Episode 155 of the Institute of Performance Nutrition‘s “We Do Science” podcast! In this episode, Laurent Bannock discusses “Probiotic supplementation and athletes” with Dr Jamie Pugh PhD (Liverpool John Moores University, UK).

Discussion topics Include:

• Overview of probiotics, prebiotics, gut microbiota, the microbiome etc: from general population to elite athletes
• How probiotics can benefit the host, and why this potentially matters to some athletes
• Probiotic supplementation and GI distress and dysfunction
• Probiotics and impact on carbohydrate metabolism
• Practical considerations for probiotic supplementation and athletes

Key Paper(s) discussed / referred to:

• International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Probiotics
• The athletic gut microbiota
• Probiotic supplementation increases carbohydrate metabolism in trained male cyclists: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial
• Four weeks of probiotic supplementation reduces GI symptoms during a marathon race