Exercise-Microbiome Interaction: New Insights into Optimizing Performance and Preventing Metabolic Diseases

초록

BACKGROUND: The microbiome is known to play a crucial role in human health and disease th rough various regulatory mechanisms within the body. Recent studies suggest that exercise can alter the composition and distribution of the microbiome, and vice versa. PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between exercise and the microbiome by conducting three key analyses. METHODS & RESULTS: First, a comparative analysis of the gut microbiota of elite aerobic and anaerobic athletes revealed significant differences in the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, Veillonella spp. and Prevotella spp. strains. Second, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from elite endurance athletes into C57BL mice led to significant alterations in alpha-diversity and beta-diversity compared to the control group. Additionally, the transplantation enhanced short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, improved mitochondrial function, and increased endurance performance in recipient mice. Third, in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice, FMT from elite endurance athletes resulted in improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, along with the upregulation of mitochondrial function . Notably, this intervention also ameliorated hepatic steatosis by modulating the AKT signaling pathway associated with metabolic dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these findings suggest that exercise-induced microbiome alterations play a pivotal role in endurance performance and may have significant implications for metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Understanding the mechanistic interplay between exercise, the microbiome, and metabolic health could pave the way for novel therapeutic strategies targeting microbiome modulation in athletic and clinical populations.