{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T09:17:29Z","timestamp":1787735849714,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787616000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Taiwan Sport University","award":["1131041"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1131041"]}]},{"award":["1131041"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1131041"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01zjvhn75","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Exercise-induced fatigue (EIF) and exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) impair neuromuscular performance and delay post-exercise recovery. However, human evidence regarding the structural and functional recovery kinetics following Lactiplantibacillus plantarum GKK1 supplementation remains limited. Objective: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated whether 4 weeks of L. plantarum GKK1 supplementation improves functional recovery and modulates biochemical responses after an EIMD protocol in healthy men. Methods: Forty-eight healthy men with no regular exercise habits were randomly assigned to receive either placebo (n = 24) or L. plantarum GKK1 (two capsules daily, totaling 1.0 \u00d7 1011 CFU; n = 24) for 28 consecutive days. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06893549). After supplementation, participants completed 100 maximal plyometric jumps. Countermovement jump (CMJ), isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP), and Wingate anaerobic performance were assessed before EIMD and at 3, 24, and 48 h post-EIMD. Blood biomarkers of muscle damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, endocrine response, and sympathoadrenal activity were analyzed, and urinary 3-methylhistidine and creatinine were measured. Results: Compared with placebo, GKK1 supplementation was associated with smaller post-exercise decrements in the CMJ rate of force development, relative peak force, jump height, IMTP relative peak force and peak RFD, and Wingate anaerobic performance (p &lt; 0.05). GKK1 also attenuated post-exercise increases in CK, myoglobin, hs-CRP, and TBARS, and was associated with more favorable testosterone, HGH, catecholamine, and dopamine responses. At 24 h post-EIMD, urinary 3-methylhistidine and the 3-methylhistidine\/urinary creatinine ratio were lower in the GKK1 group than in the placebo group. No adverse changes were observed in clinical safety biomarkers. Conclusion: These findings suggest that GKK1 may be a safe nutritional strategy to facilitate functional recovery, attenuate secondary inflammatory responses and modulate urinary markers associated with muscle breakdown following muscle-damaging exercise in healthy young men.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18172782","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T15:55:06Z","timestamp":1787673306000},"page":"2782","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effect of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum GKK1 Supplementation on Exercise-Induced Fatigue, Muscle Damage, and Recovery in Healthy Men: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Mon-Chien","family":"Lee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate Institute of Sports Science, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan City 333325, Taiwan"},{"name":"Center for General Education, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chao-Yuan","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate Institute of Sports Science, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan City 333325, Taiwan"},{"name":"Physical Education Office, National Taipei University of Business, Taipei 100025, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ying-Ti","family":"Shih","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Office of Student Affairs, Hsin Sheng Junior College of Medical Care and Management, Taoyuan 32544, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"You-Shan","family":"Tsai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biotech Research Institute, Grape King Bio Ltd., Taoyuan City 325002, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shih-Wei","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biotech Research Institute, Grape King Bio Ltd., Taoyuan City 325002, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yen-Lien","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biotech Research Institute, Grape King Bio Ltd., Taoyuan City 325002, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chin-Chu","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biotech Research Institute, Grape King Bio Ltd., Taoyuan City 325002, Taiwan"},{"name":"Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106319, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Bioscience Technology, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City 320314, Taiwan"},{"name":"Institute of BioPharmaceutical Science, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung City 804201, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1446-6787","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chi-Chang","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate Institute of Sports Science, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan City 333325, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e71871","DOI":"10.1002\/fsn3.71871","article-title":"Nutritional Interventions and Acupuncture-Based Strategies for Exercise-Induced Fatigue and Recovery: Mechanisms and Integrative Perspectives","volume":"14","author":"Yang","year":"2026","journal-title":"Food Sci. 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