Objective This study primarily evaluated the impact of probiotic supplementation on aerobic capacity and muscle mass in athletes. Methods Search for eligible studies through 4 databases and then proceed with screening. The inclusion criteria are as follows: 1) Adults athletes; 2) Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT); 3) The experimental group received probiotic (PRO) supplementation, while the control group received placebo (PLA) supplementation; 4) Conducted pre- and post-intervention assessments, which include maximal oxygen uptake, aerobic exercise performance (AEP) and muscle mass parameters. Use the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool to evaluate the quality of the selected study. Select Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) as the appropriate effect scale index and use Revman 5.4® software to analyze the mean difference of the selected article data. Results A total of ten studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were selected for the meta-analysis. The included studies involved 197 males and 87 females, where 143 belonged to the PLA group and 141 from the PRO group. The analysis results indicated that PRO considerably improved maximal oxygen uptake and AEP of the athletes. Nevertheless, no significant differences in muscle mass changes between the groups were observed following the interventions. Conclusion The findings of this analysis indicated that probiotic supplementation can improve athletes` maximum oxygen uptake and AEP. Although probiotic supplementation has no significant effect on muscle mass, probiotics may still have potential as exercise supplements.
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