General overview
- Probiotics are live microbial food supplements that can benefit overall health by enhancing intestinal microbial balance
- Benefits include: improved intestinal tract health, enhanced immune system, improved bioavailability of nutrients, reduced lactose intolerance and reduced risk of certain types of cancers
- Exact mechanism is unclear; however it appears that probiotics help modify the gut pH (acidity), produce antimicrobial compounds and help stimulate immune related cells
- Probiotics are mostly found in dairy products such as yogurt as well as commercial supplements
- Daily consumption is recommended for optimal results
Use in Sport
- May be beneficial if you have history of gastrointestinal problems with heavy training or around competition time
- Daily supplementation or consumption 2 weeks prior to travel, competition or increased training load will help allow time for the ’good’ bacteria to colonize the intestine
Types
- Two most commercially used types are: lactobacillus acidophilis and bifidobacterium bifidum and are found in most yogurts
- it is generally accepted that the greater the number of strains and quantity of each strains in a yogurt or supplement the more effective the product.
Shelf-life and storage of probiotics
- Shelf-life is ~3-6weeks if kept at 4°C
- Dried supplement shelf-life is ~12 months, however levels drop over this time period
- Probiotic bacteria count in food products varies considerably; some research has even shown some commercially available products contain no live bacteria
Current Research is analyzing industry standardization, uniformity in dosages per serving and different strains of bacteria