Effects of Daily Probiotic Supplementation on Football Player’s Stress and Anxiety

Abstract

Psychobiotics derived from probiotics which contain psychotropic properties, and with correct administration can positively affect the psychological states. Athletes who go through strenuous training are more vulnerable to undergo stress and anxiety. Thus, the objective of this study is to determine the effect of daily probiotics supplementation on stress and anxiety among the football players. The randomised, doubleblinded, placebo-controlled trial was conducted using 20 male footballers (age 19.0 ± 0.72 years) who received either probiotic (Lactobacillus Casei Shirota 1×10 9 CFU strain) or placebo supplement over 8 weeks. Competitive state anxiety and perceived stress were measured at the baseline, week 4, and week 8 during the intervention. Statistical analysis using t-test revealed that probiotic group significantly decreased the cognitive state anxiety scores (18.20 ± 3.94 vs. 23.11 ± 4.81, p = 0.026), somatic state anxiety (13.00 ± 2.83 vs.16.78 ± 3.03, p = 0.012) and perceived stress scores (12.30 ± 1.70 vs. 14.67 ± 1.66, p = 0.007) but no statistical significant was found in self-confidence (34.80 ± 3.16 vs. 32.89 ± 3.62, p = 0.236). Therefore, daily probiotic supplementation is a promising approach to regulate stress and anxiety among football players and it may indirectly improve athletic performances.

Effects of Probiotics on Anxiety, Stress, Mood and Fitness of Badminton Players

“…This study showed that stress and anxiety in badminton players could be alleviated with the daily consumption of probiotics for six weeks. The findings in this study were strongly supported by Adikari et al (2019), which observed a significant decrease in competitive anxiety and perceived stress among 20 football players after eight weeks of daily probiotic supplementation [ 33 ]. Moreover, the findings were also consistent with those reported by Allen et al (2016), where stress and anxiety levels of a healthy population were observed to decrease after four weeks of probiotic supplementation [ 34 ].…”

“…The portion sizes of the foods consumed were estimated using household measurements. A qualified nutritionist performed the diet analyze through the Nutritionist Pro TM (Axxya Systems, Woodinville, WA, USA) software version 2.4.1 (First Data Bank INC., 2011) based on the Malaysian food database as reported previously [ 33 ].…”

A Narrative Review of Psychobiotics: Probiotics That Influence the Gut–Brain Axis

“…The mechanism of positive effect was explained by the production of SCFAs and anti-inflammatory substances [27]. Another randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial, where Lactobacillus casei Shirota was given to 20 male football players for 8 weeks, showed a decrease in cognitive state anxiety scores, somatic state, and perceived stress scale [28]. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial where Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 were given to 110 depressed patients (81 completed the trial) showed a significant decrease in Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score.…”

Role of the Intestinal Microbiome, Intestinal Barrier and Psychobiotics in Depression

“…Anxiety and perceived stress were measured at the beginning of the study, at week 4, and week 8, using the anxiety inventory as a competitive state and the scale of the level of stress experienced. Daily psychobiotic supplementation was found to significantly reduce the results of anxiety as a cognitive state, somatic state, and perceived stress levels [ 203 ]. The study did not measure biological parameters, so the mechanism of action by which the strain selected in the study eliminated anxiety behavior was not identified [ 204 ].…”