ATHLETES who have gained Olympic selection could do worse than consider a supplement of zinc carnosine ahead of the trip to Rio, according to a research team from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, the University of Kent, the University of Leicester and Aberystwyth University.
In a paper they published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the team detailed how Rio-bound athletes are at heightened risk of suffering’leaky gut’, a condition where its thin mucosal barrier, which plays a role in absorbing nutrients and preventing germs from entering the blood stream, ceases to work effectively. The condition is known to be a particular problem for those training in hot conditions and can lead to ‘heat stroke’ as well as gut symptoms in athletes.
Trials showed that zinc carnosine improved the performance of the mucosal barrier of the gut, and that this improvement was enhanced when a supplement of bovine colostrum was taken as well.