Episode 37 : The "Second Brain": Is Your Gut Bacteria Deciding Your Finish Time? 🧠

Episode 37 : The "Second Brain": Is Your Gut Bacteria Deciding Your Finish Time? 🧠💬 Got a question or feedback? Write us at: [email protected]☕ Buy a Gel Caf for Lactate to support the work: ko-fi.com/lactateSummary:Stop viewing your body as a solitary machine; science confirms you are a "holobiont," a vessel for trillions of microorganisms that dictate your metabolic efficiency and psychological drive. The physiological game-changer is Veillonella atypica, a bacteria that feasts on the lactate produced during maximal effort and converts it into propionate, a short-chain fatty acid that provides secondary fuel and boosts endurance by 13% in murine models. However, intense exercise causes splanchnic ischemia (blood flow <20%), leading to tight junction failure and "leaky gut," where toxic LPS floods the bloodstream and triggers systemic collapse. To harness your microbiome, manage the "FODMAP paradox": eat high-fiber diversity during training blocks, but switch to low-FODMAP foods 24–48 hours pre-race to minimize gas; simultaneously, practice "gut training" with high carb volumes to upregulate SGLT1 transporters. Be wary of antibiotics, which can slash voluntary training volume by 21% by disrupting dopamine signaling, and remember that the resilient "elite signature" found in rugby players vanishes weeks after training stops.Keywords:microbiome, veillonella, lactate, leaky gut, probiotics, holobiont, fodmap, endotoxemia, dopamine, ischemia🎙️ Lactate, the podcast that deciphers science to improve your performance.Key references :Scheiman, A. B., et al. (2019). Meta-omics analysis of elite athletes identifies a performance-enhancing microbe that functions via lactate metabolism. Nature Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31235964/Clarke, S. F., et al. (2014). Exercise and associated dietary extremes impact on gut microbial diversity. Gut. https://gut.bmj.com/content/63/12/1913Brock-Utne, J. G., et al. (1988). Endotoxaemia in exhausted runners after a long-distance race. South African Medical Journal. https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA20785135_9151Mach, N., & Fuster-Botella, D. (2017). Endurance exercise and gut microbiota: A review. Journal of Sport and Health Science. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6188999/Roussos, G., et al. (2025). Gastrointestinal function and microbiota in endurance athletes. Frontiers in Physiology. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1551284/fullO’Sullivan, et al. (2022). Oral antibiotics reduce voluntary exercise behavior in athletic mice. Behavioural Processes. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9725099/Voices generated by artificial intelligence from the scientific report produced by the Lactate team.