Update – Feb 2016
A reader raised the issue if Vivomixx and VSL#3 are actually the same. She was unable to clarify this via Mr. Google. On VSL#3, see this 2017 review — it does not have any evidence of being beneficial for CFS/FM/Etc.
According to this site VSL#3 was renamed Vivomixx in New Zealand.
Vivomixx Clinical Trial NCT02508844Vivomixx Clinical Trial NCT02508844
Vivomixx® 112.5 Billion CFU / Capsule
- Bifidobacterium breve,
- Bifidobacterium longum,
- Bifidobacterium infantis,
- Lactobacillus acidophilus,
- Lactobacillus plantarum,
- Lactobacillus paracasei,
- Lactobacillus bulgaricus and
- Streptococcus thermophilus
According to the VSL#3 site. 8 strains of live freeze dried bacteria [112.5 billion CFU] containing
- Bifidobacterium breve,
- Bifidobacterium longum,
- Bifidobacterium infantis,
- Lactobacillus acidophilus,
- Lactobacillus plantarum,
- Lactobacillus paracasei,
- Lactobacillus bulgaricus and
- Streptococcus thermophilus.
They are the same product under two different names.
Original
A user asked about a specific (expensive) probiotic for histamine issues. It is produce in Switzerland and thus available to European readers, in the US it appears to be called VSL#3.
http://www.vivomixx.eu/eng/what-is-vivomixx.htm
What I am going to do for this review is to decompose this blend into it parts, then research each part.
First, on the good side — the specific strains are listed (if specific strains are not listed, then probiotics are usually high risk and should be avoided until there are studies for the actual product!)
Query #1:
- Are there any pubmed studies for this specific brand product? The answer is NO.
- Decompose into strains in a table
Strain | Pubmed for Histamine |
---|---|
Streptococcus thermophilus DSM 24731, |
|
bifidobacteria (B. breve DSM 24732, |
|
B. longum DSM 24736, |
|
B. infantis DSM 24737 |
|
Lactobacilli acidophilus DSM 24735, |
|
L. plantarum DSM 24730, |
|
L. paracasei DSM 24733, |
|
L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus DSM 24734 |
|
Addendum
VSL#3, the alternative name has a variety of benefits for: Pouchitis, Ulcerative colitis, IBS and Allergy
Bottom line
Nothing suggests that it would produce histamines. Alternatively there is no public published peer-reviewed information on PubMed suggesting any positive impact from any of the strains. Recommendation — you are paying to toss some dice with a real possibility of zero benefit. See https://cfsremission.com/2016/07/10/first-survey-results-on-probiotics/ for experience. I will add this in the next survey list.
Post Script
A reader pointed out that Vivomixx is also known as VSL #3. This lead to just one article being found:
- “Oral therapeutic administration of VSL#3 to ST-sensitized mice significantly reduces symptom score and histamine release in the faeces following allergen challenge, as well as specific IgE response.” [2011]