Probiotics, part 2 (sports nutrition)
An increasing number of studies have focused on the immune health benefits of probiotics in athletes. Elite athletes in particular are at increased risk of upper respiratory tract illness (URTI), and a study using Lallemand Health Solutions’ Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti L10 probiotic strain indicated that probiotic supplementation may reduce the duration of illness (Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2016, Vol. 41, pp. 782-789).
Another study using a combination of six strains also found an impact on URTI: Athletes were 2.2 times more likely to experience one or more URTI symptoms compared to those taking a combination of Bifidobacterium bifidum, B. lactis, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. brevis and Lactococcus lactis (Nutrients, Vol.8, No. 11, pp. 752)