This study is only available for people able to travel to our office in Duncraig, WA 6023

Digestive complaints such as stomach pain, bloating, reflux, nausea, constipation, or diarrhoea are experienced by a significant portion of adults. Probiotics are bacteria or yeasts that may have beneficial effects on gastrointestinal health. Digestive enzymes are produced in the body to help break down the foods we eat. There is some evidence that probiotics and digestive enzymes may help reduce troublesome digestive symptoms and improve gastrointestinal health. However, there are different types (species) of probiotics and digestive enzymes. This can influence their tolerability, safety, and efficacy. These ingredients are also often administered alone, rather than in combination. In this study, we are interested in examining whether supplementation with a combination of probiotics (Weizy®) and digestive enzymes (Poolzyme® MULTI) can help reduce digestive complaints in adults experiencing troublesome digestive symptoms.

If you are aged between 18 and 75 years and experience troublesome GI symptoms, we invite you to participate in this randomised, controlled study.

PLEASE NOTE: Travel to our office in Duncraig is required on TWO occasions

Eligible participants will be RANDOMLY allocated into ONE of TWO treatment conditions:

1. Daily intake of capsules containing digestive enzymes and probiotics, or, or
2. Daily intake of placebo (fake) capsules

This 4-week study consists of the following:

1. Participate in a 10-minute phone interview to discuss the study and assess your eligibility to participate.
2. Attend two in-person visits at the beginning and end of the study. This will take 30 minutes.
3. Take the capsules for 4 weeks. You will need to take ONE capsule with dinner and ONE with breakfast or lunch (whichever is the larger meal).
4. Complete a brief daily online questionnaire (takes less than one minute)
5. Complete online questionnaires at weeks 2 and 6 (2 weeks after stopping the capsules). These take 5 to 10 minutes to complete.

You can download the full STUDY INFORMATION SHEET by clicking the button on this webpage

To compensate you for your time and travel involved in this study, you will receive a $30 gift voucher on visits 1 and 2, and a $60 gift voucher when you complete your week 6 online questionnaire. People placed on the placebo will also be given a free 4-week supply of probiotics + digestive enzyme capsules when this study is completed.

To be INCLUDED in the study, the following inclusion criteria must be met:

1. You are aged between 18 to 75 years
2. You have at least an 8-week history of experiencing gastrointestinal complaints such as recurrent abdominal pain, discomfort, or bloating associated with a change in the frequency of bowel movements, and/or a change in the appearance of your stool.
3. You consume at least 2 meals a day
4. You are a non-smoker
5. You have a BMI between 18 and 30 kg/m2
6. You have no plan to commence new treatments for your gastrointestinal symptoms during the study
7. You understand and are willing and able to comply with all study procedures
8. You are willing to provide a personally signed and dated informed consent form detailing all pertinent aspects of the trial.

If any of the exclusion criteria below are met, the applicant will not be suitable for participation in this study:

1. You have a history of major gastrointestinal surgery
2. In the last 3 months, you have experienced recent changes in your bowel habits, rectal bleeding, sudden weight loss, occult blood in your stool, anaemia, anal fissures, bleeding haemorrhoids, or have a significant family history of irritable bowel disease or gastrointestinal cancer.
3. You have a medical condition, which includes but is not limited to: active or a history of inflammatory bowel disease, diagnosis of gastroparesis, active/ongoing infection, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, liver disease, cardiac disease, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, significant neurological disease, cancer/ malignancy in the last 5 years, diagnosed lactose or fructose intolerance, you are immunocompromised or have a immunodeficiency syndrome of any kind.
4. You have been diagnosed with infectious gastroenteritis within 1 month before screening.
5. You have had a significant surgery over the last year that continues to affect your daily function, or have a surgery planned during the study period.
6. You have started a new treatment for digestive symptoms in the last 8 weeks.
7. You have used antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, or antiparasitic medicines within 8 weeks before screening.
8. You currently, or in the last 3 months, take antipsychotic medications or systemic steroids.
9. You currently take the following medications more than three days a week: opiates, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, laxatives, anti-diarrhoeal, cholestyramine, colchicine, iron supplements, antispasmodics, or benzodiazepines.
10. You have changed your prescription medication in the last 4 weeks or expect to change it during the study
11. In the last 4 weeks, you have used supplements containing probiotics, prebiotics, or digestive enzymes, or expect to start these during the study period
12. In the last 4 weeks, you started or changed the dose of nutritional and/or herbal supplements that may impact treatment outcomes, or expect to change them during the study
13. In the last 8 weeks, you have made significant dietary or lifestyle changes that might affect gastrointestinal function, or expect to make changes during the study period
14. You consume more than 14 standard alcoholic drinks per week
15. You have a current or 12-month history of regular illicit drug use
16. You are pregnant, breastfeeding, or intend to fall pregnant during the study period
17. You have participated in another clinical trial in the last month

This study has been approved by the National Institute of Integrative Medicine (NIIM) Ethics Committee (Reference number: 0156E_2025)

If you are interested in participating in this study, please click on the button "Complete the Study Application Form" located on this webpage. This questionnaire will take aproximately 10 minutes to complete and helps us assess your eligibility to participate in this study.

Please Note: All answers are confidential and will only be seen by study investigators. If you are not eligible to participate in this study, your records will be deleted immediately

If you would like to speak to a researcher to get more information about this study, you can call us on 08 9448 7376