About 4 million adults in the United States currently use probiotics, which are the third most commonly used dietary supplement other than vitamins and minerals.
Despite their popularity, probiotics are often not fully understood by consumers. I often hear questions regarding what probiotics are and if they are beneficial.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are living microscopic organisms that may benefit your health. Many are similar or the same as some of the “good” bacteria already in your body, particularly those in your gut. Probiotics can also be found in fermented food products such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, cabbage kimchee, and soybean-based miso. In addition, probiotics come in capsule form as a supplement.
Probiotic bacteria have been shown to have potential positive health effects such as boosting immune function, helping to decrease gastrointestinal disturbances and regulating the movement of food through the digestive tract. However, more research is needed, as these claims are difficult to prove because different strains of probiotic bacteria exert a wide variety of effects on human health.
Probiotics and Athletic Performance
There have been several studies looking at the effects probiotics has on athletic performance. Two such studies found that immune function may be enhanced with probiotic supplementation in athletes undergoing intense physical training. Another very recent study found that a specific probiotic strain seemed to be beneficial for reducing upper respiratory tract infections in athletes. In addition, the probiotic was found to decrease the duration and number of symptoms when an upper respiratory tract infection did occur. Although more studies need to be done to make definitive conclusions about probiotics, they are an interesting and hopeful topic!
If you are interested in adding probiotics to your healthy fueling plan, consider adding probiotic-foods or a high quality multi-strain probiotic supplement.
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