Dairy ingredients tackle sports-related stress and sleep issues

26 May 2020 --- The microbiome’s importance in supporting overall health and wellness is continuously highlighted, with experts flagging its potential in ameliorating stress and improving sleeping patterns. Examining the emerging area of mental well-being, NutritionInsight speaks to industry experts who tout dairy ingredients’ potential in supporting a healthy gut, which may improve anxiety levels and improve performance, within the sports nutrition arena.

Elsa Trotier, Product Manager Health and Nutrition at Ingredia, says that athletes may feel anxious before a sporting event or have trouble sleeping. “The stress before a competition is a “good” stress. It is very useful for performing well and finding the energy required to succeed. However, the symptoms of the tension must be managed to avoid a struggle to recover after training. An athlete’s good sleep is therefore necessary to ensure a maximum recovery,” she says.

She explains that the company’s milk protein hydrolysate Lactium may be a useful supplement for athletes experiencing stress. “Lactium contains a bioactive peptide with relaxing properties called alpha-casozepine. It is a natural solution with no addictions or side effects. Nine clinical trials on more than 500 volunteers have already demonstrated Lactium’s efficiency on stress issues and sleep disturbances,” she notes.

An increasing body of research has shown that a high level of dairy phospholipid intake improves mental performance under stress, notes Rob Lilly, Head of Global Marketing and Communications, Sports & Active Lifestyle at Fonterra.

More than ever, athletic performance has transcended the physical and entered into the realm of mental and cognitive performance.“This is an exciting emerging area, particularly as mental well-being has recently overtaken weight management as the top global health concern. Therefore, being able to offer dairy solutions in this space to our customers as part of our portfolio is beneficial. Whey protein isolate, which is naturally high in the essential amino acid tryptophan, is another dairy solution that has been shown to aid improved sleep quality. If consumers are able to perform at their best mentally, including managing stress levels and quality sleep, then that in turn will positively impact their ability to perform at their best athletically,” Lilly affirms.

More than ever, athletic performance has transcended the physical and entered into the realm of mental and cognitive performance. In a recent consumer study, Glanbia Nutritionals found that over 70 percent of US sports performance consumers strongly agree that “mental wellbeing is just as important as physical wellbeing.” 

“Notably,  this ranks higher than those consumers we categorized as prioritizing a active or healthy lifestyle (64 percent and 67 percent respectively). Glanbia has developed a proprietary technology platform, PepForm, which binds free form amino acids or bioactive compounds to peptides isolated from fresh sweet whey using advanced fractionation and separation technologies,” explains Niki Kennedy, Strategic Insights & Analytics Manager, at Glanbia Nutritionals.

The PepForm peptide carrier technology significantly improves the solubility and utilization of amino acids. One such ingredient, PepForm Tryptophan, has indicated improvement in daytime functioning, alertness and performance, Kennedy adds.

NutritionInsight recently reported on how dairy ingredients are in top demand for overall health and wellness, with a specific focus on immunity in light of COVID-19.

Boosting mental health
Emerging science is supporting the case that dairy can help boost mental health via the gut-brain axis link. Feeding kefir to mice has modulated their behavior via the gut-brain axis (GBA), according to a new APC Microbiome Ireland study. 

The gut-brain axis is also a booming space for new applications, with certain psychobiotics supported by research as having a positive effect on stress-related gut discomfort, as well as on psychological stress resiliency. In this space, Bérengère Feuz, Marketing Director at Lallemand Health Solutions, previously spotlighted the company’s probiotic strains Lactobacillus helveticus Rosell-52 and Bifidobacterium longum Rosell-175. 

By Kristiana Lalou