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dc.contributor.authorWest, Nicholas P
dc.contributor.authorPyne, David B
dc.contributor.authorCripps, Allan W
dc.contributor.authorHopkins, William G
dc.contributor.authorEskesen, Dorte C
dc.contributor.authorJairath, Ashok
dc.contributor.authorChristophersen, Claus T
dc.contributor.authorConlon, Michael A
dc.contributor.authorFricker, Peter A
dc.date.accessioned2017-09-28T12:30:27Z
dc.date.available2017-09-28T12:30:27Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.date.modified2012-02-10T02:52:14Z
dc.identifier.issn1475-2891
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/1475-2891-10-30
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/41695
dc.description.abstractBackground Probiotics purportedly reduce symptoms of gastrointestinal and upper respiratory-tract illness by modulating commensal microflora. Preventing and reducing symptoms of respiratory and gastrointestinal illness are the primary reason that dietary supplementation with probiotics are becoming increasingly popular with healthy active individuals. There is a paucity of data regarding the effectiveness of probiotics in this cohort. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a probiotic on faecal microbiology, self-reported illness symptoms and immunity in healthy well trained individuals. Methods Competitive cyclists (64 males and 35 females; age 35 ᠹ and 36 ᠹ y, VO2max 56 ᠶ and 52 ᠶ ml.kg-1.min-1, mean ᠓D) were randomised to either probiotic (minimum 1 נ109 Lactobacillus fermentum (PCCper day) or placebo treatment for 11 weeks in a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial. The outcome measures were faecal L. fermentum counts, self-reported symptoms of illness and serum cytokines. Results Lactobacillus numbers increased 7.7-fold (90% confidence limits 2.1- to 28-fold) more in males on the probiotic, while there was an unclear 2.2-fold (0.2- to 18-fold) increase in females taking the probiotic. The number and duration of mild gastrointestinal symptoms were ~2-fold greater in the probiotic group. However, there was a substantial 0.7 (0.2 to 1.2) of a scale step reduction in the severity of gastrointestinal illness at the mean training load in males, which became more pronounced as training load increased. The load (duration׳everity) of lower respiratory illness symptoms was less by a factor of 0.31 (99%CI; 0.07 to 0.96) in males taking the probiotic compared with placebo but increased by a factor of 2.2 (0.41 to 27) in females. Differences in use of cold and flu medication mirrored these symptoms. The observed effects on URTI had too much uncertainty for a decisive outcome. There were clear reductions in the magnitude of acute exercise-induced changes in some cytokines. Conclusion L. fermentum may be a useful nutritional adjunct for healthy exercising males. However, uncertainty in the effects of supplementation on URTI and on symptoms in females needs to be resolved. Trial registration The trial was registered in the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12611000006943).
dc.description.peerreviewedYes
dc.description.publicationstatusYes
dc.format.extent213630 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherBioMed Central Ltd.
dc.publisher.placeUnited Kingdom
dc.relation.ispartofstudentpublicationN
dc.relation.ispartofpagefrom30-1
dc.relation.ispartofpageto30-11
dc.relation.ispartofjournalNutrition Journal
dc.relation.ispartofvolume10
dc.rights.retentionY
dc.subject.fieldofresearchMicrobiology not elsewhere classified
dc.subject.fieldofresearchInfectious diseases
dc.subject.fieldofresearchImmunology not elsewhere classified
dc.subject.fieldofresearchNutrition and dietetics
dc.subject.fieldofresearchEpidemiology
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode310799
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode320211
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode320499
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode3210
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode4202
dc.titleLactobacillus fermentum (PCC®) supplementation and gastrointestinal and respiratory-tract illness symptoms: a randomised control trial in athletes
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.descriptionC1 - Articles
dc.type.codeC - Journal Articles
dcterms.licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
gro.facultyGriffith Health, School of Allied Health Sciences
gro.rights.copyright© 2011 West et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
gro.date.issued2011
gro.hasfulltextFull Text
gro.griffith.authorCripps, Allan W.
gro.griffith.authorWest, Nic P.


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