Athletes, The Microbiome and Gut Health

YDS is supported by ⁠⁠Microcosm Coaching. ⁠Kylee and Zoë take a magic school bus ride into the microbiome! We go back (waaay back) into the origins of the human microbiome and examine the research on how gut biota affects and interplays with athletic performance. Put your gloves on, because we’re digging into Zoë’s microbiome to get to know her on a very, very intimate level (the microbial level!). We also discuss common and uncommon causes of GI distress and what athletes can do to support their gut health (spoiler alert: you probably don’t need all that kombucha).Yong, E. (2018). I contain multitudes: The microbes within US and a grander view of life. Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. Mohr, A.E., Jäger, R., Carpenter, K.C. et al. The athletic gut microbiota. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 17, 24 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-020-00353-wBressa, C., Bailén-Andrino, M., Pérez-Santiago, J., González-Soltero, R., Pérez, M., Montalvo-Lominchar, M. G., Maté-Muñoz, J. L., Domínguez, R., Moreno, D., & Larrosa, M. (2017). Differences in gut microbiota profile between women with active lifestyle and sedentary women. PLOS ONE, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0171352 Clarke SF, Murphy EF, O'Sullivan O, et alExercise and associated dietary extremes impact on gut microbial diversityGut 2014;63:1913-1920.Estaki, M., Pither, J., Baumeister, P. et al. Cardiorespiratory fitness as a predictor of intestinal microbial diversity and distinct metagenomic functions. Microbiome 4, 42 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-016-0189-7Jang, LG., Choi, G., Kim, SW. et al. The combination of sport and sport-specific diet is associated with characteristics of gut microbiota: an observational study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 16, 21 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-019-0290-yPetersen, L.M., Bautista, E.J., Nguyen, H. et al. Community characteristics of the gut microbiomes of competitive cyclists. Microbiome 5, 98 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-017-0320-4Flint, H. J., Scott, K. P., Duncan, S. H., Louis, P., & Forano, E. (2012). Microbial degradation of complex carbohydrates in the gut. Gut Microbes, 3(4), 289–306. https://doi.org/10.4161/gmic.19897Scheiman J, Luber JM, Chavkin TA, MacDonald T, Tung A, Pham LD, Wibowo MC, Wurth RC, Punthambaker S, Tierney BT, Yang Z, Hattab MW, Avila-Pacheco J, Clish CB, Lessard S, Church GM, Kostic AD. Meta-omics analysis of elite athletes identifies a performance-enhancing microbe that functions via lactate metabolism. Nat Med. 2019 Jul;25(7):1104-1109. doi: 10.1038/s41591-019-0485-4. Epub 2019 Jun 24. PMID: 31235964; PMCID: PMC7368972.Marttinen, Maija, Reeta Ala-Jaakkola, Arja Laitila, and Markus J. Lehtinen. 2020. "Gut Microbiota, Probiotics and Physical Performance in Athletes and Physically Active Individuals" Nutrients 12, no. 10: 2936. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12102936