Competitive athletes often train for a single competition for years in order to deliver a peak performance on the big day. However, on the day of the competition, respiratory sickness, colds, coughs, or hoarseness can affect the athlete. As we will see, some of these nagging illnesses could probably be prevented by taking probiotics ahead of time.
Competitive efforts and long training sessions strain the body and make the immune system more susceptible to sickness, especially upper respiratory tract illnesses caused by bacteria or viruses.
Can probiotics strengthen an athlete’s immune system and keep them healthy at the decisive moment?
Researchers at the Medical University of Innsbruck have studied ways to use probiotics to reduce the risk of upper respiratory tract diseases or to reduce the time of onset of these infections.
Athletes taking probiotics fell ill much less frequently.
The study with 33 athletes found that athletes treated with a mixture of probiotics from the Bifidobacterium bifidium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus lactis strains had a significantly lower risk of respiratory disease than the control group. These non-probiotic-supported athletes were 2.2 times more likely to be infected by bacteria and viruses.
Average sick days for Probiotic-supported athletes fell from 7.25 to 4.7 days.
The average duration of the disease using probiotics also fell from 7.25 days to 4.7 days, compared to the control group. The exact mechanism of action between these bacteria in the microbiome, in the intestines, and the reduced risk of suffering from diseases of the upper respiratory tract will certainly be an important area for further study.
However interesting reasearch has already been carried out regarding the effects of probitics in treating allergies, dermatits or supporting the intestinal system when taking antibiotics.
