Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti L10 supplementation reduces respiratory infection duration in a cohort of elite athletes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to evaluate if Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti L10 (Lallemand Health Solutions, Montreal, Que., Canada) supplementation during 14 weeks in winter can influence the duration, severity, and incidence of upper respiratory tract illness (URTI), as well as to monitor different immune parameters in the population of elite athletes. Before and after the treatment, cardiopulmonary testing and self-rated state of moods evaluation (by Profile of Mood States questionnaire) were performed and blood samples were collected. Thirty-nine elite athletes were randomized either to the placebo (n = 19) or the probiotic (n = 20) group. The probiotic group received L. helveticus Lafti L10, 2 × 10(10) Colony Forming Units. Lafti L10 significantly shortened the URTI episode duration (7.25 ± 2.90 vs. 10.64 ± 4.67 days, p = 0.047) and decreased the number of symptoms in the probiotic group (4.92 ± 1.96 vs. 6.91 ± 1.22, p = 0.035). Severity and incidence of URTI did not differ between the treatments. There were no significant changes in leukocyte subpopulation abundance, transforming growth factor-β serum levels, level of interleukin-10 secreted from peptidoglican stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), interferon-γ level secreted from concanavalin A-stimulated PBMCs or viability/proliferation of PBMCs upon antigen stimulation. Group effect for CD4+/CD8+ ratio was significant (F[1,37] = 6.99, p = 0.020, η(2) = 0.350); this difference was not significant at baseline, but was evident after 14 weeks (p = 0.02). A significant interaction effect was noted for self-rated sense of vigor (F[1,37] = 11.76, p = 0.009, η(2) = 0.595). Self-rated sense of vigor increased in the probiotic group (18.5 ± 4.1 vs. 21.0 ± 2.6, p = 0.012). Probiotic strain Lafti L10 can be a beneficial nutritional supplement for the reduction of URTI length in elite athletes.

Probiotics and sports: A new magic bullet?

“…Haywood et al (2014) conducted an interesting study with probiotic in Rugby players with a higher dose multi-species probiotic (4 weeks) 11 . All the subjects in placebo group reported URS higher than probiotic group, the duration and severity of the URS episodes and symptoms was not different between groups, but the number of illness days in placebo groups was a trend to be higher when compared to treatment 11 Specific probiotics strains attenuate URS 17,18,22 , however the data with non-athlete subjects is quite small. And no alterations in cellular activity were found to explain the reduction of the URS found in the probiotic group 22 .…”

“…In a study by Gill et al (2016) with short term high dose probiotic utilization (L. Casei 1x10 11 per 7 th days) the probiotic group did not demonstrate alterations in systemic cytokine profile or gut permeability compared to placebo 10 . Majority of studies that showed positive effects employed long periods of probiotics apply 7,14,15,[18][19][20][21][22]25 .…”

Effects of Probiotic (Bacillus subtilis DE111) Supplementation on Immune Function, Hormonal Status, and Physical Performance in Division I Baseball Players

“…Probiotics are live organisms that when consumed, impose a wide array of beneficial physiological effects on humans, most notably promoting improved gut microbiota [ 14 ]. These microorganisms have been shown to exert immunomodulatory effects [ 15 ] by decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines in circulation [ 16 ] and supporting mucosal defense [ 17 , 18 ]. In athletes, probiotics have been reported to reduce the number, duration, and severity of infections [ 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Dietary Supplements for Health, Adaptation, and Recovery in Athletes

“…Pyne et al (2015) have provided an excellent summary of 15 clinical trials through 2014 in which 10 of 13 studies reported favorable changes in immune and inflammatory markers, and six of seven studies reporting clinical outcomes for URTI report decreased incidence, duration, and or severity with probiotic supplementation. Trials published more recently follow a similar pattern with decreased (∼half) incidence, duration (∼2 days shorter), and severity (fewer symptoms) of URTI (Michalickova et al, 2016;Strasser et al, 2016). An additional trial was unable to distinguish placebo and probiotic treatments because of unexpectedly low incidence of URTI in both groups (Gleeson et al, 2016).…”