Gut microbiota equilibrium in sportspeople

Scientific progress over the last few years has led to improvements in our understanding of intestinal microbiota. Also known as gut flora, this is the collection of living microorganisms found in the small intestine and colon. It is now recognised that the equilibrium of this microbiota plays a key role in the digestive and immune systems, but many scientists are convinced that the benefits of such equilibrium go much further. A team of British and Irish researchers have been investigating the role of intestinal microbiota in elite sports performance. Could the secret of these top athletes’ performance perhaps lie in their gut? This latest Nutranews article provides the answer.

Microbiota influenced by lifestyle of sportspeople

Developments in analytical techniques have led to the identification of many thousands of microorganisms in intestinal microbiota¹. According to some scientists, gut flora may contain up to 100 trillion microorganisms – that’s up to 10 times more microbes than there are cells in the body. Maintaining a good balance between these microorganisms – which are variously considered beneficial, neutral or harmful – is vital in order to prevent health problems. However, a number of factors such as diet and lifestyle can affect this equilibrium. In this context, preliminary studies had suggested that people who participate in sports activities have a healthier, more balanced microbiota than sedentary individuals. To confirm and expand on these initial observations, a team of British and Irish researchers compared the gut flora of 46 sedentary subjects with that of 40 professional rugby players².

Enhanced microbiota observed in professional rugby players

To assess how the sportsmen’s gut microbiota differed from that of the sedentary subjects, the researchers used metabolic phenotyping and functional metagenomic analysis, and also examined parameters such as dietary habits. Their data comparison revealed excellent results for the rugby players. They exhibited greater metabolic activity in several biosynthesis pathways, as well as increases in faecal metabolites such as the fatty acids acetate, propionate and butyrate, results which, according to the researchers, were associated with improvements in muscle turnover and overall health when compared with the sedentary subjects. A link may therefore exist between sports performance and gut flora equilibrium. Further research will hopefully shed further light on the role of intestinal microbiota.

This study confirms how important gut flora equilibrium is to good health. An imbalance appears to impact on many parameters including general well-being. Fortunately, a number of solutions are now available for maintaining or restoring balance to gut microbiota. One such product is Probio Forte from SuperSmart, which combines several strains of probiotic to provide 8 billion microorganisms per capsule.

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> Sources :
1. Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm), Microbiote intestinal et santé, Dossier réalisé en collaboration avec Rémy Burcelin, Laurence Zitvogel, Guillaume Fond et Harry Sokol, février 2016.
2. Barton W, Penney NC, Cronin O, et al, The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level. Gut Published Online First: 30 March 2017.