Exercise-Induced Gastrointestinal Syndrome Symptoms
Changes in the functionality, permeability, and inflammatory activity of the digestive tract during and after exercise, often associated with upper and lower GI distress.
Last Updated:October 13, 2024
Participants: 49
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In this randomized controlled trial in recreational marathon runners, taking a probiotic supplement improved gastrointestinal symptoms but did not affect running performance, compared with a placebo.
What was studied?
The effects of supplementation with probiotics in marathon runners.
The outcomes assessed were performance on a 12-minute running test, gastrointestinal symptoms, gut microbiota composition, BMI, bone mineral density of the femur, emotional stability, and thigh muscle mass and fat.
Who was studied?
19 recreational marathon runners (average age of 29; 15 men, 4 women) with no known health conditions.
The runners were recruited from the “Hangzhou Sunshine Running Team” in China.
How was it studied?
In this 5-week randomized controlled trial, the participants took probiotics or a placebo daily. The probiotic supplement contained Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum (a total of 1.5×109 CFU per day).
The participants were instructed to refrain from products that contain probiotics (e.g., yogurt) during the study and to maintain their usual training routine. The participants were also required to fill out a training diary during the study.
All of the outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention. Gastrointestinal symptoms and emotional stability were assessed using questionnaires, gut microbiota composition was determined from fecal samples, and bone mineral density and thigh muscle composition were measured with a DXA scan.
What were the results?
Gastrointestinal symptoms improved in the probiotics group, compared with the placebo group. There were also differences in gut microbiota composition between the groups at the end of the intervention, including higher amounts of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes (including Lacticaseibacillus at the genus level), Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria in the probiotics group.
The changes in the other outcomes did not differ between the groups, although there was an improvement in running performance in the probiotics group, compared with baseline.