We are generally told that having a high protein diet is essential for building that power or endurance potential. However, we fail to realise that there is something in our body that directly impacts our workout & athletics performance. In Fact our body is not only ours. Our colon holds trillions of microorganisms( bacteria) who work hard to upkeep your health. These trillions of bacterias are referred to as the ecosystem of gut bacteria, its diversity & composition that thrive on food we eat, stress level & physical activity. 

Right & genetically aligned workout has a positive impact on your gut such as pumping of your blood & increasing movements through the digestive system. It is a reciprocal effect since your gut health influences your athletic performance too!

Today, we will discuss some ways how your gut bacteria impact your athletic performance & how this bacteria ecosystem uses an increase in your activity level to boost production of essential nutrients & improve your metabolism. This becomes all the more important specifically for those suffering from thyroid or at the risk of it.

Tiny organisms in our body play a major role in our exercise performance & keeping our energy levels up which is necessary for post workout recovery. Gut microbes are essential for production of short chain fatty acids(SCFA) & essential nutrients that  are necessary for proper functioning of our body. Exercise increases your metabolic activity which also means that your body needs more energy to meet the demand. If you do a regular workout, having a healthy gut & intestine will bring enormous benefits. Eating the food your gut loves specifically fibre can improve your carb metabolism & increases production of SCFA which leads to better muscle turnover. Exercises also increase production of specific SCFA- Butyrate which supports health of the digestive system. In fact this important SCFA acts as an energy source for cells that line your gut. In essence Butyrate has the ability to combat inflammation.

Let us discuss specific aspects of exercise that gets impacted by our gut health.

Lactate & muscle recovery 

Exercise is an important aspect for maintaining a healthy gut but when you workout, your muscle produces a product called lactic acid. A buildup of lactic acid can result in muscle soreness. However, a typical gut bacteria known as Veillonella atypica loves lactate and may improve exercise capacity. This bacteria improves lactate fermentation ability & transforms into SCFA- acetate & propionate ( group of firmicutes). Since this gut microbe is found in athletes & avid exercises not in people leading a sedentary lifestyle, it has potential to become performing probiotic.

Athletic performance

As shared earlier, our gut microbiome is responsible for breaking down fibre. It is important to note that gut microbiome is beneficial for performance athletes since it impacts how well they perform & recover.While gut can do great stuff for workout, having an active lifestyle plays an important role in improving our gut microbiome. A diverse gut microbiome is important for our health since it influences many factors such as nutrition & immunity. There are many microbiome species living in our colon that helps running body functions smoothly.

Some positive effects of gut bacteria include:

1. Nutrition & SCFA production
2. Regulating metabolism
3. Regulate weight management
4. Reduces inflammation.
5. Supports immune function

Microbiome diversity

Exercise is associated with improving bacterial diversity that helps in maintaining a healthy intestine. A diverse gut bacteria also leads to an increase in production of SCFA that improves carbohydrate metabolism. Exercise also increases production of Butyrate & Akkermansia muciniphila. This bacteria is associated with reducing risk of metabolic disease.

Hydration

During exercise, our body loses water(fluid) through sweating & breathing, leaving us at risk of dehydration. Water is essential & also promotes a healthy gut. Infact, the gut microbiome plays an important role in maintaining hydration during exercise & helps the body to use water efficiently. Gut microbes improve your hydration level by transporting electrolytes such as sodium & potassium through the gut lining. This transport function contributes to effective functioning of the intestinal barrier.

Exhaustion 

High intense exercise creates a lot of strain on the body & when performed in an enormous amount of heat can increase the risk of heat stroke. Exertional stroke can lead to endotoxemia in which the gut barrier becomes weak & allows toxin to enter the bloodstream resulting in inflammation. Poor intestinal integrity can lead to exertional stroke & a right diet in plant based foods can play a pivotal role in its prevention.  

Probiotics

Exercise increases the body’s energy requirements, accelerates metabolism & requires more nutrients to meet those demands. Still overtraining & poor nutrition can negatively impact your gut health. Probiotics are useful for supporting gut health. These foods contain a live source of healthy bacteria that helps support the immune system specifically  during doing HIIT/MRT. Some of probiotics foods include yoghurt, kimchi & lacto fermented pickle.

To summarise,

• Gut health & athletic training are inter linked because our gut produces essential nutrients our body requires during workout.
• Exercise also increases production of Butyrate & Akkermansia muciniphila. This bacteria is associated with reducing risk of metabolic disease.
• Gut microbes helps in maintain our hydration level during workout. 
• A healthy gut is essential for reducing the risk of exertional heatstroke.
• Probiotics helps improve performance and recovery in athletes.

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