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The Endurance Athlete’s Greatest MISTAKE!!!

Quite simply not taking care of the gut and gastrointestinal tract before problems start. We are no strangers to understanding GI dysfunction in athletes. Our sister company “The Nadura Clinic” is one of the leaders in functional testing for athletes, especially GI Map (Comprehensive stool analysis). We see more and more in athletes with low Siga, dysregulated microbiota, and higher infection/sickness rates multiple times per year.

Before this becomes more of a problem just add a simple probiotic twice per year, just make sure it is strong enough for an athlete/sportsperson and NO a yogurt is not enough.

If you’re an endurance athlete and frequently experience digestive problems, chronic colds (multiple times per year) or sub-optimal recovery, or getting dropped out the back on race day or Sunday morning then NDS Performance can help you!!!

Scientific and evidence-based strains specially formulated for athletes and in particular runners tummy and the stress associated with long-term endurance athletes.

NDS Probiotic Performance has been tested in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at the Medical University of Graz, Austria. Twenty-three endurance sportsmen received a daily dose (1*1010 CFU/day) of NDS® Probiotic Performance or placebo for 14 weeks. The triple step test ergometry was used as a model for stress. This performance test to measure maximum endurance capacity was performed at baseline and at the end of the treatment.

Markers for intestinal barrier function, oxidative stress, and inflammation were measured. The trial showed that supplementation with NDS® Probiotic Performance significantly decreased stool zonulin levels, an important marker for a ‘leaky gut. Moreover, a trend was shown towards a decrease in the chronic inflammatory marker TNF-α.

NDS® Probiotic Performance can improve intestinal barrier function, low-grade inflammation, and redox homeostasis.

Main usage indications: Performance to be used mainly for athletes – To prevent runners’ diarrhea and also to prevent increased risk of intestinal permeability that comes with sports.

“Physiologic effects of stress. Stress leads to altered release/response to neuroendocrine factors, acting directly or indirectly on the gut wall, inducing barrier dysfunction and uptake of damaging substances from the lumen. The resulting inflammation causes disability and increases stress”.

Life is full of deadlines and demands, which can cause stress. Stress may have a physical or mental cause, such as exams or endurance sports. For many people, stress is so usual that it has become a part of life. However, stress has adverse effects, such as a ‘leaky gut’, oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation (figure 1). Probiotics are able to reduce these adverse effects.

Research shows that stress increases the permeability of our gut1 and it’s associated symptoms and illnesses such as gastrointestinal complaints and increased susceptibility to infection. Moreover, stress enhances the production of free radicals (oxidative stress).

These free radicals attack the body’s own compounds, e.g. proteins and DNA. Many diseases are associated with oxidative stress, such as IBD and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, these free radicals negatively trigger the immune system and damage the intestinal barrier function.

Stress is also linked with the body losing its ability to properly regulate the inflammatory response, which can cause chronic low-grade inflammation and promote the development of disease2.

Previous research has shown that probiotics can alleviate the side effects of stress3. NDS® Probiotic Performance has also shown to be effective in improving the intestinal barrier function and in reducing inflammation and the oxidation of proteins4.

NDS® Probiotic Performance

NDS® Probiotic Performance has been developed in collaboration with the Medical University of Graz, Austria. It is a multispecies probiotic product, developed with the specific aim to reduce the adverse effects of both physical and mental stress. The strains in NDS® Probiotic Performance have been specifically selected for their capacity to (figure 2)

  • Improve barrier function (level 2)
  • Improve redox balance (level 2 & 3)
  • Positively influence the immune system (level 3)

Clinical evidence

NDS® Probiotic Performance has been tested in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at the Medical University of Graz, Austria. Twenty-three endurance sportsmen received a daily dose (1*1010 CFU/day) of NDS® Probiotic Performance or placebo for 14 weeks.

The triple step test ergometry was used as a model for stress. This performance test to measure maximum endurance capacity was performed at baseline and at the end of the treatment. Markers for intestinal barrier function, oxidative stress, and inflammation were measured. The trial showed that supplementation with NDS® Probiotic Performance significantly decreased stool zonulin levels (figure 3), an important marker for a ‘leaky gut’.

Moreover, a trend was shown towards a decrease in the chronic inflammatory marker TNF-α and in the protein oxidation marker Carbonyl protein. These results show that supplementation with NDS® Probiotic Performance can improve intestinal barrier function, low-grade inflammation, and redox homeostasis.

  • Söderholm JD, Perdue MH. Stress and gastrointestinal tract. II. Stress and intestinal barrier function. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2001 Jan;280(1): G7-G13.
  • Cohen S, et al. Chronic stress, glucocorticoid receptor resistance, inflammation, and disease risk. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Apr 17;109(16):5995-9.
  • Marcos A, et al. The effect of milk fermented by yogurt cultures plus Lactobacillus casei DN-114001 on the immune response of subjects under academic examination stress. Eur J Nutr. 2004 Dec;43(6):381-9.
  • NDS® Probiotic Performance publications Lamprecht M et al. Probiotic supplementation affects markers of the intestinal barrier, oxidation, and inflammation in trained men; a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2012, 9:45 Safety profile

In Europe, probiotic strains are considered safe if they have the Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS)-status5. All probiotic strains in NDS® Probiotic Performance have the QPS status.

GI Map – For GI Map stool analysis email hello@nadura.ie and speak to our practice manager Lisa Tobin-Leeh or please follow the link below