A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Probiotic Species on Iron Absorption and Iron Status

Study answer

What this study found

Lp299v consistently improved non-heme dietary iron absorption and was the only probiotic species with pooled evidence supporting this outcome. All 8 absorption studies reported a statistically significant increase, and the meta-analysis showed a pooled standardized mean difference of 0.55 (95% CI 0.22-0.88, p = 0.001). In contrast, iron-status markers did not improve consistently: only 1 study found better serum iron with Lp299v, while ferritin, hemoglobin, hematocrit, sTfR, and TIBC were generally unchanged or inconsistent. Overall, evidence for probiotic species other than Lp299v remains…

Study & population

Systematic review with meta-analysis of human studies assessing probiotic species and iron absorption or iron status.

Intervention

The review evaluated probiotic supplementation across 15 human studies, with a focused meta-analysis of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lp299v) in 8 studies.

Key limitation

The evidence base was small and heterogeneous, with half of the studies enrolling fewer than 30 participants and interventions varying substantially by species, dose, delivery vehicle, and duration.

View full study detailsView sourceOpen PDF

Original abstract