Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Oct 28;16(21):3663.
doi: 10.3390/nu16213663.

Physical Exercise and the Gut Microbiome: A Bidirectional Relationship Influencing Health and Performance

Sanish Varghese  1 , Shrinidhi Rao  1 , Aadam Khattak  1 , Fahad Zamir  1 , Ali Chaari  1
Affiliations
Review

Physical Exercise and the Gut Microbiome: A Bidirectional Relationship Influencing Health and Performance

Sanish Varghese et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The human gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem of microorganisms that can influence our health and exercise habits. On the other hand, physical exercise can also impact our microbiome, affecting our health. Our narrative review examines the bidirectional relationship between physical activity and the gut microbiome, as well as the potential for targeted probiotic regimens to enhance sports performance. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature review to select articles published up till January 2024 on the topics of physical exercise, sports, probiotics, and gut microbiota from major scientific databases, incorporating over 100 studies. Results: We found that the impact of physical activity on the gut microbiome varies with the type and intensity of exercise. Moderate exercise promotes a healthy immune system, while high-intensity exercise for a long duration can cause a leaky gut and consequent systemic inflammation, which may disrupt the microbial balance. Combining aerobic and resistance training significantly affects bacterial diversity, linked to a lower prevalence of chronic metabolic disorders. Furthermore, exercise enhances gut microbiome diversity, increases SCFA production, improves nutrient utilization, and modulates neural and hormonal pathways, improving gut barrier integrity. Our findings also showed probiotic supplementation is associated with decreased inflammation, enhanced sports performance, and fewer gastrointestinal disturbances, suggesting that the relationship between the gut microbiome and physical activity is mutually influential. Conclusions: The bidirectional relationship between physical activity and the gut microbiome is exemplified by how exercise can promote beneficial bacteria while a healthy gut microbiome can potentially enhance exercise ability through various mechanisms. These findings underscore the importance of adding potential tailored exercise regimens and probiotic supplementation that consider individual microbiome profiles into exercise programs.

Keywords: athletes; exercise; gut microbiota; physical activity; probiotics; training.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effects of physical-activity-induced changes in the gastrointestinal microbiome.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of probiotics on athletic health and performance.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mechanisms underlying the mutual relationship between physical activity and the gut microbiome.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mondot S., Lepage P. The human gut microbiome and its dysfunctions through the meta-omics prism. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2016;1372:9–19. doi: 10.1111/nyas.13033. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sankar S.A., Lagier J.-C., Pontarotti P., Raoult D., Fournier P.-E. The human gut microbiome, a taxonomic conundrum. Syst. Appl. Microbiol. 2015;38:276–286. doi: 10.1016/j.syapm.2015.03.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kriss M., Hazleton K.Z., Nusbacher N.M., Martin C.G., Lozupone C.A. Low diversity gut microbiota dysbiosis: Drivers, functional implications and recovery. Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 2018;44:34–40. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2018.07.003. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shin Y., Han S., Kwon J., Ju S., Choi T.G., Kang I., Kim S.S. Roles of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Nutrients. 2023;15:4466. doi: 10.3390/nu15204466. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liu X.F., Shao J.H., Liao Y.T., Wang L.N., Jia Y., Dong P.J., Liu Z.Z., He D.D., Li C., Zhang X. Regulation of short-chain fatty acids in the immune system. Front. Immunol. 2023;14:1186892. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1186892. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms