The sports performance improving effects of konjac glucomannan with varying molecular weights in overtrained mice

Overtraining affects individuals engaged in high-volume training, potentially hindering athletic performance and revealing shortcomings in suggested solutions. This study evaluated the impact of konjac glucomannan (KGM) with varying molecular weights on the gut microbiome, endurance, and strength in mice subjected to excessive training. The native KGM (1.82 × 10⁷ Da) was enzymatically degraded using endo-1,4-β-mannanase to generate moderate molecular weight KGM (KGM-EM, 1.89 × 10⁵ Da) and low molecular weight KGM (KGM-EL, 1.34 × 10⁴ Da). These fractions were characterized and compared with the native KGM regarding their effects on mice undergoing excessive training. The results demonstrated a positive correlation between KGM's molecular weight and its capacity to mitigate the adverse impacts of excessive training on strength or/and endurance (a significant increase of 55.57 % and 55.70 % by the native KGM compared with the excessive training group). In addition, the native KGM exhibited superior preservation of microbial diversity and composition in fecal samples against excessive training-induced shifts, along with increased production of individual and total short-chain fatty acids in plasma compared with the two degraded products. Overall, these results highlight the potential benefits of high molecular weight KGM for preventing overtraining syndrome and enhancing athletic performance in animal models.