Effects of propolis supplementation on irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS‐C) and mixed (IBS‐M) stool pattern: A randomized, double‐blind clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence indicates that propolis can modulate gastrointestinal (GI) function. This trial aims to assess the efficacy of propolis supplementation on the severity of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms. METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted on 56 subjects with IBS diagnosed by Rome IV criteria. Eligible subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 900 mg/day of propolis or matching placebo tablets for 6 weeks. The IBS symptom severity scale (IBS‐SSS) was used to evaluate IBS severity in five clinically applicable items. RESULTS: After adjusting anxiety scores, a significant reduction was observed in the overall score of IBS symptoms (−98.27 ± 105.44), the severity of abdominal pain (−24.75 ± 28.66), and the frequency of abdominal pain (−2.24 ± 3.51) with propolis treatment as compared to placebo (p‐value < .05). Patients in the propolis group were 6.22 times more likely to experience improvement in IBS symptoms than those in the placebo group (95% CI: 1.14–33.9; p‐value: .035). There was no significant change in anthropometric measurements and dietary intakes in both groups (p‐value > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that propolis supplementation might have a beneficial effect on constipation subtype of IBS (IBS‐C) and mixed subtype of IBS (IBS‐M) severity by reducing the severity and frequency of abdominal pain in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).