Vigorous exercise associates with the abundance of gut bacterial species reflecting energy pathways: an epidemiological cross-sectional analysis within the Lifelines Dutch Microbiome Project
Abstract
Background: Regular physical activity (PA) is vital for proper organ functions including the gut. Despite existing research, it remains unclear how the gut microbiome is affected by different intensities of PA, and how other lifestyle factors influence this relationship. Here we study the relation between PA intensity and gut microbiome composition and function in a large Lifelines Dutch Microbiome Project dataset. Methods: A cross-sectional design was performed on 5409 adults aged 40 to 60 from the community-based Lifelines Dutch Microbiome Project and from all these participants metagenomic shotgun data was available. Participants were categorized into sedentary (N=2501), moderate (N=1915), and vigorous (N=993) PA groups, based on self-reported activity levels. We investigated association between PA intensity and microbial diversity, bacterial species, and metabolic pathways by multiple regression models sequentially adjusted for the covariates age/sex, BMI, stool consistency and diet quality/alcohol intake. Results: Vigorous PA, but not moderate PA, was significantly associated with higher gut microbiome alpha diversity (i.e., species richness, Shannon diversity, and Simpson diversity) as compared to sedentary PA. Compared to the sedentary group, the vigorous PA group showed a lower abundance of the bacterial species Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus ({beta} = -0.003, p = 0.042), even after extensive covariate adjustments and correction for multiple testing. Other species…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 5,409 participants or records.
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