Prevention of upper respiratory and gastrointestinal illness symptoms in elite rugby union players Respiratory
Conditions
Interventions
Players will be randomised to consume either 2.9 g/day of the commercially available B-GOS (Bimuno, Clasado Biosciences Ltd, Reading, UK) or 2.9 g/day placebo (maltodextrin) provided as a powder in si
Sponsors
Nottingham Trent University
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
Male
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Elite rugby union players playing in the English Premiership 2. Non-smokers 3. No history of gastrointestinal illness 4. Not regularly consuming foods enriched with probiotics, prebiotics, or vitamins
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Routine consumption of prebiotic, and/or probiotic supplements 2. Take a daily dose of aspirin or other NSAIDs 3. Intake of drugs that affect gastrointestinal mobility, laxatives in the 4 weeks before the study 4. Vegetarian or vegan diet 5. Previously diagnosed with COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or similar respiratory illness 6. Asthma exacerbation within the last 12 months (course of steroids, or hospital visit) 7. History of heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, embolism, or other pulmonary heart diseases 8. History of recurrent chest infections 9. Acute infection within the last four weeks 10. Major operation within the past four months 11. History of gastrointestinal drug reaction 12. Use of antibiotics in the past 3 months 13. History or current evidence of gastrointestinal disease e.g. chronic constipation, diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s Disease 14. Milk allergy
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Daily upper respiratory symptoms measured using the Jackson questionnaire daily over the 24-week intervention | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Gut symptoms measured using a modified visual analog scale assessment tool (Gaskell et al., 2019) weekly over the 24-week intervention 2. Plasma TNFa concentrations measured using ELISA from samples taken at baseline, 12, and 24 weeks 3. Plasma CRP concentrations measured using ELISA from samples taken at baseline, 12, and 24 weeks 4. Salivary IgA concentrations measured using ELISA from samples taken at baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | — |
Countries
England, United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed