A healthy gut microbiome plays a crucial role in overall health and well-being. It helps to digest food, produce essential nutrients, and support the immune system. To keep your gut microbiome healthy, it’s important to consume a diverse range of plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. These foods are rich in fiber, which helps to feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
It is well known that athletes’ microbiomes differ from those of sedentary people. The study examined information on the type, time, and intensity of exercise in relation to microbiomes in a large cohort of middle-aged adults to investigate how exercise shapes the gut microbiota in non-athletes.
Exercise has numerous advantages, including muscle and bone strengthening, disease prevention, and life extension. It is also known to alter the composition and activity of the trillions of microbes that live in our guts, known collectively as the microbiome.
The study found that moderate physical activity (greater than 150 minutes per week) increased both the richness and diversity of the gut microbiomes compared to study participants who exercised less.
Jane Shearer
It is well known that athletes’ microbiomes differ from those of sedentary people. According to the author and Ph.D. student Shrushti Shah, this is not surprising. “Athletes are often lean and adhere to strict diet and training schedules — these factors alone can explain the different microbiomes of athletes,” says Shah, a Ph.D. student in Kinesiology specializing in Nutrition, Metabolism, and Genetics.
The study examined information on the type, time, and intensity of exercise in relation to microbiomes in a large cohort of middle-aged adults to investigate how exercise shapes the gut microbiota in non-athletes. Body weight, diet, and hand-grip strength were also recorded.
“The study found that moderate physical activity (greater than 150 minutes per week) increased both the richness and diversity of the gut microbiomes compared to study participants who exercised less,” says Jane Shearer, Ph.D., a professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and the Cumming School of Medicine. “Given this, more exercise appears to be important in improving microbiome health, and individuals should aim to meet the 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week recommended by Health Canada.”
When exercise intensity was investigated, it was discovered that how long a person exercised was more important than how hard they exercised during each workout in improving gut microbes. The reasons for this are unknown and will be investigated further in the laboratory.
The study also revealed that changes in the microbiome differed between different groups of people. Individuals of normal weight experienced the most beneficial changes when compared to those who were overweight. This is because, according to study investigator Dr. Chunlong Mu, Ph.D., a postdoctoral associate in Kinesiology, “Being overweight has its own effects on the gut microbiome that are independent of exercise. In this case, poor dietary habits outweigh some of exercise’s beneficial effects on gut microbes.”
With this in mind, it appears that the best advice is not only to exercise more, but also to maintain a healthy weight in order to achieve a healthy and optimally functioning gut microbiome.
