One limitation of this study is that, even though we found that daily consumption of YIT10347-fermented milk helped to relieve lower GI symptoms such as flatus and diarrhea in a GSRS evaluation, subgroup analyses of the GSRS and m-FSSG showed that beneficial effects were obtained for upper GI symptoms and not lower GI symptoms. In fact, evidence for the beneficial effect of YIT10347 on lower GI symptoms in clinical trials re- mains poor. Therefore, further clinical trials with larger numbers of suitable participants are necessary to clarify the beneficial effects of YIT10347 on both upper and lower GI symptoms. Moreover, further studies are necessary to understand the detailed mechanism of action of YIT10347 in both upper and lower GI symptoms.