The Health Benefits of Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Systematic review and meta-analysis of human studies in individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, including both adults and children. The review assessed strain-specific and disease-specific effects of L. plantarum across multiple health outcomes.

Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum supplementation, given either alone or in combination with other strains, was evaluated versus control across randomized trials. Specific dose, route, and duration were not provided in the source packet.

Overall, L. plantarum supplementation showed beneficial effects in several condition-specific outcomes, but the effects were not uniform across all endpoints. In periodontal health, the meta-analysis favored intervention for pocket depth reduction, with a mean difference of 0.128 mm for all teeth sites and a significant benefit in periodontally diseased sites with pocket depth greater than 4 mm (p < 0.001); the all-sites analysis was also significant (p = 0.047). Abdominal pain improved in four studies (p < 0.001), and lipid outcomes also favored L. plantarum, with significant total cholesterol reduction (p = 0.04) and borderline LDL-C reduction (p = 0.05). In contrast, CRP showed no significant between-group difference in meta-analysis (p = 0.97) and BMI was unchanged (p = 0.96).

Findings were heterogeneous and appear strain- and disease-specific, which limits broad generalization across conditions. Several outcomes were mixed or null in meta-analysis, and safety signals were reported in some studies, including gastrointestinal adverse effects with L. plantarum MF1298 and a potential indirect neonatal NEC concern. The review also calls for more standardized, strain-designated trials to confirm effects.