درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between gut microbiome composition, athletic performance, and post-exercise recovery in endurance athletes following probiotic supplementation.  Method: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 40 male endurance runners (age: 28.3 ± 5.2 years) were randomly assigned to either a probiotic (n=20) or placebo (n=20) group for 8 weeks. The probiotic group received a daily supplement containing a blend of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, and Lactobacillus plantarum (20 billion CFU total). Fecal samples were collected before and after the intervention and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Athletic performance was assessed through VO2max testing and time to exhaustion. Recovery was evaluated by measuring delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and creatine kinase (CK) levels. Results: The probiotic group showed a significant increase in gut microbial diversity (Shannon index: p<0.01) and relative abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus (p<0.001). Significant improvements were observed in VO2max (4.7%, p<0.05) and time to exhaustion (7.2%, p<0.01) in the probiotic group compared to placebo. The probiotic group also demonstrated reduced DOMS (23%, p<0.05) and lower peak CK levels (18%, p<0.01) relative to the placebo group. Multiple regression analysis revealed that changes in Akkermansia muciniphila and Bifidobacterium abundances were significant predictors of performance improvement (R² = 0.68, p<0.001). Conclusion: This study provides evidence that gut microbiome modulation through probiotic supplementation can enhance athletic performance and accelerate post-exercise recovery in endurance runners. These findings suggest that targeted manipulation of the gut microbiome may be a novel strategy for improving sports performance and recovery.

The purpose of this study was to research the subjective experiences of an athlete during practice match competitions and to examine the potential usefulness of an adapted MAC intervention in addressing the emotional difficulties of the athlete. We investigated the usefulness of a 12-session MAC program altered for educational purposes and presented data as a case study. The case study suggested that the athlete experienced a multitude of anxiety while practicing match competitions; the athlete typically avoided these emotional difficulties and engaged in avoidant behaviors; an adapted MAC approach for educational purposes could be helpful to help the athletes accept private events, commit to performance-related behaviors, and engage more frequently to performance under pressure. More could be done to address the needs of athletes experiencing performance anxiety beyond the structure of our 12-session educational intervention. We concluded that the MAC-based intervention, to a certain extent, educated the athlete about how to meet the challenges of performance difficulties, commit to values-driven behavior, and exhibit behaviors that would potentially permit optimal performance.