Essendon defender Tayte Pears visited the Yakult factory in Dandenong recently to see firsthand how the product was made and exactly how daily consumption of Yakult is able to help him reach his full potential.

Yakult, Essendon’s official ball sponsor, has announced some extremely positive results after a recent independent trial of athletes drinking the fermented milk drink at the Loughborough University in the UK.

The results of the trial suggested that daily consumption of the beneficial bacterium called Lactobacillus caseiShirota strain was effective in reducing the incidence of common colds in the athletes tested. In earlier research it had been demonstrated that as a group, athletes are susceptible to infections due to a depression of their immune system.

Based on the findings, researchers concluded that daily consumption of Yakult, containing Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain,lowers the incidence of URTI in athletes who are engaged in prolonged activity. Essentially for Essendon players this means that when combined with a healthy diet and a tailored training program,drinking Yakult on a daily basis increases their chances of staying on top of their game!

The results came as no surprise to Essendon Performance Dietitian, Benita Lalor, who has recommended the daily consumption of Yakult to compliment current individual players’ nutrition strategies to optimise their performance and immune function. “We are extremely lucky to have Yakult as a partner, both because of their support of the Football Club as well as to continue to educate us on their product,” Lalor said.

Yakult has been a valued Premium Partner of the Essendon Football Club since 2005 and, as well as proudly displaying the logo on the Club’s match ball, is heavily involved in our Community work as a Youth and Education Partner.