Prebiotic Type Spotlight: Athletic Performance Benefits
Each edition of GPA’s Prebiotic Spotlight focuses on a specific prebiotic type to raise awareness about the prebiotic itself, its sources, recent research, and marketplace applications. In this issue, GPA highlights the broader benefits of prebiotics on athletic performance.
Overview
Athletes routinely focus on optimizing their metabolic processes to enhance their performance. It now appears that the gut microbiota and prebiotics can assist in this effort (Hughes & Holscher, 2021).
Athletic performance can mean many things. For instance, occasional athletes may want to relieve muscle soreness after a weekend’s workout. On the other extreme, soldiers undergo intense physical training may benefit from maintaining optimal gut health (Nye et al., 2023). In-between, professional athletes regularly face mounting physical and mental stress due to demanding training schedules, frequent competitions, and limited recovery times (Parker et al., 2023). These stressors can lead to dehydration, may overwhelm the immune system, and cause athletes to be more vulnerable to illnesses such as respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, which compromise performance even after recovery. Identifying effective interventions that mitigate these risks and expedite recovery is therefore essential to maintain athletic health and optimize performance.
Athletes can incorporate prebiotics into their diets through natural food sources, supplements, or fortified foods (i.e., PREPD Hydration, Adelaide Australia).
Prebiotics, the Gut Microbiome, and Performance
The human gut microbiome is a functional ecosystem that thrives on diversity to maintain overall health and well-being, including in metabolic, endocrine, neuronal, and immune processes (Clark & Mach, 2016). Reduced microbial diversity has been associated with disease states, where lifestyle factors like diet and exercise have shown to positively influence microbiome composition, improving athlete’s health and performance (Clarke et al., 2014; Hughes & Holscher, 2021). Specifically, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by the microbiome are linked to reducing dehydration, which is common in many sports. This is especially important for athletic performance, as a 2.5% bodyweight loss from dehydration has been shown to impair cycling sprint performance by 29% (Ebert et al., 2007).
The microbiome plays a vital role in optimizing athletic performance through several mechanisms (Binder et al., 2020; Crowson & McClave, 2020; Parker et al., 2023; Zhang et al., 2023), including:
- Generating energy through SCFAs derived from fermented carbohydrates and proteins,
- Enhancing hydration through the short-chain fatty acid butyrate-stimulated sodium absorption in the colon, which increases water absorption through osmotic pressure,
- Modulating immune and inflammatory responses to fight off pathogens.
The athletic sports nutrition market is rapidly expanding, driven by the growing popularity of microbiome boosters, including probiotic- and prebiotic-based products. This growth is fueled by a surge in health-conscious consumers and increasing awareness of the essential role that nutrition plays in enhancing athletic performance. Valued at USD 45.2 billion in 2023, the global sports nutrition market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% between 2024 and 2030 (Grand View Research, 2023).
Sources:
GPA defines prebiotics as “compounds or ingredients that are utilized by the microbiota producing a health or performance benefit,” and a prebiotic effect as “a health or performance benefit that arises from alteration of the composition and/or activity of the microbiota, as a direct or indirect result of the utilization of a specific and well-defined compound or ingredient by microorganisms” (Deehan et al., 2024). Common prebiotic types and their dietary sources include:
Prebiotic type | Source |
Inulin | Chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, garlic, leeks, onion, asparagus, wheat, and bran (Mensink et al., 2015). |
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) | Onion, chicory, garlic, leeks, asparagus, and artichoke (Dou et al., 2022). |
Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) | Leguminous plants or synthesized for use in dairy applications, juices, and beverages (Mei et al., 2022). |
Acacia fiber | A dried gummy exudate obtained from the stems and branches of Acacia senegal and A. seyal trees (Al-Jubori et al., 2023). |
Resistant starches (RS) | Found in whole grains, green bananas, high amylose corn, potatoes, legumes, and wheat (Fuentes-Zaragoza et al., 2011). |
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) | A natural component of human milk, and commonly added to infant formulas (Zhang et al., 2021). |
Polyphenols | Fruits, vegetables, legumes, cocoa, tea, and coffee (Li et al., 2023). |
Performance Benefit Areas:
Recent research highlights several ways prebiotics may support athletic performance:
- Hydration improvement: Enhanced large intestinal water absorption as shown by a significant increase in body weight and decreased hematocrit levels observed in elite athletes consuming resistant starch (O’Connell et al., 2018).
- Immune system support: Modulation of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), transforming growth factor – β1 (TGF-β1), and interleukin levels (IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10), as well as an increase in natural killer cells and improved pathogenesis with a prebiotic mixture (GOS, FOS, inulin, and polydextrose) or β-glucan, respectively (Bergendiova et al., 2011; Zhang et al., 2023).
- Respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms reduction: Decreased duration and severity of upper respiratory symptoms, severity and incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms, improved sIgA, and inflammation markers with GOS and β-glucan (Bergendiova et al., 2011; McFarlin et al., 2013; Parker et al., 2023; Williams et al., 2016).
- Iron status improvement: Enhanced absorption and availability of dietary iron in female athletes consuming prebiotic fiber in a synbiotic formulation (Sandroni et al., 2022).
Recent Research
Interest in prebiotics and their impact on athletic performance continues to grow. A search on ClinicalTrials.gov retrieved one relevant study that has explored the prebiotic effects of 5 g of cocoa containing 500 mg of flavonoids on health promotion in athletes (ClinicalTrials.gov, 2024). Meanwhile, searching PubMed for “athletic performance” AND “prebiotics” retrieved seven articles published this year, exploring their roles in inflammation mitigation and post-exercise recovery (PubMed, 2024).
Chen et al. (2024) examined the interplay between exercise, dietary patterns, and gut microbiota in athletes. Benefits include improved vascular function, reduced risk of illness, enhanced recovery, and better weight management, suggesting dietary patterns like ketogenic, plant-based, Mediterranean, and high-protein diets influence microbiota composition and performance (Chen et al., 2024).
Similarly, Fernandez-Sanjurjo et al. (2024) studied a cohort of professional cyclists during La Vuelta 2019, analyzing the dynamics of faecal microbiota composition and SCFA content and their interplay with performance indicators, dietary intake, and supplement use. Results revealed that dietary modifications, particularly involving carbohydrates, impacted microbiota composition and performance, underscoring diet’s critical role in athletic preparation and recovery (Fernandez-Sanjurjo et al., 2024).
Lastly, Whitman et al. (2024) studied a blend of polyphenols (extracts from wild blueberry, cranberry, green leaf tea, and cocoa powders) and prebiotic fibers (resistant starch, GOS, and oligofructose-enriched inulin) in an in vitro model. This U.S. Army Research study demonstrated that the combination of both polyphenols and fibers provided additive effects to positively influence the gut microbial composition and function to build resiliency toward dysbiosis. Dr. J. Philip Karl, a co-author of this study, is following up with two clinical trials, currently underway (NCT05392556 and NCT06054607) investigating the effect of probiotics and GOS prebiotic during physical stress and the effect of increasing SCFAs from resistant starch on aerobic endurance in healthy active-duty soldiers.
Challenges and Limitations
- Variability in response: individual differences in the gut microbiota composition can influence the study-reported effects of prebiotics.
- Gastrointestinal side effects: similar to the last point, interindividual differences in the gut microbiota composition may influence individual tolerance to prebiotics.
- Variability in stressors: different populations of physically active individuals differ in their conditioning and stressors ranging from occasional athletes to elite to soldiers.
- Limited evidence: Many findings are based on theoretical microbiome research, though the data is promising (Crowson & McClave, 2020).
- Proving causality: Establishing a direct connection between prebiotics and performance is challenging due to confounding factors, such as diet and subjectivity in performance measurements. Nonetheless, consistent findings show the positive effects of prebiotics on inflammation, immune function, SCFA generation, and hydration, strengthening the case for prebiotics as valuable components of sports nutrition for enhancing performance.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The relationship between gut microbiota and athletic performance is complex and likely relies on maintaining ecological balance rather than single taxa or metabolites like SCFAs. Research suggests that prebiotics support physiological processes critical for performance, including gut barrier integrity, hydration, microbiota growth, pathogen defense, SCFA production, and immune function. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to consider individualized strategies when recommending prebiotics to athletes, tailoring plans to meet specific needs and optimize performance. Incorporating prebiotics into sports nutrition offers a promising avenue for supporting athletic health and performance.
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