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Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DN-173 010 (Activia)

The "Activia" strain — fermented-milk Bifidobacterium that speeds gut transit and eases bloating

Moderate evidence 🦠Probiotics🛡️Gut & Immune

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
9 verified / 9
Classification
Probiotics
❝
What the evidence says. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent.

What is Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010?

Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DN-173 010 (Activia)) is a probiotic strain used for shortens colonic and total gut transit time (most robust, strain-specific effect). NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DN-173 010 (also designated CNCM I-2494, the Activia strain) is the most extensively trialed fermented-milk probiotic for accelerating gut transit. Randomized double-blind trials show it shortens colonic transit time in healthy women and in constipation-predominant IBS, where it also significantly reduced abdominal distension and accelerated orocaecal and colonic transit. A 2016 systematic review and meta-analysis of 3 trials (598 adults) found a modest but significant improvement in overall GI discomfort (pooled OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.07-2.05). Evidence is consistent for transit and bloating/comfort endpoints but mixed for hard outcomes: a 160-child RCT in functional constipation found no benefit over control for stool frequency.

Purported Benefits

✓Shortens colonic and total gut transit time (most robust, strain-specific effect)
✓Reduces abdominal distension/bloating in constipation-predominant IBS (IBS-C)
✓Improves overall GI discomfort and digestive well-being in adults with minor digestive symptoms
✓Improves health-related quality of life and bloating scores in IBS-C in primary care
✓Increases weekly stool frequency in adults reporting <3 stools/week

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
Colonic / total gut transit timeMost robust strain-specific effect; RCTs and a transit meta-analysis show medium-large reductions in transit time. Moderate ↑ benefit · moderate 3
Abdominal distension / bloating in IBS-CRCT showed ~39% reduction in maximal distension; multicentre trial showed greater bloating reduction. Moderate ↑ benefit · moderate 2
Overall GI discomfort / digestive well-being2016 meta-analysis of 3 trials (598 adults): pooled OR 1.48, modest but significant (NNT ~10). Moderate ↑ benefit · small 2
HRQoL & responder rate in IBS-CMulticentre RCT (n=267): higher discomfort-responder rate at week 3 (65.2% vs 47.7%). Moderate ↑ benefit · small 1
Stool frequencyIncreases frequency in adults with <3 stools/wk, but a 160-child constipation RCT found no benefit. Mixed ↔ mixed · small 2

Dosing & Compounds

Typical Dose
Trials used fermented milk delivering roughly 1.25 x 10^10 CFU of DN-173 010 per serving (about 6 x 10^9 CFU per 125 g pot), taken as 2-3 servings/day with meals. Effects on transit and comfort emerged within 10 days to 4 weeks of daily consumption.
Active Compounds
Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DN-173 010CNCM I-2494 (synonymous deposit designation)Activia / Danone Activia fermented milk (with yoghurt strains L. bulgaricus + S. thermophilus)Delivered as fermented dairy, not a standalone capsule

Safety & Cautions

Well tolerated across trials with no significant adverse-event signal versus control dairy; common, food-grade Bifidobacterium delivered in yoghurt. As with any live probiotic, exercise caution in critically ill, immunocompromised patients, or those with central venous catheters, where probiotic bacteremia has rarely been reported. Contains milk — unsuitable for those with milk allergy; lactose content is relevant for severe intolerance. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 with any medicine.

Key Studies

Meta-analysis Garzon Mora / Cureus 2024 ✓ Full text
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 RCTs (1,243 patients) found probiotics significantly favored over placebo for constipation treatment (p<0.05), attributed to reduced intestinal transit time.
Systematic review Marteau / Nutrition Reviews 2022 ✓ PubMed
Systematic review with meta-analysis found Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis supplementation increased defecation frequency and, in short-term use, reduced colonic transit time in healthy adults and improved stool consistency.
Systematic review / meta-analysis Eales et al. 2016 ✓ Full text
Systematic review/meta-analysis of 3 trials (598 adults): fermented milk with B. lactis CNCM I-2494 significantly improved overall GI discomfort vs control (pooled OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.07-2.05; NNT ~10).
Meta-analysis Dimidi / Gut Microbes 2016 (transit meta-analysis) ✓ Full text
Contemporary meta-analysis of short-term probiotic consumption on gastrointestinal transit identified medium-to-large treatment effects specifically for B. lactis HN019 and B. lactis DN-173 010 on transit time, stool frequency and consistency.
Randomized controlled trial (negative) Tabbers et al. 2011 ✓ PubMed
RCT in 160 children (148 analyzed) with functional constipation (3 wk): no significant difference in stool-frequency increase vs control (2.9 vs 2.6/wk, P=0.35); insufficient evidence to recommend for pediatric constipation.
Randomized controlled trial Agrawal et al. 2009 ✓ PubMed
RCT in 34 IBS-C patients (4 wk): DN-173 010 reduced maximal abdominal distension by a median 39% (95% CI -78 to -5, P=0.02), accelerated colonic transit by 12.2 h (P=0.026) and orocaecal transit by 1.2 h (P=0.049).
Randomized controlled trial Marteau et al. 2002 ✓ PubMed
Double-blind crossover in 36 healthy women: B. animalis DN-173 010 significantly shortened total and sigmoid colonic transit time vs control fermented milk.
Randomized controlled trial Guyonnet et al. 2007 ✓ PubMed
Multicentre RCT in 267 IBS-C adults (6 wk): higher HRQoL discomfort responder rate at wk 3 (65.2% vs 47.7%, P<0.005), greater bloating reduction (P=0.03), and increased stool frequency in those with <3 stools/wk.
Randomized controlled trial Guyonnet et al. 2009 ✓ PubMed
Randomized double-blind parallel trial in 197 women with minor digestive symptoms (4 wk): fermented milk with DN-173 010 significantly improved GI well-being and digestive symptoms vs control non-fermented dairy.
9 sources cited · 9 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010

What is Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 used for?

Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 is most often taken for Shortens colonic and total gut transit time (most robust, strain-specific effect), Reduces abdominal distension/bloating in constipation-predominant IBS (IBS-C), Improves overall GI discomfort and digestive well-being in adults with minor digestive symptoms, Improves health-related quality of life and bloating scores in IBS-C in primary care. The "Activia" strain — fermented-milk Bifidobacterium that speeds gut transit and eases bloating

Does Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 work — what does the evidence say?

Moderate evidence. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent. Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DN-173 010 (also designated CNCM I-2494, the Activia strain) is the most extensively trialed fermented-milk probiotic for accelerating gut transit. Randomized double-blind trials show it shortens colonic transit time in healthy women and in constipation-predominant IBS, where it also significantly reduced abdominal distension and accelerated orocaecal and colonic transit. A 2016 systematic review and meta-analysis of 3 trials (598 adults) found a modest but significant improvement in overall GI discomfort (pooled OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.07-2.05). Evidence is consistent for transit and bloating/comfort endpoints but mixed for hard outcomes: a 160-child RCT in functional constipation found no benefit over control for stool frequency.

What is the typical dose of Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010?

Trials used fermented milk delivering roughly 1.25 x 10^10 CFU of DN-173 010 per serving (about 6 x 10^9 CFU per 125 g pot), taken as 2-3 servings/day with meals. Effects on transit and comfort emerged within 10 days to 4 weeks of daily consumption.

Is Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 safe? Any cautions or side effects?

Well tolerated across trials with no significant adverse-event signal versus control dairy; common, food-grade Bifidobacterium delivered in yoghurt. As with any live probiotic, exercise caution in critically ill, immunocompromised patients, or those with central venous catheters, where probiotic bacteremia has rarely been reported. Contains milk — unsuitable for those with milk allergy; lactose content is relevant for severe intolerance.

How many studies support Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010?

NutriDex cites 9 sources for Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010, graded "Moderate".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DN-173 010 (Activia)): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 26 Jun 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/dn-173010

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_dn_173010,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DN-173 010 (Activia)): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/dn-173010},
  note         = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-06-26}
}

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

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