Written by: Osayenmwen Omozusi

Athletes are constantly trying to improve their performance. There are various ways to do this, either by drinking water, making sure the recovery time is long enough, giving the body the proper foods, or even adding supplements. Additionally, bacteria can improve athletic performance, but not much is known about it. Even though the field is new, researchers see a relationship between athletic performance and the gut microbiome, along with potential mechanisms.

What is the gut microbiome? 

First, the gut is the colloquial term for the gastrointestinal tract. The word microbiome is derived from the words micro and biome: micro meaning small, and biome meaning a community where plants and animals live together, so essentially, the gut microbiome is where microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa live in the gastrointestinal tract (The Microbiome). Some microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract can be harmful, but overall many of them are beneficial. When there is an imbalance in the gut microbiome, conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, and heart disease can occur (Makin). Therefore, keeping the microbiome in top shape is a crucial factor in improving athletic performance.

Findings on Short-Chain Fatty Acids

Researchers used shotgun sequencing, which provides insight on microbes by viewing their strains, which researchers used to characterize their potential functions based on known genes (Makin). They found that gut microbes produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate, acetate, and propionate when the gut bacteria break down complex carbohydrates by fermentation. The team discovered that more athletic participants had higher levels of butyrate in their feces and found that “SCFAs are emerging as a potentially important component of the link between the microbiome and fitness” (Makin). 

Findings on Veillonella

Another study collected feces samples from runners before and after the Boston marathon. They found that there was an abundance of Veillonella immediately after the marathon. Kostic, a microbiologist at Harvard and a senior author on the study, said, “We also noticed that Veillonella was generally higher amongst the runners, relative to sedentary controls” (Makin). However, the sample size was minimal, with just fifteen runners and ten control participants. 

Veillonella metabolizes lactate, which causes pain in muscles that occur after an intense exercise. The team found that Veillonella turns the metabolized lactate into propionate (Makin). The propionate produced by Veillonella promotes muscle function.

With this knowledge, the team conducted some experiments to further their understanding. They isolated a Veillonella strain from a runner, injected it into mice, and measured how long the rodents could run on a treadmill. They found that the mice with Veillonella ran thirteen percent longer than mice who did not have the bacteria (Makin). However, Eisen, director of the Microbiome Special Research Program at the University of California, Davis, stated, “The human gut and the mouse gut are really different. It’s great they’re doing experiments to test this, but their result isn’t convincing even that this is broadly applicable to mice, let alone translatable to humans” (Makin). 

Conclusion

The gut microbiome has been shown to have an impact on athletic performance. However, more studies of the role Veillonella plays in athletic performance are needed. The results are promising, but much is still necessary to learn how performance is affected by the new findings and the health outcomes in the long term.

References and Sources

Makin, S. (2021, March 31). Do microbes affect athletic performance? Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00821-6. 

The Microbiome. The Nutrition Source. (2020, May 1). https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/microbiome/.