As the Gold Coast returns to normal after the Commonwealth Games, we wonder how many of the 6500 athletes from over 70 nations take probiotics as part of their training and competition.
Research shows that probiotics can help athletes recover from fatigue, improve immune function, and maintain healthy gut function (Probiotics and athletic performance: a systematic review).
The Active Performance Clinic, in Sydney CBD work with active people including marathon runners and triathletes. Ben Duong, one of the directors, uses Probiotic Foods as his ‘go to gut fix for inflammed guts’. Ben says one of the big problems is the overuse of sports gels. The sugar content of the gels can leave his patients guts awfully messy.
There are many ways for sports people to fuel for endurance events and one way that has received a lot of validation is train low and fuel high. This refers to eating low amounts of carbohydrates whilst training and then increase your carb content prior to the event.
“You can’t perform at your maximum, recover from training or absorb nutrients from food without good gut health. My digestion has improved 100% since I’ve been taking Probiotic Foods.”
Phil, Townsville, QLD
Reducing your carb intake whilst training to only include resistant starches such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice and fruit, feeds the good bacteria and can contribute to healthy gut function. Importantly, it teaches your body to do without a glut of glucose—and the possible side effect of unbalanced gut bacteria—for longer periods of time. By training low on glycogen, your body grows accustomed to running on fat and conserving muscle glycogen.
But you don’t need to be an athlete to reap the benefits of a gut full of healthy and active bacteria. Apart from the benefits to your digestive system probiotics have been proven to assist with immunity, allergies, skin conditions, moods, weight loss and general wellbeing. Probiotics can simply increase your energy which is often all it takes to jump out of bed and into your joggers. Then, as you get the benefits of exercise and probiotics, your body will be primed to give it your best in life and on the field.
The science of sports nutrition is a rapidly expanding field that includes harnessing the power of gut bacteria to do the heavy lifting. Whether you are competing in a world class event, at your local club, or just the daily exercise routine, everyone’s performance can benefit from supporting nutrient levels with the pre and probiotics found in Probiotic Foods.
“To say I’m a fan of Probiotic Foods would be an understatement these products are one of those must haves for everyone.”
Jackson Mexon, The Mass Performance Centre
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