ONE MORE REASON TO AVOID UNNECESSARY antibiotic use: New research suggests that antibiotics can hurt sports performance by killing essential gut bacteria.
The University of California, Riverside (USA) researchers conclude that the mouse study suggests that the gut microbiome is significant in athletic performance.
Today, we’ll take a quick look at microbiome basics before turning to this new study of how messing with our microbiome can have broad implications.
What is the microbiome?
Do you know that you are composed mostly of microbes? More specifically, you carry more than 100 trillion of them with you, with the little critters outnumbering our human cells by ten times. Most of these microbes reside in our gut, especially the large intestine.
Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi contribute over five pounds to our weight.
In aggregate, the microbes from the microbiome. We need this community of microscopic creatures to help us regulate our immune systems, digest food, protect against other disease-causing microbes, and make vitamins. The last includes the B vitamins B12, thiamine, riboflavin, and vitamin K, the last important for blood clotting).
The definition is not entirely clear. In 2012, Ursell and colleagues assert that just as the question “What is it to be human?” has troubled humans from the beginning of recorded history, the question “What is the microbiome?” has bothered researchers since Joshua Lederberg coined the term in 2001.
Analyses of human microbiome diversity date back to the 1680s. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek compared his fecal and oral microbiota:
https://drive.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https%3A//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2151982/pdf/procrsmed01418-0001.pdf&embedded=true
The famous Dutch scientist observed remarkable differences in microbes in the oral and gut regions. Perhaps not surprisingly, van Leeuwenhoek is regarded as a father of microbiology.
Today, we know that microbiome dysfunction is associated with many autoimmune diseases (including diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and fibromyalgia).
The autoimmune disease appears to be passed in families by inheritance of the microbiome rather than DNA inheritance.
Antibiotics and athletic performance
The authors of the recently reported study explain that “we believed an animal’s collection of gut bacteria, its microbiome, would affect digestive processes and muscle function, as well as motivation for various behaviors, including exercise.”
Using fecal samples obtained after ten days of antibiotics, the researchers discovered that two groups of mice had fewer bacteria: The researcher bred some for high levels of running and did not breed others for such traits. Neither group had signs of sickness from the antibiotics.
But, the scientists also found:
- Antibiotic use in the athletic mice appeared associated with a one-fifth drop in wheel running, a result the researchers feel is secondary to antibiotic-induced microbiome damage. The subpar performance continued even 12 days after discontinuation of antibiotic treatment.
- The behavior of the normal mice did not change during (or after) antibiotics.
The paper’s first author, doctoral candidate Monica McNamara, has some thoughts, speaking in MedicalXpress:
“A casual exerciser with a minor injury wouldn’t be affected much. But a small setback can be much more magnified on a world-class athlete,” said Monica McNamara, UCR evolutionary biology doctoral student, and the paper’s first author.
She adds, “that’s why we wanted to compare the two types of mice.” Knocking out the normal gut microbiome might be compared with an injury.
The microbiome may affect exercise in mice or humans through its ability to transform carbohydrates into chemicals that travel throughout the body and affect muscle performance. Fewer good bacteria in the gut may translate into less available food.
While this is a mice study, it contributes to an emerging picture of a link between a lack of exercise and health. Think diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, bone loss (osteoporosis), and metabolic syndrome.
ANTIBIOTICS AND SPORTS PERFORMANCE: My take
Could exercise be working its risk-reducing magic partially through the gut biome? The mouse study reminds me not to prescribe antibiotics without quite careful thought. It also reminds me that a balanced diet and physical activity affect many aspects of health.
A stereotypical western diet, high in sugar and fat, can negatively impact our gut biodiversity.
Thank you for joining me in this look at antibiotics, the microbiome, and athletic performance. Don’t forget to sign up to follow me on this blog. Thanks!
The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you seek medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog.
