Thirty days of double-strain probiotic supplementation increases monocyte phagocytosis in marathon runners.

Marathon runners, subjected to intense training regimes and prolonged, exhaustive exercises, often experience a compromised immune response. Probiotic supplementation has emerged as a potential remedy to mitigate the impact of prolonged exercise on athletes. Consequently, this study sought to assess the influence of probiotic supplementation on monocyte functionality both before and after the official marathon race. Twenty-seven runners were randomly and double-blindly assigned to two groups: Placebo-PLA (n=13) and Probiotic-PRO (n=14). Over thirty days, both groups received supplements-PLA sachets containing maltodextrin (5g/day) and PRO sachets containing 1 x 1010 CFU Lactobacillus acidophilus and 1 x 1010 CFU Bifidobacterium bifidum subsp. lactis. Blood samples were collected, and immunological assays, including phagocytosis, hydrogen peroxide production, cytokine levels, and monocyte immunophenotyping, were conducted at four different intervals: Baseline (start of supplementation/thirty days pre-marathon), 24h-Before (one-day pre-marathon), 1h-After (1h post-marathon), and 5d-After (five days post-marathon). Monocyte populations remained consistent throughout the study. A notable increase in phagocytosis was observed in the PRO group after thirty days of supplementation. Upon LPS stimulation, both PRO and PLA groups exhibited decreased IL-8 production. However, after the marathon race, IL-15 stimulation demonstrated increased levels of 5d-After, while IL-1-ß, IL-8, IL-10, IL-15, and TNF-α varied across different intervals, specifically within the PRO group. Probiotic supplementation notably enhanced the phagocytic capacity of monocytes. However, these effects were not sustained post-marathon.

A systematic scoping review of study methodology for randomized controlled trials investigating probiotics in athletic and physically active populations.

BACKGROUND: The purported ergogenic and health effects of probiotics have been a topic of great intrigue among researchers, practitioners, and the lay public alike. There has also been an increased research focus within the realm of sports science and exercise medicine on the athletic gut microbiota. However, compared to other ergogenic aids and dietary supplements, probiotics present unique study challenges. The objectives of this systematic scoping review were to identify and characterize study methodologies of randomized controlled trials investigating supplementation with probiotics in athletes and physically active individuals. METHODS: Four databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) were searched for randomized controlled studies involving healthy athletes or physically active individuals. An intervention with probiotics and inclusion of a control and/or placebo group were essential. Only peer-reviewed articles in English were considered, and there were no date restrictions. Results were extracted and presented in tabular form to detail study protocols, characteristics, and outcomes. Bias in randomized controlled trials was determined with the RoB 2.0 tool. RESULTS: A total of 45 studies were included in the review, with 35 using a parallel group design and 10 using a cross-over design. Approximately half the studies used a single probiotic and the other half a multi-strain preparation. The probiotic dose ranged from 2 × 108 to 1 × 1011 colony forming units daily, and the length of intervention was between 7 and 150 days. Fewer than half the studies directly assessed gastrointestinal symptoms, gut permeability, or the gut microbiota. The sex ratio of participants was heavily weighted toward males, and only 3 studies exclusively investigated females. Low-level adverse events were reported in only 2 studies, although the methodology of reporting varied widely. The risk of bias was generally low, although details on randomization were lacking in some studies. CONCLUSION: There is a substantial body of research on the effects of probiotic supplementation in healthy athletes and physically active individuals. Considerable heterogeneity in probiotic selection and dosage as well as outcome measures has made clinical and mechanistic interpretation challenging for both health care practitioners and researchers. Attention to issues of randomization of participants, treatments and interventions, selection of outcomes, demographics, and reporting of adverse events will facilitate more trustworthy interpretation of probiotic study results and inform evidence-based guidelines.

Changes in the Gut Bacteria Composition of Healthy Men with the Same Nutritional Profile Undergoing 10-Week Aerobic Exercise Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Nutrient consumption and body mass index (BMI) are closely related to the gut microbiota, and exercise effects on gut bacteria composition may be related to those variables. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effect of 10-week moderate aerobic exercise on the cardiorespiratory fitness and gut bacteria composition of non-obese men with the same nutritional profile. Twenty-four previously sedentary men (age 25.18 [SD 4.66] years, BMI 24.5 [SD 3.72] kg/m2) were randomly assigned into Control (CG; n = 12) or Exercise Groups (EG; n = 12). Body composition, cardiorespiratory parameters, blood markers, dietary habits and gut bacteria composition were evaluated. EG performed 150 min per week of supervised moderate (60-65% of VO2peak) aerobic exercise, while CG maintained their daily routine. The V4 16S rRNA gene was sequenced and treated using QIIME software. Only EG demonstrated marked improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak, p < 0.05; Effect Size = 0.971) without changes in other gut bacteria-affecting variables. Exercise did not promote clustering based on diversity indices (p > 0.05), although significant variations in an unclassified genus from Clostridiales order and in Streptococcus genus were observed (p < 0.05). Moreover, α-diversity was correlated with VO2peak (Pearson's R: 0.47; R2 0.23: 95%CI: 0.09 to 0.74, p = 0.02) and BMI (Pearson's R: -0.50; R2 0.25: 95%CI: -0.75 to -0.12, p = 0.01). Roseburia, Sutterella and Odoribacter genera were associated with VO2peak, while Desulfovibrio and Faecalibacterium genera were associated with body composition (p < 0.05). Our study indicates that aerobic exercise at moderate intensity improved VO2peak and affected gut bacteria composition of non-obese men who maintained a balanced consumption of nutrients.

Strategies to Prevent Sarcopenia in the Aging Process: Role of Protein Intake and Exercise.

Sarcopenia is one of the main issues associated with the process of aging. Characterized by muscle mass loss, it is triggered by several conditions, including sedentary habits and negative net protein balance. According to World Health Organization, it is expected a 38% increase in older individuals by 2025. Therefore, it is noteworthy to establish recommendations to prevent sarcopenia and several events and comorbidities associated with this health issue condition. In this review, we discuss the role of these factors, prevention strategies, and recommendations, with a focus on protein intake and exercise.

Probiotic supplementation in marathonists and its impact on lymphocyte population and function after a marathon: a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study.

Probiotic supplementation arises as playing an immune-stimulatory role. High-intensity and -volume exercise can inhibit immune cell function, which threatens athletic performance and recovery. We hypothesized that 30 days of probiotic supplementation could stabilize the immune system of athletes preventing immune suppression after a marathon race. Twenty-seven male marathonists were double-blinded randomly into probiotic (Bifidobacterium-animalis-subsp.-Lactis (10 × 109) and Lactobacillus-Acidophilus (10 × 109) + 5 g of maltodextrin) and placebo (5 g of maltodextrin) group. They received 30 sachets and supplemented 1 portion/day during 30 days before the race. Blood were collected 30 days before (rest), 1 day before (pre), 1 h after (post) and 5 days after the race (recovery). Both chronic and acute exercise modulated a different T lymphocyte population (CD3+CD4-CD8- T-cells), increasing pre-race, decreasing post and returning to rest values at the recovery. The total number of CD8 T cell and the memory subsets statistically decreased only in the placebo group post-race. Pro-inflammatory cytokine production by stimulated lymphocytes decreased in the probiotic group after the supplementation period. 30 days of probiotic supplementation maintained CD8 T cell and effector memory cell population and played an immunomodulatory role in stimulated lymphocytes. Both, training and marathon modulated a non-classical lymphocyte population regardless of probiotic supplementation.

Probiotics and sports: A new magic bullet?

The use of probiotics in sports has been growing in the past years focusing on the attenuation of upper respiratory tract (URS) and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms commonly present in endurance athletes. Researches shown different results and this may related to the probiotic strain, dose, period consumption or even the form of administration (capsules, sachets or fermented milk). These four factors directly influence in the probiotic's outcome and this question still remains unclear. Thus, the goal of this review is to clarify how these factors may influence the outcomes, approaching the major differences among studies, mechanisms by which the probiotic may contribute in sports field and applied conclusions. It was used 'probiotics', 'athletes', 'sports', 'exercise', 'athletes performance', 'immune response', 'intestinal symptoms' as keywords and its combinations and 20 original articles were selected for our purpose. All the articles were performed in healthy physically active people and/or athletes. Putting together, it was observed that athletes may benefit from probiotics consumption. It seems that multi strain ingested via sachet or fermented food and a larger period of consumption may shown better results at minimizing URS and GI symptoms. Also, specific species appears to have a role in exercise recovery. Therefore, the beneficial effect of probiotics in sports field is strictly dependent on the four factors abovementioned. The molecular mechanisms behind the probiotics effectiveness have not yet been elucidated and perhaps the biological assessments performed in the studies as well the few number of studies published did not answer the question yet.

Colon epithelial cells luminal environment and physiopathological consequences: impact of nutrition and exercise

The colonic epithelial cells represent a border between the colon luminal content, containing notably bacteria and a complex mixture of compounds, and the"milieu interieur"as defined by the French physiologist Claude Bernard.The physical-chemical composition of the luminal content, including luminal pH and bacterial metabolite, that obviousl y is not constant, is modified for instance according to the diet. Data obtained recently indicate that physical exercise may also modify the colonic luminal content. Evidence has indicated that modification of the luminal content characteristics has, indeed, consequences for the colonic epithelial cells, notably in terms of energy metabolism and DNA integrity. Although such alterations impact presumably the homeostatic process of the colonic epithelium renewal and the epithelial barrier function, their contribution to pathological processes like mucosal inflammation, pre-neoplasia, and neoplasia remains partly elusive. Open questions remain regarding the individual and collective roles of luminal changes, particularly in a long-term perspective. These questions are related particularly to the capacity of the bacterial metabolites to cross the mucus layer before entering the colonocytes, to the concentrations of metabolites in proximity of the colonic crypt stem cells, and to the capacity of colonocytes to detoxicate deleterious compounds, to take up and utilize beneficial compounds.

Competição na dança clássica: um fator ansiogênico negativo? / Classical dance competition: a negative anxiogenic factor?

Resumo A dança clássica é uma modalidade que apresenta relação com a arte, exigindo grande grau de prepara fisico, psicológico e estético. Pode-se perceber que próximo a períodos competitivos, semelhante a praticantes de outras modalidades esportivas, bailarinas passam por situações estressantes que podem ter impacto negativo sob o desempenho. Deste modo, o objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar os efeitos da ansiedade competitiva no desempenho de bailarinas. Participaram do estudo 22 bailarinas com idade entre 18 a 30 anos, praticantes de dança clássica por pelo menos dois anos. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de avaliações psicométricas realizadas em momentos distintos (pré-competitivo, competitivo e pós-competitivo). Podemos perceber que ocorre um aumento da ansiedade momentos antes da competiçao, porém o desempenho das bailarinas não foi afetado, as bailarinas têm um aumento de sua tensão/ansiedade, alterações na percepção ansiosa, porém permaneceram centradas a tarefa que irão realizar.(AU)

Abstract Classical dance is a practice/modality related with art, and requires a large degree of physical, psychological and aesthetic of the dancers. In the competitive periods, similarly to practitioners of other sports, dancers face stressful situation that can raise the anxiety level, which in turn can have a negative impact on performance. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of competitive-anxiety on dancers performances. Twenty-two dancers participated in this study, aged from 18 to 30 years old, practitioners of classical dance for at least two years. Data collection was accomplished by psychometric assessments in different times (pre - competition, competition and post - competition). Moments before competition, dancers shows an increase in anxiety, but their performance is not affected; they have increased tension/anxiety, altered anxious perception, but they remain focused on the activity that they will perform.(AU)

Exercise deprivation increases negative mood in exercise-addicted subjects and modifies their biochemical markers.

The aim of this study was to identify the possible association between biochemical markers of exercise addiction and affective parameters in a sample of athletes during 2weeks of withdrawal exercise. Eighteen male runners were distributed into a control group (n=10) composed of runners without exercise addiction symptoms and an exercise addiction group (n=8) composed of runners with exercise addiction symptoms. The volunteers performed a baseline evaluation that included affective questionnaires, blood samples, body composition and an aerobic test performed at ventilatory threshold I. After the baseline evaluation, the groups started an exercise withdrawal period that was sustained for 2weeks. During exercise withdrawal, an actigraph accelerometer was used to monitor the movement index, and CK and LDH were measured in blood samples to validate the non-exercise practice. At the end of the exercise withdrawal period, a blood collection, aerobic test and mood scale was performed in the re-test. The results showed that at the end of the experimental protocol, when compared with the control group, the exercise addiction group showed an increase in depression, confusion, anger, fatigue and decreased vigor mood that improved post-exercise, along with low levels of anandamide at all time-points evaluated and a modest increase in ß-endorphin post-exercise. Moreover, the exercise addiction group showed a decrease in oxygen consumption and respiratory exchange ratio after the exercise withdrawal period, which characterized a detraining phenomenon. Our data suggest that a 2-week withdrawal exercise period resulted in an increase of negative mood in exercise addiction; additionally, exercise addiction showed low levels of anandamide.