Author(s): PAULITSCH, J., RAKOWITZ, C., KÖNIG, D., Institution: BMLV, Country: AUSTRIA, Abstract-ID: 253

INTRODUCTION:
Prolonged physical exertion, psychological stress, sleep disruption, and environmental exposures are known to affect gastrointestinal physiology and immune regulation. Recent evidence indicates that sustained high-intensity training and chronic stress can impair intestinal barrier integrity, promote dysbiosis, and contribute to systemic inflammatory responses, thereby negatively affecting recovery and performance (Lamprecht et al., 2015; Thompson, 2024). Populations exposed to persistent high operational demands, such as military special operations forces, may therefore be particularly susceptible to gut barrier dysfunction, yet data in this field remain limited. This study aimed to assess intestinal barrier status in active-duty special operations soldiers and to evaluate the effects of an eight-week gut-focused intervention on biomarkers of intestinal permeability, inflammation, and sleep quality.
METHODS:
A prospective, controlled study was conducted in male soldiers of the Austrian Special Forces Unit. Participants were allocated to an intervention group or a non-intervention control group. Intestinal health was assessed before and after the intervention using stool-based biomarkers, including zonulin, alpha-1-antitrypsin, calprotectin, and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA). The intervention consisted of daily oral zeolite supplementation combined with weekly chelation phases using oral dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and rectal calcium-EDTA.
RESULTS:
At baseline, a substantial proportion of participants exhibited biomarker patterns indicative of impaired intestinal barrier function. Following the intervention, the intervention group demonstrated stability or improvement of multiple gut-related biomarkers, whereas the biomarkers of the control group got worse over time.
CONCLUSION:
These findings suggest that a combined zeolite and chelation-based intervention is feasible in a high-performance military setting and may positively influence intestinal barrier integrity and recovery-related parameters. The results provide preliminary evidence supporting gut-targeted strategies as a component of integrated human performance optimization in special operations forces and underline the need for larger, long-term studies to confirm these effects.