More Data Suggests Probiotics Plus Protein Benefits Muscle Recovery

Probiotic supplier Ganeden Biotech (Cleveland) is continuing research on the benefits of combining probiotics and protein. The company announced results of a new pilot study suggesting that 20 g of protein taken daily with Ganeden’s BC30 Bacillus coagulans probiotic strain may improve muscle recovery following muscle-damaging resistance training.

Ganeden has studied the link between probiotic and protein consumption for the past few years. The hypothesis is that probiotics help the body better absorb key amino acids from protein. A 2012 randomized, double-blind study saw better absorption of 23 key amino acids-including leucine, isoleucine, valine, glutamine, ornithine, tryptophan, and citruline-following Ganeden BC30 supplementation (one billion CFU).

Ganeden’s latest pilot study-a double-blind crossover trial conducted by the University of Tampa-showed that 20 g of protein combined with one billion CFU of Ganeden BC30 may help decrease muscle recovery time, soreness, swelling, and blood kinase, and increase muscle power following resistance training.

“This study continues to build upon the previous data but looked more specifically at the ability to positively affect recovery, explaining why we saw increases in power in the first study,” says David Keller, Ganeden’s vice president of scientific operations. “Based on this study, Ganeden BC30 increased the utilization of protein, which decreased recovery time, allowing people to get back to their exercise regimen more quickly. In the first trials, we saw increases in power, which led us to the recovery hypothesis, which was shown in this study.” Based on this pilot trial, data from a larger study with more subjects will be peer-review published in 2015, he added.

These findings confirm the potential role of probiotics in sports nutrition. More than a dozen sports nutrition brands, including Gaspari Nutrition, are already using probiotics in combination with protein in their supplements.

Jennifer Grebow
Editor-in-Chief
Nutritional Outlook magazine jennifer.grebow@ubm.com

Photo © iStockphoto.com/MjDigitalArt