The Effects of 12-Week Prebiotic Supplementation on General Wellness and Exercise-Induced Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Recreationally Trained Endurance Athletes: A Triple-Blind Randomised Controlled Pilot Trial

Gough, Lewis A. and Weldon, Anthony and Clark, Cain and Young, Anthony and Roberts, Charlie J. and Clarke, Neil and Brown, Meghan A. and Williams, Rachel (2025) The Effects of 12-Week Prebiotic Supplementation on General Wellness and Exercise-Induced Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Recreationally Trained Endurance Athletes: A Triple-Blind Randomised Controlled Pilot Trial. Nutrients, 17 (21). p. 3390. ISSN 2072-6643

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Abstract

Background/Objectives: Ingestion of galactooligosaccharides (GOSs) or GOS mixtures has been purported to improve exercise-induced gastrointestinal (GI) distress and post-exercise recovery. However, the effects have not been explored in recreationally trained endurance athletes. This triple-blind randomised controlled trial, therefore, investigated whether 12 weeks of B-GOS® supplementation affects gastrointestinal comfort and psychological wellbeing in recreational athletes. Methods: Eighteen physically active individuals (12 males, 8 females, 44 ± 14 years, 1.7 ± 0.1 m and 73 ± 14 kg) volunteered for this study. Participants were assigned to independent groups in a placebo-controlled, triple-blind manner via stratified randomisation. A 20 min run at 80% VO2max was completed, with measures for GI distress and Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 questionnaire (CSAI-2) pre- and post-exercise. A 12-week supplementation period then ensued, where participants ingested either 3.65 g of B-GOS or an appearance-matched maltodextrin placebo. During this time, physical activity levels (IPAQ-7), general stress (REST-Q), mental wellbeing (WEMWBS), and sleep (core consensus sleep diary) were measured at regular time points. Results: There were no significant differences in VO2max (p = 0.437), GI discomfort (p = 0.227), or CSAI-2 (p = 0.739–0.954) from pre- to post-exercise at any time point or between conditions. Over the 12 weeks there were no significant differences between B-GOS and placebo in IPAQ-7 (p = 0.144–0.723), REST-Q (p = 0.282–0.954), WEMWBS (B-GOS pre = 51 ± 10, post = 53 ± 7; PLA pre = 51 ± 4, post 54; p = 0.862), or sleep (p = 0.065–0.992). The linear mixed model suggests that some may benefit on an individual level in terms of WEMWBS, general stress score, recovery-related scores, sleep, and sport-specific recovery score. Conclusions: There were no group benefits of B-GOS supplementation compared with placebo, although the individual variation may warrant further research in larger sample sizes and longer-duration studies.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.3390/nu17213390
Dates:	Date Event 23 October 2025 Accepted 28 October 2025 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	prebiotics, galactooligosaccharides (GOS), endurance athletes, gastrointestinal symptoms, wellbeing
Subjects:	CAH03 - biological and sport sciences > CAH03-02 - sport and exercise sciences > CAH03-02-01 - sport and exercise sciences
Divisions:	Life and Health Sciences > Life and Sports Sciences
Depositing User:	Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited:	05 Nov 2025 10:00
Last Modified:	05 Nov 2025 10:00
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16709

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