What do probiotics do?
Probiotics are known to promote health and well-being and have been linked to a number of benefits such as immune health, improved digestion, weight loss and even brain health. However the link between probiotics and performance is not as well established. There may have been studies suggesting performance benefits due to improved immune health keeping athletes healthy and able to train harder for longer; however, the direct link between probiotics and performance has not been analysed.
Recent research
Recent research presented at an International Society of Sports Nutrition conference has indicated that there may be significant benefits to consuming probiotics with a slow digesting protein in resistance trained individuals. The research conducted by Georges et al (2014) analysed the effect of a probiotic combined with Casein on lean body mass, strength, power and health indicators. This is the first study to directly look at the impact of probiotics on performance and the results are very interesting.
Georges et al (2014) compared the effects from two sample groups:
1. Group 1 – 2 x doses of 20g Casein daily
2. Group 2 – 20g Casein + probiotic (500 million cfus)
Research findings
Power appeared to be significantly improved in the Casein + probiotic group compared to the Casein only group, demonstrated by a significant improvement in vertical jump performance.
The results also indicated benefits to peak power (increased power) and fat mass (decreased fat mass).
This suggests that the addition of probiotics helps to improve performance in resistance trained individuals.
Summary
The findings of this study further highlight the importance of probiotics, not only to your general health, but also to your performance. So why not take a look at our INFORMED WHEY™ which contains the probiotic LactoSpore®, Complete Probiotic™ or even Complete Multivitamin Complex™.
References:
Georges et al (2014) The Effects of Probiotic Supplementation on Lean Body Mass, Strength, and Power, and Health Indicators in Resistance Trained Males: A Pilot Study, International Society of Sports Nutrition Meeting
