Probiotic supplementation arises as playing an immune-stimulatory role. High-intensity and -volume exercise can inhibit immune cell function, which threatens athletic performance and recovery. We hypothesized that 30 days of probiotic supplementation could stabilize the immune system of athletes preventing immune suppression after a marathon race. Twenty-seven male marathonists were double-blinded randomly into probiotic (Bifidobacterium-animalis-subsp.-Lactis (10 × 109) and Lactobacillus-Acidophilus (10 × 109) + 5 g of maltodextrin) and placebo (5 g of maltodextrin) group. They received 30 sachets and supplemented 1 portion/day during 30 days before the race. Blood were collected 30 days before (rest), 1 day before (pre), 1 h after (post) and 5 days after the race (recovery). Both chronic and acute exercise modulated a different T lymphocyte population (CD3+CD4−CD8− T-cells), increasing pre-race, decreasing post and returning to rest values at the recovery. The total number of CD8 T cell and the memory subsets statistically decreased only in the placebo group post-race. Pro-inflammatory cytokine production by stimulated lymphocytes decreased in the probiotic group after the supplementation period. 30 days of probiotic supplementation maintained CD8 T cell and effector memory cell population and played an immunomodulatory role in stimulated lymphocytes. Both, training and marathon modulated a non-classical lymphocyte population regardless of probiotic supplementation.

Nutrient consumption and body mass index (BMI) are closely related to the gut microbiota, and exercise effects on gut bacteria composition may be related to those variables. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effect of 10-week moderate aerobic exercise on the cardiorespiratory fitness and gut bacteria composition of non-obese men with the same nutritional profile. Twenty-four previously sedentary men (age 25.18 [SD 4.66] years, BMI 24.5 [SD 3.72] kg/m2) were randomly assigned into Control (CG; n = 12) or Exercise Groups (EG; n = 12). Body composition, cardiorespiratory parameters, blood markers, dietary habits and gut bacteria composition were evaluated. EG performed 150 min per week of supervised moderate (60–65% of VO2peak) aerobic exercise, while CG maintained their daily routine. The V4 16S rRNA gene was sequenced and treated using QIIME software. Only EG demonstrated marked improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak, p < 0.05; Effect Size = 0.971) without changes in other gut bacteria-affecting variables. Exercise did not promote clustering based on diversity indices (p > 0.05), although significant variations in an unclassified genus from Clostridiales order and in Streptococcus genus were observed (p < 0.05). Moreover, α-diversity was correlated with VO2peak (Pearson’s R: 0.47; R2 0.23: 95%CI: 0.09 to 0.74, p = 0.02) and BMI (Pearson’s R: −0.50; R2 0.25: 95%CI: −0.75 to −0.12, p = 0.01). Roseburia, Sutterella and Odoribacter genera were associated with VO2peak, while Desulfovibrio and Faecalibacterium genera were associated with body composition (p < 0.05). Our study indicates that aerobic exercise at moderate intensity improved VO2peak and affected gut bacteria composition of non-obese men who maintained a balanced consumption of nutrients.

Although regular exercise is widely recommended to promote health and improvement quality of life, young people commonly report exercising primarily for weight control and for reasons related to their physical appearance. The objective of the study was to evaluate the degree of body satisfaction and its association with eating habits of individuals exercising in gymnasiums. This was a cross-sectional study involving 432 adolescents and young adults (men = 39.8%, women = 60.2%). A body self-perception questionnaire and a silhouetted scale was used to evaluate body image, as well as a food consumption questionnaire, whose score was calculated using the formula: Eating score = (total of points obtained ÷ maximum of possible points according to the number of items filled out) x 100. The scoring scale ranges from 0 to 100 and the higher the score the greater the inadequacy of eating habits. The chi-squared test was used to analyze the association between the degree of body satisfaction and the ingestion of the food groups, a p-value <0.05 was considered significant. The total prevalence of body dissatisfaction was 75.7% with no significant difference between the sexes. Men were more "dissatisfied with thinness" (58.2%), while women were more "dissatisfied with excess weight" (46.5%). The individuals who were "satisfied" with their body image had a lower score in the food consumption questionnaire (46.96 points) compared to "dissatisfied" individuals (p<0.05) and, therefore, the "satisfied" individuals consumed a higher frequency of vegetable and fruit groups (p <0.05). The association between body dissatisfaction and food groups revealed that people who were "unsatisfied by thinness" had a higher frequency of consumption of processed products, soft drinks and eggs, while those who were "dissatisfied with excess weight" had a higher frequency of consumption of sweets and candies. In this study, a high prevalence of body dissatisfaction among young individuals attending gymnasiums was observed, which was associated with a higher frequency of an inadequate diet.

The colonic epithelial cells represent a border between the colon luminal content, containing notably bacteria and a complex mixture of compounds, and the "milieu interieur" as defined by the French physiologist Claude Bernard. The physical-chemical composition of the luminal content, including luminal pH and bacterial metabolite, that obviously is not constant, is modified for instance according to the diet. Data obtained recently indicate that physical exercise may also modify the colonic luminal content. Evidence has indicated that modification of the luminal content characteristics has, indeed, consequences for the colonic epithelial cells, notably in terms of energy metabolism and DNA integrity. Although such alterations impact presumably the homeostatic process of the colonic epithelium renewal and the epithelial barrier function, their contribution to pathological processes like mucosal inflammation, pre-neoplasia, and neoplasia remains partly elusive. Open questions remain regarding the individual and collective roles of luminal changes, particularly in a long-term perspective. These questions are related particularly to the capacity of the bacterial metabolites to cross the mucus layer before entering the colonocytes, to the concentrations of metabolites in proximity of the colonic crypt stem cells, and to the capacity of colonocytes to detoxicate deleterious compounds, to take up and utilize beneficial compounds.

RESUMOA partir de informações de 286.047 animais registrados na Associação Brasileira dos Criadores do Cavalo Mangalarga Marchador, desde a sua fundação, em 1949, até dezembro de 1999, verificaram-se o coeficiente de endogamia e o tamanho efetivo da raça Mangalarga Marchador. A média do coeficiente de endogamia para toda a população foi de 1,3% e diferente de zero para 22,6% dos animais. Considerando apenas os animais endogâmicos, o coeficiente médio de endogamia foi de 5,7%, mínimo de 0,001 e máximo de 46,9%. Observou-se que 50% da população endogâmica apresentou coeficiente de endogamia entre 0,0001 e 10%. Na população atual a média de endogamia foi 3,8%, enquanto a média nos pais foi de 7,3%. O tamanho efetivo da população variou entre os períodos bianuais de nascimentos, sendo de 9.174,24 animais para o período de 1998-1999 than .50, varying from .39 in 1980-1981 to .79 in 1954-1955.

Gut microbiota plays an important role in the modulation of physiological processes associated with the digestion of nutrients, immune system and control of energy homeostasis. Changes in gut microbiota composition have been associated notably with obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory diseases. Diet is one of the major factors capable of modulating the intestinal microbiota composition. In addition, the literature has shown that exercise can affect the gut microbiota composition and modulate the balance between the interaction of host and beneficial microbiota. Physical exercise improves the diversity and relative amounts of bacterial species under different nutritional contexts. However, the impact of exercise associated or not with dietary changes on the gastrointestinal environment and consequences for gut health remain poorly understood. Some proposals regarding the biological mechanisms possibly involved highlight the short chain fatty acid production and alteration in intestinal pH as main forms by which exercise may affect gut microbiota composition. Thus, the aim of the present review is to present an overview of the effects of physical exercise associated with diet on the characteristics of the intestinal microbiota.

Purpose Sedentarism is a global epidemic that engages 60 to 70% of the global population. A progressive physical activities decline occurs from childhood to adolescence. This study aims to compare extracurricular physical activity among students with and without overweight and to relate it to the level of physical activity of their parents. Methods This cross-sectional study evaluated 375 children aged 6-11 years from two public schools that have extracurricular and optional activities. Data collected: weight and height for the calculation of body mass index and height/age z-scores; waist circumference to calculate waist to height ratio; extracurricular physical activity of children and parents/caregivers (short version of the IPAQ-International Physical Activity Questionnaire). Results Mean age was 8.7 ± 1.4 years in the studied population; overweight and obesity was observed in 98 (26.8%) and 79 (21.6%) children, respectively. Extracurricular physical activity was observed in 86 (22.9%) children. Physical activity of parents was not associated with children's practice or their nutritional status. No difference was found in relation to physical activity and nutritional status. However, boys were less engaged in physical activities compared with girls (32-37.2% vs 54-62.8%, p = 0.003). Conclusion Considering the importance of promoting children's physical activity and based on the results evidenced in this study highlighting the low demand for physical activity provided by schools, stimulating measures by educators and family members are clearly required.

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