*2.8.2.3 Bifidobacterium and inflammatory bowel disease*

Although the precise mechanism of action is unknown, probiotic strains were shown to reduce the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease [81]. A probiotic mixture including three Bifidobacterium strains, four Lactobacillus strains, and one S. thermophilus strain was given to patients suffering from ulcerative colitis. Fifteen of the 20 patients stayed in remission throughout the experiment, indicating that treatment of this bacterial cocktail is useful in sustaining ulcerative colitis remission (**Table 5**) [81, 83].
