Reducing staph. What's the research?

Reducing staph. What's the research?

Ever heard of Staphylococcus aureus? If you're an athlete that rolls on the mats, whether that's BJJ or MMA, you've probably heard of 'staph.' If you haven't, it's a bacteria that can cause a range of infections, from mild skin conditions to life-threatening illnesses. You'll commonly get things like fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea with a garden variety staph infection (Taylor & Unakal, 2023). On the serious end, you might experience blood poisoning if staph gets into your bloodstream. Don't believe us? Just Google Tim Shultz: MMA.

Good thing is, researchers have discovered a powerful little weapon (microscopic) in the fight against this bacteria: probiotics. 

In a recent study by Piewngam and friends (2023), scientists found that a specific probiotic, Bacillus subtilis (or MB40), can significantly reduce colonisation of staph in the body, with research participants seeing as much as a 95% reduction. This is a major breakthrough, as staph can be notoriously difficult to get rid of.

A staph infection can take a competitor out of training for at least two weeks. Again, major issues like fever that comes with a staph infection, on top of the swelling you get from the infected skin - and you're in a world of pain. With an eight-week fight camp for most promotions - a fighter just can't afford that time off. 

So what does this mean for you? If you're concerned about staph infections, incorporating a probiotic like Ground Defense into your daily routine is a solid idea. 

Read the full research papers here:

  1. Taylor TA, Unakal CG. Staphylococcus aureus Infection. [Updated 2023 Jul 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441868/

  2. Piewngam, P., Khongthong, S., Roekngam, N., Theapparat, Y., Sunpaweravong, S., Faroongsarng, D., & Otto, M. (2023). Probiotic for pathogen-specific Staphylococcus aureus decolonisation in Thailand: a phase 2, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. The Lancet. Microbe, 4(2), e75–e83. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00322-6

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