The weather is turning colder, and instead of going into a Holiday meal induced coma, or at least nap many people will be sticking to their exercise routines; and good for them! But with cold weather comes the increased risk of upper respiratory infections especially for those who exercise outdoors in colder climates.
The Power of Probiotics
But did you know that the addition of Probiotics in your diet might substantially reduce upper respiratory infections for winter athletes? That's the conclusion reach by researchers who recently published their results in theInternational Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. The researchers conducted a four month study of 84 highly active men and women engaged in winter endurnace-based physical acitivities and examined the effects Protbiotics supplements had on the incidence of upper respiratory-tract URTIs) and immune markers.
Happy lactobacilli = Healthy You!
Lactic acid bacteria, including Lactobacillus species, are a small by important part of your gut's ecosystem. There are over one-hundred known species of lactobacilli, and many have been studied for their positive effects on health. These lactobacilli are known as Probiotics.
Reduction in Upper Respiratory Infections
The resuts were overwhelming. The statistic that jumped out the most was that of the 26 athletes that received a placebo (i.e., they were not getting probiotics) and finished the study, 18 of them on average were sick each week of the study. That's amazing! I guess endurance training really does suppress the immune system especially during winter weather. The probiotics also seemed to also help with gastrointestinal symptoms among the athletes, according to the study.
The conclusion: Regular ingestion of Probiotics appeared to be beneficial in reducing the frequency of UTRIs in athletes. You can read the study here.
Fewer infections in Probiotics users
At the end of the study:
- Fewer people in the Probiotic group (66%) had a URTI during the trial compared to the placebo group (90%).
- The Probiotic group reported fewer day with URTI symptoms, and spent less time on medications.
- People taking Probiotics who did get sick were less likely to have to interrupt their training schedules.
- Levels of infection-fighting antibodies in the saliva were higher in the Probiotic group.
- The placebo group reported more days with gastrointestinal discomfort compared to the Probiotic group.
