Hecto Healthcare said on Oct. 26 that results from a clinical study of multi-strain probiotic SLAB51 in elite athletes, conducted with Korea National Sport University, were published in the international journal Nutrients. The study was carried out by a research team led by Professor Yoon Ji-woon (윤지운) at the university’s Sports Analysis & AI Center.

SLAB51 is a probiotic combining 8 strains, including lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, and was developed by Professor Claudio De Simone. Research on the product has mainly focused on clinical subjects such as disease groups. This study differed in that it assessed responses shown by highly trained elite athletes during exercise.

The analysis covered 36 male elite athletes in taekwondo, field hockey and badminton. The same athletes alternated taking SLAB51 and a placebo for one week each, with a two-week washout period in between. It used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. Exercise performance was measured until exhaustion using the Bruce protocol, a treadmill test that increases speed and incline in stages.

After one week of taking SLAB51, total exercise duration was an average 33.3 seconds longer than when taking the placebo. In the section where the respiratory exchange ratio exceeded 1.0, the gap widened to about 57 seconds. The respiratory exchange ratio is calculated by dividing exhaled carbon dioxide by inhaled oxygen and increases as exercise intensity rises.

The research team focused on the point that additional performance gains are not easy for already highly trained athletes. It said it therefore paid close attention to the duration difference confirmed in the later stage when exercise intensity rises.

The research team said, "This study is meaningful in that it examined the difference in exercise duration from short-term intake of SLAB51 in elite athletes." It added, "There is a need to confirm whether the same results appear through follow-up research with a larger number of subjects and a longer intake period, and to identify the mechanism of action."