Gut Check!

Athletes and sportspeople, training on a regular basis, often experience gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances, particularly before a race or event.  According to Lanham-New et al., (2011) the frequency of GI symptoms may be twice as high in endurance athletes, such as runners, compared with cyclists and up to three times higher in elite compared to recreational athletes; this not only causes distress & embarrassment, but can also compromise overall health and performance due to dehydration or lack of energy.  Episodes are often related to stress and nerves, but various intestinal conditions, which can also seriously compromise the immune system and lower the amount of healthy intestinal microflora, may also be responsible.  Furthermore, several scientific studies suggest that disturbances in levels of beneficial bacteria may also be responsible for a large proportion of urinary tract infections (UTI’s); however, when potent probiotic supplements are ingested regularly, the number of beneficial intestinal micro-organisms increases and once established, a normal, intestinal microflora, rich in Lactobacilli, creates acidic conditions which are unfavourable to the settlement of pathogenic micro-organisms. 

Healthy Gut = Healthy Person

Oral supplements of live, beneficial intestinal micro-organisms for nutritional health and well-being are known as probiotics.  The composition of the intestinal microflora is dynamic and constantly changing; if harmful micro-organisms proliferate, the equilibrium is disturbed and it becomes difficult for even indigenous bacteria to maintain their beneficial role.  Long-term use of antibiotics can have an adverse effect upon gut flora, in that they tend to kill off both the beneficial and harmful bacteria, thus disturbing the healthy balance of microflora, possibly leading to malabsorption and nutrient deficiency.

 

The ability of probiotic cultures to survive stomach acidity and pH is no longer a concern; the live cultures in Klean Probiotic have been studied and revealed to be extremely resistant to low stomach pH and bile acids in the duodenum and results reveal increased binding to human intestinal walls and protective effects of intestinal  colonisation.  Prebiotics (fructooligosaccharides) are carbohydrates that have short molecular chains; they function as non-digestible ingredients that can positively affect selected groups of beneficial intestinal microflora, such as Lactobacillus.  While probiotics merely add beneficial microflora, prebiotics affect the intestinal environment so that beneficial colonies of microflora can flourish.

Klean Probiotic balances bacteria in your gut so that the nutrients you need to perform can be optimally absorbed into your bloodstream.  Furthermore, since strenuous exercise can suppress the immune system, Klean Probiotic is also formulated to help support your body’s immune response.  Klean Probiotic supplies 15 billion beneficial live organisms to support a healthy intestinal tract and immune system; containing 8 strains of probiotic plus a prebiotic to create a synergistic balance and assist in nutrient absorption.

 

Serving size = 1 capsule

Servings per container = 60
Each Capsule Contains:
Multi-Strain Probiotic Blend 15 Billion CFU*
Containing:
Lactobacillus acidophilus (DDS-1) 4.3 Billion CFU
Lactobacillus rhamnosus  4.3 Billion CFU
Bifido lactis  1.9 Billion CFU
Lactobacillus lactis 1.0 Billion CFU
Bifido longum  1.0 Billion CFU
Bifido bifidum  1.0 Billion CFU
Lactobacillus gasseri 1.0 Billion CFU
Streptococcus thermophilus 0.5 Billion CFU
Proprietary Blend 210 mg
FOS (fructooligosaccharides) and Ulmus fulva (bark)
Other ingredients: Gelatin (capsule), cellulose, vegetable stearate and silica.

*CFU = Colony Forming Units – the measure of viable microbes in a probiotic.

Lanham-New, S.A., Stear, S.J., Shirreffs, S.M., Collins, A.L. (2011) Sport & Exercise Nutrition – The Nutrition Society Textbook Series, West Sussex, John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Shop Local

I received my second fruit & veg box this week, delivered direct to my door, from Doc Green’s in New Mills. I’ve shopped for my fruit & veg at Tesco’s for a long time, but decided to make the change because I know I’ll be one of the first to bemoan the loss of the shop if I fail to support a local business. 

Beautiful, fresh produce - an antioxidant explosion!!

I’m particularly passionate about the shop as I come from a family of grocers; my granddad opened his first grocery shop in Urmston when my mum was only very young and she tells me stories of how she had to work weekends weighing butter and sugar, of the characters who frequented the shop and how, as the only shop in the street with a telephone, she had to relay all sorts of messages, including news of births & deaths, to local residents. Refrigerators didn’t go into mass production, for use in the home, until after World War II, hence people used to shop every day with the grocer, the greengrocer, the butcher, the fishmonger and the baker; they therefore served not only to provide provisions, but to provide a life-line, a means via which people would meet and chat to each other and although the supermarkets of today may be able to provide almost any kind of food we desire, 24/7, they cannot and will never be able to provide that same sense of community.  My mum and dad bought their own grocers when I was about two years old and I too remember the local characters who frequented the shop; there was always a chair available for them to rest or wait to be served and my favourite day was a Wednesday when the fruit & veg would be delivered and I would spent time with my mum arranging the colourful display. I would love to have carried on the tradition and opened my own greengrocers, but I suppose working in the field of nutrition is just another avenue of providing nourishment to others.

New Horizons

It has long been my ambition to provide both clients & consumers with a personally chosen range of supplements and so I’ve spent the last few months researching the market to source a collection of premium, nutritional supplements that not only support a healthy lifestyle, but enable those, serious about their sport, to reach their peak performance.   My aim is to be able to provide the consumer with the facts they need to make informed choices regarding the supplements they require for their particular sport; after all the nutritional needs of cyclists are very different to the nutritional needs of weight lifters – each and every person is an individual and needs to be treated as such!

We all know that we should be consuming a nutrient-dense diet to provide us with the spectrum of both macro & micronutrients our bodies need on a daily basis, but this can often prove difficult with work & commitments that dominate our busy day-to-day lives.  For athletes or those training on a regular basis it can prove even more challenging to achieve the nutrients their bodies need to ensure they stay healthy & hydrated, thus enabling them to train, reach their goals, recover & repeat.  For this reason, the majority of sportspersons will aim to optimise their diets through the use of supplements; however, this can become problematic when they have little or no nutritional knowledge or access to a professional for help or advice.  We are all too well aware of the recent articles in the press over the use of banned substances, used to try to enhance sporting performance, and this can often worry those taking supplements, as they ask themselves “is what I’m taking a high-quality product and what’s more - is it safe”?   As a keen runner and exerciser, this situation has long concerned me, as I see people in the gym consuming protein shakes with absolutely no idea of what their individual needs are and certainly no idea of what’s in the product they are regularly ingesting.

That’s why I’ve chosen the Klean Athlete range! 

The Klean Athlete Range

Klean Athlete is made by Douglas Laboratories, backed by more than 50 years of industry leading experience and each product in the range is tested and certified by the NSF Certified for Sport program; this means that every product that carries the NSF mark has undergone stringent laboratory testing to confirm that it is safe, pure and free from banned substances.

You’ll see from the product photos that the range includes a multivitamin and mineral, due to the vitamin A content, this isn’t yet available in the EU, our tolerable intake levels are lower than those of the USA, so I’ve spent a long time choosing a multi-nutrient formula, Ultra Preventive X, to complement the range; this is a premium product, one I’ve been taking myself for the last fortnight and I’m very impressed.   

 

I’m also very excited about the Ultra Protein Plus, a nutritionally fortified vegan protein supplement and I’ve also included a high-strength omega 3 supplement to compliment the range; those of you who know me, will also know that I’m passionate about the essential fatty acids, having spent many years researching their amazing health benefits.  I’ll be posting the product descriptions/ingredients for each individual supplement on the blog over the next week.

 

Whilst searching for product images to be able to show you the complete Klean Athlete range, I stumbled across a fabulous blog by a lady called Meredith Atwood; It’s entitled “Swim Bike Mom” and hers is one of the most incredible & inspirational stories I’ve ever read.  Working full time with a family, she decided to become a triathlete and earlier this year completed the Ironman Coeur d’Alene – 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run – not for the fainthearted!!!  Take a look at what this amazing lady has to say about the Klean products.  The next time I come home from work and tell myself I’m too tired to train, I’m going to think of her!

My chosen products are available on ebay and via the Health & Beauty category on Amazon, so please do take a look; I aim to add to the product range over the forthcoming weeks, but in the meantime,  if you’re going to take a supplement to enhance a healthy lifestyle, make sure you take the best!