It is time to choose the sport you will be doing all year long. Some people are sporting, others less. Maybe you still need arguments: sport is good for your microbiota !

We know that practicing sports is good for health. Avoiding inactivity is an effective way to limit the onset and/or development of certain diseases such as obesity, diabetes and certain cancers. This would be partly due to the gut microbiota : the sport would modulate favorably its diversity and its functioning.

In order to prove it, US researchers conducted a clinical trial on 32 non-athletic, obese or lean volunteers. They all had a controlled diet and a 6-week moderate to high intensity exercise training, with 3 weekly sessions of 30 to 60 minutes each. At the end of the study, participants returned to a sedentary state.

After analysis of stool samples collected before, during and after the study, researchers were found that the sport favorably modified the composition and function of intestinal microbiota in all subjects. For example, they observed an increase in short-chain fatty acids produced by the bacteria (especially those producing butyrate) in lean people. Benefits of short-chain fatty acids are numerous such as digestive tract protection by limiting inflammation, increasing the natural defences etc…

Moreover – not surprisingly – the sport has improved the body composition of volunteers with an increase in lean body mass and a decrease in body fat.

However, when they returned to a sedentary lifestyle, the effects on the microbiota and body composition did not persist. Thus, these findings suggest that sport brings benefits, not only food (because the diet was controlled).

LC

Reference

ALLEN JM, MAILING LJ, NIEMIRO GM, MOORE R, COOK MD, WHITE BA, HOLSCHER HD, WOODS JA. Exercise alters gut microbiota composition and function in lean and obese humans. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018, 50(4):747-57