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Lactobacillus plantarum 299v

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v (DSM 9843)

The mannose-binding gut workhorse: eases IBS and boosts iron uptake

Moderate evidence 🦠Probiotics🛡️Gut & Immune

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
10 verified / 10
Classification
Probiotics
❝
What the evidence says. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent.

What is Lactobacillus plantarum 299v?

Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v (DSM 9843)) is a probiotic strain used for eases ibs symptoms — reduces abdominal pain frequency/severity and bloating (214-patient rct). NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) is among the best-characterized single probiotic strains, with its strongest randomized evidence in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), where a 214-patient double-blind RCT (Ducrotté 2012) showed significantly greater reductions in abdominal pain frequency and bloating versus placebo. Double-isotope crossover studies in women of reproductive age consistently show it increases non-heme iron absorption by roughly 50% when co-administered with iron, a claim that has undergone EFSA review. It also reduces Clostridioides difficile colonization and infection incidence in antibiotic-treated and high-risk hospitalized patients, and uniquely adheres to colonic mucosa via mannose-specific binding, displacing pathogenic E. coli. Evidence is moderate overall: trials are real and replicated for IBS and iron, but several are single-center or modest in size.

Purported Benefits

✓Eases IBS symptoms — reduces abdominal pain frequency/severity and bloating (214-patient RCT)
✓Increases non-heme iron absorption by ~50% when taken with iron (double-isotope studies; EFSA-reviewed)
✓Reduces Clostridioides difficile colonization and infection incidence in antibiotic-treated/high-risk inpatients
✓Adheres to colonic mucosa and displaces pathogenic E. coli via mannose-specific binding
✓Improves gut barrier function and reduces intestinal permeability (ICU and surgical/jaundice patients)
✓Generally improves overall GI well-being and flatulence scores in functional GI complaints

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
Eases IBS symptoms (abdominal pain frequency/severity, bloating)214-patient RCT shows clear benefit but large meta-analysis rates the global IBS effect low-certainty. Moderate ↑ benefit · moderate 2
Increases non-heme iron absorption when co-taken with ironReplicated double-isotope crossover studies (~50% increase), EFSA-reviewed, but small samples in women only. Moderate ↑ benefit · moderate 3
Reduces C. difficile colonization/infection in high-risk inpatientsOne ICU RCT plus a prospective ward study; observational design limits causal strength. Preliminary ↑ benefit · moderate 2
Colonic mucosal adhesion / displaces pathogenic E. coliOpen randomized trial confirms mucosal colonization; a mechanistic, not clinical-outcome, finding. Preliminary ↑ benefit 1

Dosing & Compounds

Typical Dose
10 billion (1×10^10) CFU/day is the typical effective dose; IBS trials used one capsule daily over 4 weeks, and iron-absorption studies used 10^9–10^10 CFU taken together with the iron source. Available as freeze-dried capsules or fermented drinks; take with a meal (and alongside iron when used for iron status).
Active Compounds
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v = Lactobacillus plantarum 299v = Lp299v (DSM 9843)Branded as ProViva / GoodBelly fermented drinks and oat-based productsSold in capsules/sachets, often as freeze-dried powderCombined with low-dose iron (e.g. ~20 mg) in iron-support formulas

Safety & Cautions

Well tolerated in trials, including in critically ill and surgical patients, with no excess diarrhea, bloating, or serious adverse events; it survives gastric acid and bile and colonizes the colon. As with all live probiotics, use caution in critically ill, immunocompromised, or central-venous-catheter patients given the theoretical risk of bacteremia/translocation; Lactobacillus bacteremia is rare but reported. Discuss with a clinician before use in these high-risk groups. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Lactobacillus plantarum 299v with any medicine.

Key Studies ★ 10 studies

Systematic review / meta-analysis Goodoory et al. 2023 ✓ PubMed
In a large strain-level systematic review and meta-analysis of probiotics for IBS (82 trials, 10,332 patients), L. plantarum 299v showed a benefit for global IBS symptoms but with low certainty of evidence.
RCT (feasibility) OjiNjideka Hemphill et al. 2023 ✓ PubMed
In a randomized, double-blind feasibility trial of 20 pregnant individuals, Lp299v plus low-dose prenatal iron produced a slower decline in maternal hematological/iron parameters across gestation than placebo plus iron.
RCT (double-isotope crossover) Hoppe 2015 ✓ PubMed
Adding Lp299v (10^9–10^10 CFU) to an iron-fortified fruit drink increased non-heme iron absorption by roughly 50% versus the same drink without the probiotic in women of reproductive age.
RCT (double-isotope sequential) Hoppe 2017 ✓ Full text
Freeze-dried Lp299v 10^10 CFU with a light breakfast raised iron absorption from 17.4% to 22.4% (P=0.040, n=14) in menstruating women.
RCT Ducrotté 2012 ✓ Full text
In 214 IBS patients (Rome III), 4 weeks of Lp299v 10^10 CFU/day cut abdominal pain frequency by 51.9% vs 13.6% for placebo and 78.1% rated the effect excellent/good vs 8.1% (P<0.05–0.01).
RCT Klarin 2008 ✓ PubMed
Enteral Lp299v in an oat gruel reduced C. difficile colonization in critically ill, antibiotic-treated ICU patients versus the same product without the bacteria (n=44).
RCT (open) Klarin 2005 ✓ Full text
Lp299v adhered to the colonic mucosa of critically ill patients, demonstrating mucosal colonization in a randomized open trial.
Systematic scoping review Heydari 2025 (scoping review) ✓ Full text
Across 69 studies of L. plantarum strains, Lp299v specifically improved GI symptoms, oral health, and systemic inflammation, supporting strain-specific selection for IBS.
Prospective interventional study Dudzicz 2018 ✓ Full text
Lp299v prophylaxis on a nephrology/transplant ward reduced C. difficile infection incidence from 12.1 to 1.1 per 1000 hospitalizations (1.21% vs 0.11%, P=0.0001).
Authority evaluation EFSA Panel 2016 ✓ Source
EFSA NDA Panel evaluated the claim that Lp299v increases non-heme iron absorption, reviewing the human double-isotope evidence base for this strain.
10 sources cited · 10 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about Lactobacillus plantarum 299v

What is Lactobacillus plantarum 299v used for?

Lactobacillus plantarum 299v is most often taken for Eases IBS symptoms — reduces abdominal pain frequency/severity and bloating (214-patient RCT), Increases non-heme iron absorption by ~50% when taken with iron (double-isotope studies; EFSA-reviewed), Reduces Clostridioides difficile colonization and infection incidence in antibiotic-treated/high-risk inpatients, Adheres to colonic mucosa and displaces pathogenic E. coli via mannose-specific binding. The mannose-binding gut workhorse: eases IBS and boosts iron uptake

Does Lactobacillus plantarum 299v work — what does the evidence say?

Moderate evidence. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) is among the best-characterized single probiotic strains, with its strongest randomized evidence in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), where a 214-patient double-blind RCT (Ducrotté 2012) showed significantly greater reductions in abdominal pain frequency and bloating versus placebo. Double-isotope crossover studies in women of reproductive age consistently show it increases non-heme iron absorption by roughly 50% when co-administered with iron, a claim that has undergone EFSA review. It also reduces Clostridioides difficile colonization and infection incidence in antibiotic-treated and high-risk hospitalized patients, and uniquely adheres to colonic mucosa via mannose-specific binding, displacing pathogenic E. coli. Evidence is moderate overall: trials are real and replicated for IBS and iron, but several are single-center or modest in size.

What is the typical dose of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v?

10 billion (1×10^10) CFU/day is the typical effective dose; IBS trials used one capsule daily over 4 weeks, and iron-absorption studies used 10^9–10^10 CFU taken together with the iron source. Available as freeze-dried capsules or fermented drinks; take with a meal (and alongside iron when used for iron status).

Is Lactobacillus plantarum 299v safe? Any cautions or side effects?

Well tolerated in trials, including in critically ill and surgical patients, with no excess diarrhea, bloating, or serious adverse events; it survives gastric acid and bile and colonizes the colon. As with all live probiotics, use caution in critically ill, immunocompromised, or central-venous-catheter patients given the theoretical risk of bacteremia/translocation; Lactobacillus bacteremia is rare but reported. Discuss with a clinician before use in these high-risk groups.

How many studies support Lactobacillus plantarum 299v?

NutriDex cites 10 sources for Lactobacillus plantarum 299v, graded "Moderate".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v (DSM 9843)): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 26 Jun 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/l-plantarum-299v

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_l_plantarum_299v,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v (DSM 9843)): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/l-plantarum-299v},
  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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