Disparity of Gut Microbiota Composition Among Elite Athletes and Young Adults With Different Physical Activity Independent of Dietary Status: A Matching Study

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the disparity of gut microbiota among elite athletes and young adults with different physical activity independent of dietary status.MethodsIn Hangzhou, China, an age and sex matching study was conducted between April and May 2021. A total of 66 Chinese young adults were recruited in this study and divided into an elite athlete group, physically active group, and physically inactive group. Fecal samples were collected to assess gut microbiota composition. Dietary status was measured using a food-frequency questionnaire. Comparisons in gut microbiota and blood biomarkers among three groups were analyzed by using the analysis of covariance.ResultsThe findings depicted a tendency to form clusters for beta diversity among three groups, while no significant difference was observed in both alpha and beta diversity. In the multiple analysis model, by adjusting dietary status, a significantly higher abundance of Clostridiaceae (p = 0.029) and Megamonas_rupellensis (p = 0.087) was observed in elite athletes compared to that in general young adults. Furthermore, inflammation-related bacteria such as Bilophila (p = 0.011) and Faecalicoccus (p = 0.050) were enriched in physically inactive young adults compared to two other groups. Pearson's correlation analysis showed a positive association between Bilophila and circulating white body cell count (r = 0.332, p = 0.006) and its subtypes including neutrophils (r = 0.273, p = 0.027), and lymphocytes (r = 0.327, p = 0.007). Megamonas_rupellensis has been shown associated positively with serum lymphocytes levels (r = 0.268, p = 0.03). Although no significant differences were observed, the elite athletes tended to have lower levels of blood biomarkers of immunity within a normal range, which may reflect a better immune function.ConclusionThis matching study indicated that physically inactive young adults are more likely to have a lower immune function and a higher abundance of pro-inflammatory gut bacteria than elite athletes and physically active young adults. Dietary status should be considered as an important factor that may affect the association of physical activity with immune function and gut microbiota.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and Microbiome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Seventeen studies reported significant associations between PA 38,41,72,83– 85,43,44,59,63,65–68 or SB 48,64,70 and microbial diversity (i.e., alpha- and/or beta-diversity), and 19 studies found significant differences in the relative abundance of specific bacteria in active vs . inactive participants 36,38,63,66,68–71,78,84,85,39,41,42,44–46,48,59 ( Table 2 ). Sixteen studies found significant differences in microbial diversity 47,49,62,74–76,79,80,51,52,54–58,61 and 13 in the abundance of specific microbial taxa 47,52,78,79,104,53,55–58,74–76 between athletes vs .…”

“…Regarding the exposure, 26 cross-sectional studies recorded PA using self-reported questionnaires 36,37,46,48,59,65–68,70–72,38,73,78,81,83–85,39–45 , whereas 8 studies included PA data registered by accelerometry 42,48,63,66,69,82,84,85 ( Table 2 ). Additionally, four studies reported SB data expressed as time per sedentary breaks/bouts or screen time 48,64,70,73 .…”

“…low-PA level’s effects on Shannon diversity and Chao1 indexes (i.e., alpha-diversity metrics). Eight studies were finally included (Shannon diversity index 44,66,69,78,81,83,85 ; Chao1 index 44,70,78,81,85 ). Panel B) indicates the meta-analysis of the athletes vs .…”

Swimming and the human microbiome at the intersection of sports, clinical, and environmental sciences: A scoping review of the literature

“…Recently, the concept of “athletic microbiome” ( Barton et al, 2018 ; Mohr et al, 2020 ) has been introduced. Whereas some reviews have synthesized current state-of-art concerning endurance exercise ( Mach and Fuster-Botella, 2017 ) and competitive sports ( Wegierska et al, 2022 ), to the best of our knowledge, there exists no review specifically addressing the potential role of microbiomics for swimmers, since each sports discipline requires a specific set of techniques, training protocols, and interactions with the athletic infrastructure/facility (in this case, the swimming pool) ( Xu et al, 2022 ). Research has shown that swimming can exert a plethora of regulatory effects on the microbiome, in terms of immunometabolic and neuroimmunological ones, as demonstrated by a number of animal studies ( Huang et al, 2019 ; Xie et al, 2022 ).…”

The Universal Endurance Microbiome?

“…Bacterial cells associated with the human body are more common than human cells (~100 trillion) [3]. More than 1000 bacterial species may be found in the intestines of each person, and over 70% of the total human microbiome is contained in the gut [4]. Whereas human cells are slowly replaced with identical (or nearly identical) copies, the cells of the gut microbiome are constantly changing due to immigration, emigration and differential rates of division based on the dynamic gut environment, to which they are much more sensitive and responsive than human epithelial cells.…”