LAZY people could take a supplement in future, to make them better at exercise, scientists have claimed.
They believe they have found a type of gut bacteria that improves our ability to exercise.
1
Harvesting the “good” bacteria from the guts of athletes and transplanting into obese, lazy patients could improve their performance when working out.
New research has identified a type of bacteria in the gut microbiome of elite athletes, which contributes to their ability to perform.
And they found that specific bacteria, is missing from the guts of lazy people.
Scientists from Joslin Diabetes Centre found that the bacteria, Veillonella, metabolised lactic acid during exercise, and converts it into a short chain fatty acid.
The body then uses that acid to improve exercise capacity.
War against obesity & diabetes
“Having increased exercise capacity is a strong predictor of overall health and protection against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and overall longevity,” says the paper’s co-author Dr Aleksandar Kostic.
He went onto say that in the future, a probiotic supplement could be available to the public, which would make them better at doing exercise.
And that, in turn, would help to protect them against chronic diseases including diabetes.”
Collecting poo from marathon runners
Scientists collected poo samples from Boston Marathon runners back in 2015.
They looked at samples taken over a period, from one week before the marathon to one week after.
They then collected samples from sedentary people.
“One of the things that immediately caught our attention was this single organism, Veillonella, that was clearly enriched in abundance immediately after the marathon in the runners,” said Dr Kostic.
“Veillonella is also at higher abundance in the marathon runners [in general] than it is in sedentary individuals.”
They also confirmed the link between the bacteria and improved exercise in mice – after which, they wanted to work out how it worked.
Using lactic acid to get moving
It’s all to do with lactic acid.
Our muscles produce it during strenuous exercise and Veillonella bacteria use it as their main food source.
The more lactic acid build up you have, the more tired your muscles feel – so getting rid of it quickly means that you don’t feel so tired. And that means that you can push harder and faster.
“The microbiome is such a powerful metabolic engine,” says Dr Kostic.
“(The link between gut bacteria and human performance) is very clear. It creates this positive feedback loop.
The gut plays a massive role in our health
“The host is producing something that this particular microbe favors. Then in return, the microbe is creating something that benefits the host,” he says.
“This is a really important example of how the microbiome has evolved ways to become this symbiotic presence in the human host.”
With more research, this study could be the start of changing gut bacteria levels for people with chronic metabolic diseases who can’t exercise at a high enough level.
Supplementing their guts with Veillonella could give them the boost they need to start moving more.
But it won’t be possible to simply pop a pill, as the short chain fatty acid would be broken down by digestive juices before it could take effect.
Instead, we’re probably looking at poo transplants.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours
