The combination of sport and sport-specific diet is associated with characteristics of gut microbiota: an observational studyOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
Researchers compared fecal microbiota among healthy sedentary men, bodybuilders, and distance runners, examining links between microbiota, body composition, and diet.
How was it studied?
Body composition was measured by DXA, physical activity by IPAQ, and diet by a computerized nutritional evaluation program. Fecal DNA was sequenced for gut microbial diversity via high-throughput sequencing.
What did they find?
Bodybuilders followed high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate, low-fiber diets, while distance runners followed low-carbohydrate, low-fiber diets, yet overall alpha and beta diversity did not differ by athlete type. Bodybuilders had the highest Faecalibacterium, Sutterella, Clostridium, Haemophilus, and Eisenbergiella, and the lowest Bifidobacterium and Parasutterella. Probiotic species (Bifidobacterium adolescentis group, Bifidobacterium longum group, Lactobacillus sakei group) and short-chain-fatty-acid producers (Blautia wexlerae, Eubacterium hallii) were lowest in bodybuilders and highest in controls. In distance runners, daily protein intake correlated negatively with OTU count (r = -0.53), ACE (r = -0.51), and Shannon index (r = -0.64).
Why it matters
The findings suggest high-protein, low-fiber sport-specific diets, common in resistance athletes, may reduce beneficial short-chain-fatty-acid-producing gut bacteria even without changing overall diversity.