The Athlete Gut Microbiota: State of the Art and Practical Guidance

Abstract:

While the composition of the athlete’s gut microbiota is not completely delineated, athletes appear to display a characteristic gut environment that might convey a metabolic advantage. These changes appear to be driven by long-term exercise practice and the adoption of dietary strategies that characterize high-level competition. Not only compositional changes but also the production of bacterial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids, are linked to improved energy efficiency, which might be key when optimizing performance and recovery. A practical approach might involve taking advantage of metagenomic and metabolomic techniques to prospectively monitoring indicators of dysbiosis supported by a solid body of literature to guide simple dietary strategies.