Looking for a way to improve your workout, get in shape and reduce muscle damage? Try probiotics!
This systematic review and meta-analysis of 35 studies found that probiotics can improve your workout and your recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage from your workout.
16 studies were included in the evaluation of probiotics’ effect on body weight. The combined outcome found a significant weight loss effect with probiotics. The benefit was especially evident in studies that lasted more than 6 weeks and in people over 30 who were overweight.
The 20 studies of percentage body fat found that probiotics produced a significant reduction.
The data also revealed that probiotics significantly improved maximal oxygen consumption compared to placebo, suggesting an improvement in cardiovascular fitness and endurance.
Creatine kinase is a marker of skeletal muscle tissue damage. The data also showed that probiotics significantly and remarkably reduce creatine kinase.
This meta-analysis suggests that supplementing probiotics can improve body weight, exercise performance and recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage.
The Physiological Society. April 2025;13(8):e70288.