Kijimea IBS PRO vs FODZYME: How They Work and What Studies Show
Updated October 2026
Kijimea Reizdarm PRO (sold in the UK as Kijimea IBS PRO) and FODZYME are hard to compare, because they work in completely different ways. Kijimea Reizdarm PRO is a medical device for treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It contains heat-inactivated bacteria and is taken every day for several weeks. FODZYME is a food supplement containing enzymes that break down certain FODMAPs in food, and you use it meal by meal. This guide explains what is in each product, how to use them and what the studies show.
Key points
- Kijimea Reizdarm PRO contains heat-inactivated bacteria of the strain Bifidobacterium bifidum HI-MIMBb75. It is a medical device for treating IBS and is available without a prescription.
- FODZYME contains three enzymes that break down fructans, GOS and lactose directly in food. You only use it when needed, for example with a meal containing onions, garlic or pulses. It is a food supplement and, according to the manufacturer, not a treatment for IBS.
- There is one large placebo-controlled study of Kijimea Reizdarm PRO, involving 443 people. The study goal was reached by 34 per cent of those taking the product and 19 per cent of those taking a placebo.
- For FODZYME, a laboratory study shows that the enzymes break down fructans quickly. In two surveys without a control group, most participants reported fewer symptoms. A placebo-controlled study is still under way.
- No study has compared the two products directly or tested them in combination.
Kijimea IBS PRO vs FODZYME at a glance
You take Kijimea Reizdarm PRO every day, regardless of what you eat. FODZYME is added to a specific meal and only works on that food. There is no study comparing the two directly. The table shows the main differences.
| Kijimea Reizdarm PRO | FODZYME | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of product | Capsules with heat-inactivated bacteria (Bifidobacterium bifidum HI-MIMBb75) | Powder with three enzymes: fructan hydrolase, alpha-galactosidase and lactase |
| How it works | According to the manufacturer, the bacteria attach to the gut wall and protect it like a plaster. | The enzymes break down fructans, GOS and lactose in food into simple sugars that the small intestine absorbs. |
| How to take it | 2 capsules once a day, for at least 4 and ideally 12 weeks according to the manufacturer | 1 serving per meal containing fructans, GOS or lactose, just before eating |
| Intended for | Treating IBS with constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, wind and bloating | Breaking down fructans, GOS and lactose in food. According to the manufacturer, not a treatment for any disease |
| Limitations | Not specifically tested in children or in pregnant or breastfeeding women, according to the instructions for use | No effect on free fructose or on polyols such as sorbitol and mannitol. Not specifically studied in pregnancy or breastfeeding |
| Studies | 1 large placebo-controlled study of 443 people (2020), funded by the manufacturer | 1 laboratory study (2023) and 2 studies without a control group (2026, one of them so far only as a conference abstract), funded by the manufacturer. A placebo-controlled study is under way. |
| Status | CE-marked medical device, available without a prescription | Food supplement, not a medicine according to the manufacturer |
| Where to buy | In pharmacies and online in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and in the UK as Kijimea IBS PRO | Online, for example from FODCORNER with delivery to Switzerland and the EU |
As of October 2026. Information on how the products work and how to use them comes from the manufacturers. You will find the studies and sources further down.
Kijimea IBS PRO: ingredients, how it works and how to take it
Kijimea Reizdarm PRO is made by Synformulas GmbH, based in Gräfelfing near Munich. The capsules contain bacteria of the strain Bifidobacterium bifidum HI-MIMBb75 that have been inactivated by heat. This means they are no longer viable. By the official definition, probiotics are live microorganisms. However, the German S3 guideline on IBS also uses the term for inactivated products like this one.
Kijimea Reizdarm PRO in brief
How it is meant to work: According to the manufacturer, the inactivated bacteria attach to the gut wall and protect it like a plaster. This is supposed to make it harder for pathogens and harmful substances to get into the gut wall. The large study in patients measured symptoms, not this mechanism. IBS usually has several causes that act together, as explained in our IBS guide.
According to the manufacturer, a first improvement should be noticeable after about a week of regular use. The instructions for use state that the product has not been specifically tested in children or in pregnant or breastfeeding women, and that no interactions with medicines are known.
Does Kijimea IBS PRO work? What the study shows
The most important study was published in 2020 in the journal The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. It was carried out at 20 centres in Germany and funded by the manufacturer, Synformulas.
The study in brief (Andresen and colleagues, 2020)
The difference from placebo is statistically significant (relative risk 1.7). Put another way, about one in seven people treated reached the goal over and above the placebo effect. Around two thirds did not reach it, even with the product. We did not find any further placebo-controlled studies on the heat-inactivated form.
The same bacterial strain was studied in live form in 2011, in 122 people over 4 weeks. In that study, 57 per cent responded to the product and 21 per cent to placebo. The product Kijimea Reizdarm, without ‘PRO’ in its name, contains live bacteria of this strain.
Independent rating: In January 2022, Stiftung Warentest, the German consumer testing organisation, rated Kijimea Reizdarm PRO as ‘suitable with restrictions’. That was the best rating in this test: 6 of the 19 IBS products tested received it, and 13 were rated ‘not very suitable’.
FODZYME: enzymes that break down FODMAPs in food
FODZYME is made by Kiwi Biosciences, a company based in Boston (USA). The powder contains three enzymes, each of which breaks down one FODMAP group. We explain what FODMAPs are and which groups there are in our article What are FODMAPs?
FODZYME in brief
How it is meant to work: Humans cannot digest fructans and GOS themselves, and people with lactase deficiency digest lactose only poorly. According to the manufacturer, the enzymes break these carbohydrates down into simple sugars while they are still in the food and in the stomach, so that the small intestine can absorb them. This is meant to reduce the amount of fermentable carbohydrates reaching the large intestine. FODZYME only works on the food it is mixed with and, according to the manufacturer, no longer helps once symptoms have started.
Things to bear in mind: Do not cook with FODZYME, because the enzymes stop working above 60 °C. If a meal lasts longer than 30 minutes, the manufacturer recommends another serving for the next course. During the elimination phase and reintroduction, it is best to leave FODZYME out, as it would skew your tests.
According to the manufacturer, FODZYME is well tolerated. If you start eating foods you have avoided for a long time, you may get mild bloating at first. The enzymes are produced with the help of Aspergillus fungi, and in very rare cases allergic reactions are possible. FODZYME has not been specifically studied in pregnancy or breastfeeding, and the manufacturer gives no age limit or separate dose for children.
According to the manufacturer, alpha-galactosidase can slightly affect how the diabetes medicines acarbose and miglitol work. FODZYME is not suitable for people with hereditary fructose intolerance, a rare condition, because breaking down fructans releases fructose.
FODCORNER sells FODZYME as a Home Kit with 60 servings and as an On-the-go Kit with 30 sachets. You will find more answers in our FODZYME FAQ.
What the studies on FODZYME show
So far, no placebo-controlled study of FODZYME has been published. The existing studies show what the enzymes do in the laboratory and how people got on with them in everyday life. All of them were funded by the manufacturer.
In a model of the human digestive tract, 1.125 g of FODZYME, about one and a half scoops, broke down 90 per cent of 3 g of inulin, a fructan, within 30 minutes. Around 70 per cent of the fructose released was absorbed in the simulated small intestine, and less gas was produced in the simulated large intestine.
People with IBS or suspected IBS who had bought FODZYME online used it at least once a week for 4 weeks. Afterwards, 78 per cent reported that bloating and wind had eased by more than 30 per cent, and 65 per cent said the same about abdominal pain. The analysis included 118 of 1,075 participants, and there was no control group.
In another study without a control group, involving 442 people with IBS (in some cases self-reported), the symptom score on the IBS-SSS scale (0 to 500 points) fell on average from around 270 to 167 points after 4 weeks. The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and have not yet been published as a journal article.
The manufacturer is currently testing FODZYME in a placebo-controlled study in adults with bloating (NCT07591584). No results have been published yet.
The principle behind it is well supported: lactase has been shown to help with lactose intolerance, and in a placebo-controlled study by Monash University, alpha-galactosidase eased symptoms in people who react to GOS. Without a control group, however, it is impossible to say how much of the improvement with FODZYME itself is due to the enzymes. In IBS, symptoms often improve with a placebo too: in the Kijimea Reizdarm PRO study, 19 per cent of the placebo group reached the study goal. The researchers themselves describe their results as encouraging and consider placebo-controlled studies necessary.
Which approach might suit you?
There is no way to predict whether either product will help you. The two cards show which situations they are designed for.
More likely to be an option if you have been diagnosed with IBS, your symptoms also occur regardless of specific meals and you would like to try a treatment over several weeks.
The guidelines advise trying a probiotic for at least 4 and no more than 12 weeks.
More likely to be an option if you know you react to fructans, GOS or lactose, for example from reintroduction, and still want to eat these foods, such as in a restaurant. You only use it when needed and do not have to take anything long term.
Not a good fit if your symptoms mainly come from fructose or polyols such as sorbitol.
Warning signs: Blood in your stool, unintentional weight loss, fever or diarrhoea at night are not typical of IBS and can have another cause. You can read how IBS is diagnosed and which treatments are available in our article Irritable bowel syndrome: symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment.
Can you combine Kijimea IBS PRO and FODZYME?
No study has looked at this. The two products work in different ways, and there is no evidence of interactions between them. However, the combination itself has never been tested. So whether it does more than one product alone remains an open question.
If you would like to try both, do not start them at the same time, or you will not know which one worked.
What the guidelines say about probiotics for IBS
Medical societies take different views on probiotics for IBS. The following guidelines make no recommendation on enzymes for fructans and GOS like those in FODZYME.
‘Selected probiotics should be used in the treatment of IBS.’ The strain can be chosen to match the symptoms. The guideline lists B. bifidum MIMBb75, citing the 2011 study on live bacteria. The guideline is currently being revised.
People who want to try probiotics should take them for at least 4 weeks at the dose recommended by the manufacturer and monitor the effect.
Probiotics as a group may help with global symptoms and abdominal pain, but no specific strain can be recommended. If there is no improvement after 12 weeks at most, they should be stopped. Weak recommendation, low-quality evidence.
The American College of Gastroenterology advises against probiotics for global IBS symptoms. Conditional recommendation, very low-quality evidence.
NICE and the BSG do recommend the low FODMAP diet itself if general dietary advice is not enough. You can read how it works in our article What are FODMAPs?
Frequently asked questions about Kijimea IBS PRO and FODZYME
Does Kijimea IBS PRO work?
In the large 2020 study, 34 per cent of participants reached the study goal with the capsules, compared with 19 per cent with placebo. So the product did better than placebo, but around two thirds did not reach the goal even with it. The only way to find out whether it helps you is to try it for at least four weeks.
What are the side effects of Kijimea IBS PRO?
According to the instructions for use, there are no known side effects. In individual cases, typical IBS symptoms may temporarily get worse while you are taking it. In the study, there were no serious adverse events in the product group, and milder complaints such as abdominal pain were about as rare as with placebo.
How long should I take Kijimea IBS PRO?
The manufacturer recommends at least four weeks, ideally twelve. The guidelines on probiotics give similar time frames: NICE at least 4 weeks, the BSG no more than 12 weeks. If nothing has improved by then, stop taking it.
Where can I buy Kijimea IBS PRO, and can I get it on the NHS?
Kijimea Reizdarm PRO is available without a prescription from pharmacies and online in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. In the UK, it is called Kijimea IBS PRO. The NHS generally advises trying probiotics for a month, but does not name any specific product. If you want to know whether your health insurance will pay towards it, it is best to ask your insurer directly.
What is Kijimea K53 Advance?
A food supplement from the same manufacturer containing 53 strains of live microorganisms, more than 20 billion per capsule according to the manufacturer, plus biotin and niacin. It is not a medical device and is not intended to treat IBS. The 2020 IBS study only applies to Kijimea Reizdarm PRO.
Is FODZYME a treatment for IBS?
No. FODZYME is a food supplement and, according to the manufacturer, does not treat any disease, including IBS. The enzymes break down fructans, GOS and lactose in food. They do not work on free fructose or on polyols such as sorbitol.
Can I take Kijimea IBS PRO and FODZYME together?
No study has looked at this. There is no evidence of interactions between the two, but the combination has never been tested either. Do not start both at the same time, or you will not know which one worked.
Are there alternatives to Kijimea IBS PRO?
Yes. Depending on your main symptoms, the guidelines list options such as soluble fibre like psyllium husk, peppermint oil, the low FODMAP diet, antispasmodics, gut-directed hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy, as well as other probiotics that have been studied. FODZYME is not a direct alternative, because it works in a different way. Our IBS guide gives you an overview.
Sources: Andresen, Gschossmann, Layer: Heat-inactivated Bifidobacterium bifidum MIMBb75 (SYN-HI-001) in the treatment of IBS (Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020) · Guglielmetti et al.: Bifidobacterium bifidum MIMBb75 alleviates IBS (Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011) · Synformulas GmbH: Instructions for use, Kijimea Reizdarm PRO, as of September 2026 · Synformulas GmbH: Product information on Kijimea Reizdarm PRO and Kijimea K53 Advance (October 2026) · Stiftung Warentest: Diese Mittel helfen bei Reizdarm (test 01/2022, in German) · Tuck et al.: α-Galactosidase in GOS-sensitive IBS (Am J Gastroenterol 2018) · Monash University: Digestive enzymes and IBS · Castro Ochoa et al.: In vitro efficacy of targeted FODMAP enzymatic digestion (Gastro Hep Adv 2023) · Kaye et al.: FODMAP-targeting digestive enzyme blend, real-world cohort study (Gastro Hep Adv 2026) · Michigan Medicine: Report on the conference abstract by Koo et al. (ACG 2026) · ClinicalTrials.gov: Study NCT07591584 · Kiwi Biosciences, FODZYME help pages: Dosing instructions, Is FODZYME safe?, FODZYME and health conditions, What if FODZYME isn’t working? · DGVS and DGNM: German S3 guideline on irritable bowel syndrome (2021, under revision) · NICE: Irritable bowel syndrome in adults (CG61) · Vasant et al.: BSG guidelines on the management of IBS (Gut 2021) · Lacy et al.: ACG clinical guideline, management of IBS (Am J Gastroenterol 2021) · NHS: Diet, lifestyle and medicines for IBS
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