlled trial; DE111 improved daily bowel-movement profile and reduced occasional GI discomfort in healthy adults.
RCT Hanifi et al. 2015 (R0179) ✓ PubMed
Dose-ranging RCT (n=81, 0.1-10 billion CFU/day x 4 wk): R0179 survived GI transit and was well tolerated at all doses without persistent microbiota changes.
RCT Townsend et al. 2018 (DE111) ✓ Full text
RCT in 25 male Division I baseball players (1 billion CFU/day x 12 wk): no change in body composition or performance, but attenuated circulating TNF-alpha.
Review Childers 2026 ✓ PubMed
Beyond Chitin: Three Microbial Production Architectures for Landfill-Degradable Commodity Plastics
review Hoffman / Rhayat et al. 2024 ✓ Source
Review of human applications of spore-based B. subtilis probiotics summarizing GI-symptom and microbiota effects across strains (DE111, BS50, DG101, R0179).
9 sources cited · 9 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about Bacillus subtilis

What is Bacillus subtilis used for?

Bacillus subtilis is most often taken for Reduces days of vomiting and hard stools / occasional GI discomfort in young children (DE111, 1 billion CFU/day), Eases occasional constipation and diarrhea / improves daily bowel-movement profile in healthy adults, Enhances regulatory immune responses (increased CD25+/FoxP3+ Tregs after LPS challenge) in healthy adults (DE111), Survives gastric transit and germinates in the small intestine (spore-based delivery; DE111, R0179). Shelf-stable spore-forming probiotic with promising but still-preliminary human GI and immune data

Does Bacillus subtilis work — what does the evidence say?

Preliminary evidence. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive. Bacillus subtilis is a spore-forming probiotic whose acid-resistant spores survive gastric transit; both DE111 and R0179 designations have been shown in human RCTs to reach and germinate in the small intestine and to be well tolerated. The strongest data are for digestive comfort: in a 2021 RCT of 102 daycare children, DE111 (1 billion CFU/day x 8 weeks) reduced days of vomiting and hard stools versus placebo. In healthy adults, a 2021 pilot RCT (n=44) found DE111 enhanced regulatory T-cell responses but left most GI symptom and inflammation markers largely unchanged, and a 2015 R0179 dose-ranging trial (n=81) confirmed tolerability and GI survival without persistent microbiota shifts. Overall the human evidence is positive but small and pilot-grade — no large meta-analyses yet exist for these specific strains.

What is the typical dose of Bacillus subtilis?

Typically 1 billion CFU/day (DE111) for GI/pediatric use, up to 5 billion CFU/day in athlete trials; R0179 well tolerated from 0.1 to 10 billion CFU/day. Taken once daily as a shelf-stable spore capsule, with or without food, over 4-8 weeks in trials.

Is Bacillus subtilis safe? Any cautions or side effects?

Well tolerated across all human trials, including children 2-6 years and adults up to 10 billion CFU/day; reported adverse events (mild flatulence, transient constipation/diarrhea) were non-severe and similar to placebo. As with any live probiotic, use caution in critically ill, severely immunocompromised, or central-venous-catheter patients given theoretical bacteremia risk. Spores are cleared from the gut shortly after dosing stops and do not durably colonize.

How many studies support Bacillus subtilis?

NutriDex cites 9 sources for Bacillus subtilis, graded "Preliminary".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). Bacillus subtilis (Bacillus subtilis (DE111 / R0179)): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 16 Sept 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/bacillus-subtilis

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_bacillus_subtilis,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {Bacillus subtilis (Bacillus subtilis (DE111 / R0179)): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/bacillus-subtilis},
  note         = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-09-16}
}

For medical claims, citing the underlying primary studies linked above is preferred. NutriDex is an educational reference, not medical advice.

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