Keywords
Exercise
Probiotics
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Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the effects of probiotics on the performance of individuals who practice physical exercise, focusing on muscle strength. Methods: The research was conducted through an integrative literature review, covering 11 studies published between 2010 and 2025. The review followed six methodological steps: formulation of the research question, literature search, data collection, critical analysis of the studies, analysis of the results and presentation of the findings. The guiding question was: "Does the use of probiotics promote performance benefits for people who perform physical exercise?". Randomized clinical trials were analyzed, with descriptors such as “Probiotics”, “Exercise” and “Muscle Strength” in the PubMed, BVS, EBSCOHost, ScienceDirect and CAPES databases. Results: The analysis identified 11 articles, most of which were published in Qualis A1 journals (45.45%). Taiwan was the country with the highest number of publications (36.36%). Randomized clinical trials dominated the methodology, with both athletes and sedentary participants. The results showed that the use of probiotics, such as Lactobacillus and Bacillus coagulans, is associated with improvements in muscle strength and physical performance. Final considerations: Probiotics, associated with regular exercise, provide an increase in muscle strength, resistance and explosive power, in addition to accelerating post-exercise recovery, reducing inflammatory markers related to muscle damage.
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