Different Impacts of Heat-Killed and Viable Lactiplantibacillus plantarum TWK10 on Exercise Performance, Fatigue, Body Composition, and Gut Microbiota in Humans.

2022-11-03
Microorganisms 10(11)
- Chia-Chia Lee
- Yi-Chu Liao
- Mon-Chien Lee
- Yi-Chen Cheng
- Shiou-Yun Chiou
- Jin-Seng Lin
- Chi-Chang Huang
- Koichi Watanabe

PubMed: 36363775
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10112181

Study Design

Type: Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
Population: Healthy adults (n = 53)
Methods: Randomly divided into three groups: Control, TWK10 (viable TWK10, 3 × 10^11 colony forming units/day), and TWK10-hk (heat-killed TWK10, 3 × 10^11 cells/day) groups. After six-week administration, outcomes were compared.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum TWK10, a probiotic strain, has been demonstrated to improve exercise performance, regulate body composition, and ameliorate age-related declines. Here, we performed a comparative analysis of viable and heat-killed TWK10 in the regulation of exercise performance, body composition, and gut microbiota in humans. Healthy adults (n = 53) were randomly divided into three groups: Control, TWK10 (viable TWK10, 3 × 10¹¹ colony forming units/day), and TWK10-hk (heat-killed TWK10, 3 × 10¹¹ cells/day) groups. After six-week administration, both the TWK10 and TWK10-hk groups had significantly improved exercise performance and fatigue-associated features and reduced exercise-induced inflammation, compared with controls. Viable TWK10 significantly promoted improved body composition, by increasing muscle mass proportion and reducing fat mass. Gut microbiota analysis demonstrated significantly increasing trends in the relative abundances of Akkermansiaceae and Prevotellaceae in subjects receiving viable TWK10. Predictive metagenomic profiling revealed that heat-killed TWK10 administration significantly enhanced the signaling pathways involved in amino acid metabolisms, while glutathione metabolism, and ubiquinone and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis pathways were enriched by viable TWK10. In conclusion, viable and heat-killed TWK10 had similar effects in improving exercise performance and attenuating exercise-induced inflammatory responses as probiotics and postbiotics, respectively. Viable TWK10 was also highly effective in regulating body composition. The differences in efficacy between viable and heat-killed TWK10 may be due to differential impacts in shaping gut microbiota.

Research Insights

Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803→Improved Body Composition
Viable TWK10 significantly promoted improved body composition, by increasing muscle mass proportion and reducing fat mass.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803→Improved Exercise Performance
both the TWK10 and TWK10-hk groups had significantly improved exercise performance and fatigue-associated features
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803→Increased Muscle Mass
Viable TWK10 significantly promoted improved body composition, by increasing muscle mass proportion and reducing fat mass.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803→Reduced Body Fat Mass
Viable TWK10 significantly promoted improved body composition, by increasing muscle mass proportion and reducing fat mass.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803→Reduced Fat Mass
by increasing muscle mass proportion and reducing fat mass
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803→Reduced Fatigue
After six-week administration, both the TWK10 and TWK10-hk groups had significantly improved exercise performance and fatigue-associated features and reduced exercise-induced inflammation, compared with controls.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803→Reduced Inflammation
After six-week administration, both the TWK10 and TWK10-hk groups had significantly improved exercise performance and fatigue-associated features and reduced exercise-induced inflammation, compared with controls.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate