To our knowledge, the efficacy of combined probiotic supplementation with circuit training has not been evaluated. Thus, we investigated the effects of probiotic supplementation combined with circuit training on isokinetic muscular strength and power and cytokine responses in young males. Forty-eight healthy sedentary young males were recruited and randomised into 4 separate groups: sedentary placebo control, probiotics (P), circuit training with placebo (CT), and circuit training with probiotics (CTP). Participants in the CT and CTP groups performed circuit training 3 times/week with 2 circuits of exercises from weeks 1-8 followed by 3 circuits of exercises from weeks 9-12. Participants in the P and CTP groups consumed multi-strain probiotics containing 3 × 10 colony-forming units of Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. lactis, L. casei, Bifidobacterium longum, B. bifidum and B. infantis twice daily for 12 weeks. Measurements of body height and weight, blood pressure, resting heart rate, blood samples, and isokinetic muscular strength and power were carried out at pre- and post-tests. Isokinetic knee strength and power in CT and CTP groups were significantly higher (P < 0.05) at post-test. In addition, interleukin (IL)-10 concentration was significantly increased (P < 0.0001) at post-test in P and CT but a trend toward significant increase in CTP (P = 0.09). Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in IL-6. This study suggests that 12 weeks of circuit training alone and the combination of circuit training and probiotic consumption improved muscular performance while circuit training alone and probiotics alone increased IL-10 concentration.

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This study aims to investigate the effects of probiotics supplementation and resistance exercise on bone metabolism markers and parathyroid hormones in physically inactive young men. Fourty-one healthy participants completed the study. They were randomized into sedentary placebo control (C: n=10), probiotics (P: n=10), resistance exercise with placebo (E: n=12), and probiotics consumption with resistance exercise (PE: n=9) groups. Participants in the P and PE consumed multi-strain probiotics containing 3x1010 CFU of L. acidophilus BCMC® 12130, L. casei BCMC® 12313, L. lactis BCMC® 12451, B. bifidum BCMC® 02290, B. infantis BCMC® 02129 and B. longum BCMC® 02120 twice daily for 12 weeks. Participants in the E and PbE performed circuit training comprised of 10 resistance exercises 3 times/week. Body height and weight, blood pressure, resting heart rate and blood samples were collected at pre and post-tests. Blood samples were analysed for the concentration of bone formation markers [alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OC)], bone resorption marker [cross-linked carboxyterminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (1CTP)] and parathyroid hormones (PTH). There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in all measured parameters between groups and within each group (p>0.05). Nevertheless, ALP and OC concentration exhibited increasing trends in PE group. There was a decreasing trend in PTH concentration in P and PE groups. As a conclusion, probiotics consumption with resistance exercise resulted in increased trends of bone formation markers and a small reduction in the bone resorption marker implying that this combination may elicit beneficial effects in improving bone formation in young physically inactive males.