Hope, courage, resilience
Every four years, the world gets ready for the most iconic sporting event. But, as we all know, unlike any other, the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics was postponed due to unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. While the game was delayed, athletes have shown hope, perseverance, resilience and inspired people around the globe; they stood up for discrimination and inequity (8), empowered the powerless and sent a message of hope (12), and brought the athletes’mental health in spotlights (11). They have shown us that athletic greatness goes beyond showcasing of athletic performance but also of courage, hope and resilience.
In addition, the Tokyo Olympics is the brilliant testimony of making things happened in unity. Governments, International Olympic Committee (IOC) and health care heroes have worked tirelessly for the game to be held safely. Coaches, family and friends give unwavering supports to their sport stars. Despite all the atypical challenges, 2020 Olympics has made happened, a year later, on 23rd July 2021.
Achieving athletic goal
It is undeniable that Olympic athletes can be considered as outliers when it comes to physical fitness. However, their superior level of speed and strength do not make them immune to health issues. Studies suggest that Olympians are not only vulnerable to injury but also prone to illness during the sporting event, for example, during the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, 12% of the athletes had reported medical encounter for injury and 9% reported an illness (10). With highly transmittable COVID 19 pandemic (9), athletes can be even more vulnerable to infections. During this unprecedented time, the challenges present to athletes is unique than ever before: such as training through the uncertainties and unknowns (2).
Nutrition is important for not only for the prevention of illness; it is also one the numerous factors contribute to peak athletic performance; it can therefore be said that it is the foundation of athletes' success. In addition, it is noted by IOC that "the amount, composition and the timing of food intake can profoundly affect sports performance". The benefits of proper nutrition include optimal gains from the training program, enhanced recovery, achievement and maintenance of an ideal body weight, reduced risk of injury and illness, consistency in achieving high level of performances (1).
TWK10®: to help athletes achieve their personal best
International Society of Sports Nutrition(ISSN) acknowledges the potential effects of probiotics to optimize the health, performance, and recovery of athletes such that intake of specific strains may be beneficial for immune function and may reduce the number of sick days an athlete experiences during training or competition (7).
TWK10®, innovative sports probiotic is designed to help athletes push beyond their limit and break the records. TWK10® unlocks the body's potential starting in the gut with a patented strain of Lactobacillus plantarum, a unique strain isolated from Taiwanese kimchi. Research shows that TWK10® can increase the endurance up to 75%. There is robust science behind TWK10®; the result of numerous scientific publications shows the efficacy and safety of TWK10®. The research documents that TWK10® could increase muscle mass, decrease body fat, improve exercise performance and exert anti-fatigue effects (3, 4, 6). In addition, it is plant-based, clean label and vegan-friendly sports nutrition. Notably, TWK10® being the revolutionary and effective sports nutrition has won sports nutrition of the year award at NutraIngredients-USA 2021 (5), moreover, it has also been recognized as Finalist at sports nutrition of the year award at NutraIngredients- Asia 2021. With TWK10®, athletes may achieve their personal best.
Indeed, Tokyo 2020 Olympics is extremely challenging game for the athletes. However, we believe that despite all the atypical challenges, athletes will excel and bring the medals home.
Reference:
[1] Achieving Success in Sports. (n.d.). Sportsoracle. Retrieved July 23, 2021, from https://www.sportsoracle.com/Nutrition/Home/
[2] Chang, R. (2021, February 16). How Athletes Are Preparing for the Uncertainties of the Tokyo Olympics.Cntraveler.https://www.cntraveler.com/story/how-athletes-are-preparing-for-the-uncertainties-of-the-tokyo-olympics
[3] Chen, Y. M., Liao, C. C., Huang, Y. C., Chen, M. Y., Huang, C. C., Chen, W. C., & Chiu, Y. S. (2020). Proteome and microbiota analysis highlight Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 supplementation improves energy metabolism and exercise performance in mice. Food science & nutrition, 8(7), 3525-3534.
[4] Chen, Y. M., Wei, L., Chiu, Y. S., Hsu, Y. J., Tsai, T. Y., Wang, M. F., & Huang, C. C. (2016). Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 supplementation improves exercise performance and increases muscle mass in mice. Nutrients, 8(4), 205.
[5] Daniells, S. (2021, July 19). The NutraIngredients_USA Awards 2021: And the winners are…Nutraingredients-Usa.https://www.nutraingredients usa.com/Article/2021/04/27/NutraIngredients-USA-Awards-2021-Winners-Revealed
[6] Huang, W. C., Lee, M. C., Lee, C. C., Ng, K. S., Hsu, Y. J., Tsai, T. Y., ... & Huang, C. C. (2019). Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 on exercise physiological adaptation, performance, and body composition in healthy humans. Nutrients, 11(11), 2836.
https://www.sportsoracle.com/Nutrition/Overview/
[7] Jäger, R., Mohr, A. E., Carpenter, K. C., Kerksick, C. M., Purpura, M., Moussa, A., ... & Antonio, J. (2019). International society of sports nutrition position stand: probiotics. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 16(1), 1-44.
[8] Jiwani, R. (2021, March 1). The History of International Women’s Day and Sport. Olympics.Com.https://olympics.com/en/featured-news/iwd-how-sportswomen-have-effected-change
[9] Shereen, M. A., Khan, S., Kazmi, A., Bashir, N., & Siddique, R. (2020). COVID-19 infection: Origin, transmission, and characteristics of human coronaviruses. Journal of advanced research, 24, 91.
[10] Soligard, T., Palmer, D., Steffen, K., Lopes, A. D., Grant, M. E., Kim, D., ... & Engebretsen, L. (2019). Sports injury and illness incidence in the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic winter games: a prospective study of 2914 athletes from 92 countries. British journal of sports medicine, 53(17), 1085-1092.
[11] Svrluga, B. (2021, June 19). Olympians are crying out about their mental health challenges. We should listen. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/06/19/olympics-mental-health-simone-manuel/
[12] 29 refugee athletes to send a message of solidarity and hope to the world at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. (2021, June 8). Olympics. https://olympics.com/ioc/news/29-refugee-athletes-to-send-a-message-of-solidarity-and-hope-to-the-world-at-the-olympic-games-tokyo-2020
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