Probiotics in athletes: some immune markers changed, health benefits remain uncertain
A review found changes in selected immune and inflammatory markers alongside null results for others. The abstract does not report whether athletes had fewer infections.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Probiotic supplementation was associated with lower tumor necrosis factor alpha, an inflammatory marker, and increases in some immune markers. Other markers showed no statistically significant effects. The abstract reports laboratory outcomes, without establishing fewer infections, milder illness or better athletic performance. It also does not identify which probiotic products would provide a meaningful health benefit.
This abstract-based account cannot establish the practical size of the changes: numerical results are labeled only as effect sizes, without defining the scale. Comparison treatments, study durations and evidence-certainty ratings are also absent.
A review of reviews
An umbrella review brings together existing meta-analyses. Here, researchers also added a recent randomized trial and re-analyzed evidence about immune and inflammatory markers. Their question concerned measured biological changes in athletes.
The pattern was mixed
Secretory IgA and interferon gamma increased, while IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 showed no statistically significant effects. The findings therefore differed across markers; they do not demonstrate a general improvement in athletes' health.
The original publication
Effects of probiotic supplementation on immune and inflammatory markers in athletes: an umbrella review and re-analysis of published meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials.
Chen L, Li A, Chen W et al.
PeerJ · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41773190
- Record checked
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