The Role of Probiotics in Sports: Application of Probiotics to Endurance Exercise

Abstract Sports that require physical endurance affect the health conditions of both elite athletes and nonprofessional enthusiasts in various ways. For such athletes, foods, particularly probiotics, may play important roles in important functions such as antioxidant activity and immunity. Increasing evidence of the beneficial effects of probiotics has accumulated in the past several years, and their use among athletes has become increasingly popular. Fatigue and mood disturbances under the demands of athletic performance, as well as respiratory and gastrointestinal distress, are common during endurance training and competition. The psychosocial and physical demands during intense exercise can also initiate stress via the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis through stress hormone release. In this review the potentials of probiotics are discussed, focusing on recent evidence regarding antioxidant action, immune function, and physical and mental stress, particularly from clinical trials in humans.