A new publication, led by SeqBiome founder Marcus O’Brien, entitled ‘The Athlete Gut Microbiome and its Relevance to Health and Performance: A Review’ was published today in the highly regarded peer review journal Sports Medicine.
The review notes that multiple studies have shown a potential bidirectional relationship between exercise and the gut microbiome, with some studies demonstrating the possibility of influencing this relationship. Importantly, this could provide a useful route to influence athletic performance via microbiome manipulation, a valuable prospect for many elite athletes and their teams.
Key Points
- Numerous studies have reported differences between the gut microbiomes of athletes and non-athletes, with health-associated bacteria often being positively associated with physical activity.
- Specific pro-/pre-biotics have been shown to positively affect a variety of performance metrics in both animal models and humans, although the mechanisms are still poorly understood.
- Athletes can suffer from gastrointestinal and respiratory infections as a consequence of intense exercise. Multiple studies have shown that the microbiome composition may play a role in the gastrointestinal and respiratory infections that athletes suffer as a consequence of intense exercise.
