Exercise Boosts Diverse Gut Bacteria, Improves Metabolism

Exercise increases gut microbiota variation and combined with diet, catalyzes long-lasting health benefits, including better metabolism and immune system response.

Reduced diversity in gut microbiota—a community of bacteria settled in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract—has been linked to health problems, such as diabetes, obesity, and GI diseases.
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“Exercise does have the ability to alter gut microbial communities. To what extent is not known, but the study is really the first to attempt to address this issue. Further work is needed to more fully understand this,” said Georgina Hold, PhD, a senior lecturer for the Centre of Genome-Enabled Biology and Medicine at the University of Aberdeen.

Researchers examined the blood and fecal samples of 40 professional rugby players during their pre-season training to determine their range of gut microbiota.

Results demonstrated that the athletes had a larger variation of gut microbiota when compared with size match (BMI ≥30) and age/gender match (BMI <25) control groups. Athletes also had lower inflammatory and improved metabolic markers as compared to the control groups, in particular the high BMI controls.

The rugby players had higher levels of Akkermansiacea—a bacteria linked to lower obesity rates and metabolic disorders—than the control groups.

The professional athletes consumed more calories, with increased protein (22% versus 16%), fat, and carbohydrates (more fruits and vegeatables and less snacks) per day than the other controls. Better microbiota diversity positively correlated with protein intake and plasma creatine kinase levels, suggesting diet and exercise were driving microbial diversity.

 “The study was also investigating the dietary extremes associated with pre-season rugby training, which again may not reflect the dietary changes associated with other forms of exercise,” she said.

The complete study is published in the June issue of Gut.

-Michelle Canales

References:

Clarke SF, Murphy E, O’Sullivan O, et al. Exercise and associated dietary extremes impact on gut microbial diversity. Gut. 2014 Jun 9 [epub ahead of print] doi:10.1136/gutnl-2013-30654.

Hold G. The gut microbiota, dietary extremes and exercise. Gut. 2014 Jun 9 [epub ahead of print] doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2014-307305