Recent advances in clinical probiotic research for sport

Abstract

Purpose of review This is a review of the most up-to-date research on the effectiveness of probiotic supplementation for outcomes related to athletes and physical activity. The focus is on clinical research incorporating exercise and/or physically active participants on the nutritional effectiveness of single and multistrain preparations. Recent findings Findings of the included clinical studies support the notion that certain probiotics could play important roles in maintaining normal physiology and energy production during exercise which may lead to performance-improvement and antifatigue effects, improve exercise-induced gastrointestinal symptoms and permeability, stimulate/modulate of the immune system, and improve the ability to digest, absorb, and metabolize macro and micronutrients important to exercise performance and recovery/health status of those physically active. Summary The current body of literature highlights the specificity of probiotic strain/dose and potential mechanisms of action for application in sport. These novel findings open new areas research, potential use for human health, and reinforce the potential role for probiotic's in exercise performance. While encouraging, more well designed studies of probiotic supplementation in various sport applications are warranted.

Fueling Gut Microbes: A Review of the Interaction between Diet, Exercise, and the Gut Microbiota in Athletes

“…L. salivarius , may also reduce gastrointestinal permeability via increases in butyrate-producing taxa Roseburia and Lachnospiraceae and decreases in Verrumicrobia ( 44 ). While there is evidence of shared mechanisms of probiotic functions, the benefits of probiotics are often dependent on the strain and dose of the probiotic ( 163 , 164 ). The majority of studies reporting positive effects on gastrointestinal barrier function use multi-strain formulations ( 172 ).…”

“…Probiotics may also improve nutrient absorption and utilization, glycogen storage, body composition, energy harvest, hormone production, and cognition and mood via mechanisms such as bioactive metabolite production (e.g., SCFAs, neurotransmitters), modulation of gut pH, and alterations in the gut microbiota activities ( 36 , 92 , 163 , 164 , 169 , 178 , 179 ). For instance, L. plantarum increased endurance performance in triathletes concurrent with an increase in fecal SCFAs ( 41 ).…”

Effects of Probiotic Supplementation on Exercise with Predominance of Aerobic Metabolism in Trained Population: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression

“…Consequently, probiotic supplementation could help to improve the intestinal barrier, and avoid endotoxemia and the following process of inflammation [5]. Moreover, several probiotic strains have shown their capability to digest, absorb and metabolize important nutrients for sports performance and recovery [24]. In this sense, probiotics supplementation has enhanced the amino acid absorption from plant protein [24] and has increased exogenous glucose absorption and oxidation during exercise [25].…”

“…Moreover, several probiotic strains have shown their capability to digest, absorb and metabolize important nutrients for sports performance and recovery [24]. In this sense, probiotics supplementation has enhanced the amino acid absorption from plant protein [24] and has increased exogenous glucose absorption and oxidation during exercise [25]. Another mechanism of probiotics supplementation to improve aerobic capacity could be through the production of SCFAs, which are an extra energy source during exercise [26].…”

Production and prebiotic properties of oligofructans from sugarcane juice fermentation by Bacillus subtilis TISTR 001

“…Prebiotics help to promote the growth of probiotics with the most common probiotic being lactic acid bacteria (LAB), such as Bifidobacterium sp., Lactobacillus sp., Streptococcus sp., Enterococcus sp., and Bacillus sp. (Chlebowska-Smigiel et al 2017Jager et al 2020;Mu et al 2021;Raveschot et al 2020;Roobab et al 2020). Additionally, they can inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, such as Clostridium sp., Escherichia coli, and Samonella sp.…”