Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Probiotics in Health and Athletic Performance

I've been doing some more reading on the use of probiotics lately.  Interestingly enough, a few cool new reads have popped up that I have linked at the end.

The use of probiotics is now standard issue when you are taking an antibiotic drug.  (Hint:  You MUST take probiotic when taking an antibiotic)  It is also being used and it seems successfully to help out with IBS and gastro intestinal problems.

The use of probiotics as a pure athletic enhancement supplement doesn't look to hold much water.  This doesn't appear to be any type of ergogenic aid, like a creatine.  It does seem to offer some immune boosting support though.  Think of it as a secondary aid.  If you can recover faster and stay healthy, you can train more consistently.  That in itself is awesome.  I have used it as a supplement to my hard/long sessions.  Two hours or longer on a bike or any workout that leads me wiped out as examples.

This study showed that a certain type of probiotic boosts the immunity response to the flu.  It can be read here at Post Graduate Medicine.

Charles Poliquin just put out an article about the use of probiotics and belly fat.  I had never read this take on the use of probiotics, but found it interesting.  Anything that helps control cortisol, will essentially help control belly fat.  Tip 199:  Probiotic and Belly Fat.

Found this article from Conditioning Research blog.  They studied how the probiotics in yogurt altered gene expression and metabolism.  Pretty Interesting.  Read here in The Scientist.

To sum up,  the use of probiotics is worth exploring.  If your taking an antibiotic, probiotics are a must.  If you got some gastric issues, it's definitely worth trying.   If your a big endurance athlete that does lots of hard training, it is worth  experimenting with.  In the end I think it will turn out to be a great immunity booster.

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