Is exercise good for your gut?
3 minute read
We all know exercise is good for us, but is it good for our gut? Let’s ask Vicky Newbold, Registered Performance Nutritionist and currently researching Gastrointestinal symptoms in athletes at the University of Westminster.
So what do we know about exercise and its positive effect on our health?
The health benefits of exercise are widely accepted. We know exercise can improve sleep and cognitive function, reduce stress and signs of depression. Moreover, exercising regularly can help to manage weight and reduces the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, stroke and heart disease and some cancers. The UK government guidelines encourage us to exercise regularly as a result, recommending 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.
What about gut health?
Gut health is an increasingly used term but there is no one clear definition yet. However, it can be considered to encompass the effective digestion and absorption of food, the absence of gastrointestinal illness and a normal and stable gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is home to a rich, diverse community of bacteria, fungus and viruses, with microbial diversity being linked to most aspects of human health. So the larger the variety of beneficial microbes you have, the better!
"The larger the variety of beneficial microbes you have, the better!”
Could doing more exercise mean “better” gut health?
Although there is exciting ongoing research we can see growing evidence that suggesting physical fitness can affect the gut microbiome; studies show evidence of increased gut microbial diversity in rugby players, body builders and professional cyclists. Furthermore, when you compare gut microbiota of elite Rugby players with that of non-athletes, you find a significantly increased diversity in the Rugby players. This is thought to be as a result of the different exercise activity between the groups and also the increased variety of the Rugby player’s diet and their high protein intake.
If I haven’t exercised much before, could exercise still help my gut health?
It has been shown that it is possible to increase your microbiome diversity through exercise. A study found that a 6 week endurance training program increased the microbiome diversity of sedentary volunteers who had a normal BMI, but not those who were obese. And whilst these results were independent of diet, the exercise-induced changes in the microbiome were reversed when the exercise stopped.
“A study found that a 6 week endurance training program increased the microbiome diversity of sedentary volunteers”
So is exercise good for our gut health and overall health?
So in summary, it appears that those who exercise regularly and often, benefit from a more diverse gut microbiome which is important for human health and the immune system. However, the subject is complex and it’s difficult to isolate the effect of exercise alone from overall diet and lifestyle. It’s an exciting topic with new research constantly being published so watch this space! Here’s some key pointers in the meantime:
Exercising can increase the variety of our gut microbes which is a good thing because a higher level of diversity is associated with better overall health, increased immunity and resilience to infection.
Although the relationship between the two is complex, regular, consistent exercise appears to have a beneficial impact on the gut microbiome
In athletes, gut microbiome diversity appears to be related to both their sustained, high exercise loads and their high quality varied diet.
“It appears that those who exercise regularly and often, benefit from a more diverse gut microbiome which is important for human health and the immune system”
Is exercise still beneficial if you suffer with digestive issues and could it exacerbate any gastrointestinal symptoms? Read our next blog to find out more!
Words by Vicky Newbold
Vicky is a AfN and SENr Registered Performance Nutritionist (ANutr, SENr) with an MSc in Sport and Exercise Nutrition. She runs her own nutrition consultancy practice and is also a Research Assistant at the University of Westminster.
Allen JM, Mailing LJ, Niemiro GM, et al. (2018) Exercise Alters Gut Microbiota Composition and Function in Lean and Obese Humans. Med Sci Sports Exerc. ;50(4):747‐757. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001495
Clarke SF, Murphy EF, O'Sullivan O, et al. (2014) Exercise and associated dietary extremes impact on gut microbial diversity. Gut. ;63(12):1913‐1920. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2013-306541
Sekirov I, Russell SL, Antunes LC, Finlay BB. (2010) Gut microbiota in health and disease. Physiol Rev. ;90(3):859‐904. doi:10.1152/physrev.00045.2009