Stomach Conditioning | Using Probiotics and Prebiotics

Diet and Nutrition for Peak Condition (Part I)

In order to perform better, you need to keep your body in good condition. In sports, the words "condition" and "conditioning" are often used, but have you ever thought about what these words mean?

"Condition" is exactly what it sounds like: a state at a given time. Condition changes daily, influenced by training content, diet, nutrition, mental state, and more. "Conditioning" means preparing the body and mind to achieve higher performance and better results in sports. In other words, it is no exaggeration to say that "best performance" can be achieved through conditioning.

In this content, we will learn how diet and nutrition relate to various types of conditioning. Then, we will think about the conditioning that we need and incorporate it into our lives.

Stomach (intestinal) conditioning

It is known that long-term exercise such as running a marathon can damage not only your muscles but also your internal organs. The digestive tract, where food is digested and absorbed, is no exception and is also affected by exercise. Therefore, in order to reduce the effects of exercise, it is important to condition your stomach on a regular basis.

The difference between prebiotics and probiotics

There are two ideas for conditioning the stomach and intestines: prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics improve health by ingesting resistant foods (carbohydrates that are difficult to digest) to change the growth and activity of bacteria in the large intestine. In contrast, probiotics improve the balance of the intestinal environment and improve health by ingesting beneficial bacteria. In other words, prebiotics can be thought of as a way to feed and energize the good intestinal bacteria that already exist, while probiotics can be thought of as a way to improve the intestinal environment by ingesting beneficial intestinal bacteria.

Examples of foods that regulate the stomach

To condition your stomach (especially your intestines) in your everyday diet, it is a good idea to incorporate fermented foods such as yogurt and natto, as well as the dietary fiber found in vegetables, mushrooms, and seaweed. Your intestinal environment will not change in the short term, so it is important to take a long-term view and work on it every day.

Fermented foods and foods high in dietary fiber help condition the intestines

Things to consider when taking probiotics

However, you should also be careful. Too much fiber can cause constipation or reduce your food intake, so avoid eating too much at once. Also, some people experience diarrhea or loose stools when consuming dairy products such as yogurt. Find the foods that suit you and work on conditioning your stomach.

Consider the time you eat and the type of food you eat

You also need to think about conditioning your stomach before exercising. Many people have experienced eating a lot of food before exercising and then getting stomach aches during exercise. When digestion and absorption are taking place, blood gathers in the digestive tract. If you start exercising immediately after eating, your muscles also need blood, so the digestive tract and muscles compete for blood, reducing the function of the digestive tract. In other words, the food you eat before exercising cannot be digested properly, which can lead to stomach aches and nausea.

Pre-exercise meals and stomach (intestinal) conditioning

Timing of supplementary meals and examples of supplementary meals to be taken

Timing of meals before exercise and examples

It is generally recommended to eat a meal 3 to 4 hours before exercise, taking into account the time it takes for food to be digested and absorbed in the digestive tract. Since there are individual differences in digestive and absorption abilities, it is a good idea to check by adjusting meal times during regular practice or practice matches. As the time of exercise approaches, it is a good idea to switch to easily digestible foods such as rice balls and noodles, or bananas and fruit. If it is 30 minutes before exercise, it is a good idea to use jelly drinks or supplements.

Cystine and glutamine mix that reduces exercise damage

Hard exercise can damage the entire body. Weakened intestinal mucosa can increase inflammation throughout the body, making you more susceptible to deterioration.

The amino acids cystine and glutamine are attracting attention for their ability to reduce exercise-related damage and lighten the burden on the body as a whole. We will introduce in detail how to use amino acids to reduce exercise-related damage to the stomach and maintain stable condition every day.

As mentioned above, try to incorporate eating habits that are suited to your daily stomach conditioning and exercise to achieve even better performance.

*Click here for tips on post-exercise stomach damage

<Supervisor>Shota Sasaki

Shota Sasaki
Lecturer, Department of Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Sciences, Hokkaido Bunkyo University.
After completing her doctoral studies in applied life science at the Graduate School of Life Sciences, Kyoto Prefectural University (2011), she obtained her doctorate (academic), and worked as an assistant professor at Obihiro Otani Junior College before assuming her current position in 2019. She is a certified sports nutritionist and registered dietitian. She is also the editor of "Nutrition for Skiers" in the monthly magazine Ski Graphic.

To date, she has provided nutritional support primarily to junior and female athletes involved in speed skating and ice hockey. Currently, she is providing nutritional support to students aiming to become registered dietitians, as well as high school baseball and track and field athletes. Although still in the early stages of development, she is also working on a research project to find nutritional intake methods specific to sports played in cold environments. She aims to be a bridge between research in the field of sports nutrition and the field itself.