ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Sport and Exercise Nutrition
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1625645
This article is part of the Research TopicDiet and Exercise: Modulating Gut Microbiota for Enhanced Physiological FunctionView all 4 articles
Levilactobacillus brevis GKEX Supplementation Enhances Exercise Performance and Fatigue Resistance in Mice
Provisionally accepted
- 1Biotech Research Institute, Grape King Bio Ltd., Tauyuan, Taiwan
- 2Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Nutraceutical Biotechnology, Shih Chien University, Taipei, Taiwan
- 3Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- 4Graduate Institute of Sports Science, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- 5Tajen University, Pingtung, Taiwan
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Exercise-induced muscle fatigue is a major challenge for athletes. Our previous research showed that Levilactobacillus brevis (L. brevis) GKEX improved exercise endurance and reduced fatigue in mice. This study further evaluated the effects of different preparations of L. brevis GKEX on exercise performance and fatigue resistance. Eight-week-old male ICR mice were divided into six groups (n = 8): vehicle (water), positive control (BCAA), low dosage of GKEX (0.0615 mg/day), high dosage of GKEX (0.615 mg/day), heat-killed GKEX (0.615 mg/day), freeze-killed GKEX (0.615 mg/day) for four consecutive weeks. Exercise performance, fatigue-related biochemical markers, and gut microbiota composition were assessed. Compared with BCAA, L. brevis GKEX significantly improved aerobic performance, including forelimb grip strength and running exhaustion time. It enhanced lactate clearance and glycogen storage in the liver and muscles while reducing lactate production and blood urea nitrogen levels after exercise. Additionally, L. brevis GKEX supplementation increased key short-chain fatty-acid-producing bacteria in the intestines. Oral administration of different doses of live and death L. brevis GKEX promotes exercise performance and fatigue amelioration especially in live GKEX. Thus, L. brevis GKEX may serve as an ergogenic aid for athletes and support broader applications across various product forms in the future.
Keywords: Levilactobacillus brevis GKEX, exercise performance, Fatigue resistance, Lactate, Blood Urea Nitrogen, short-chain fatty-acid-producing bacteria
Received: 09 May 2025; Accepted: 22 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lin, Chen, Tsai, Lin, Huang and Hsu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yi- Ju Hsu, ruby780202@ntsu.edu.tw
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