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Cardiorespiratory Fitness as a Predictor of Intestinal Microbial Diversity and Distinct Metagenomic Functions
Author(s) -
Estaki Mehrbod,
Pither Jason,
Baumeister Peter,
Little Jonathan P,
Gill Sandeep,
Ghosh Sanjoy,
AhmadiVand Zahra,
Marsden Katelyn R,
Gibson Deanna L
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.1027.5
Subject(s) - cardiorespiratory fitness , gut flora , biology , metagenomics , feces , dysbiosis , irritable bowel syndrome , context (archaeology) , bacteroides , alpha diversity , species richness , physiology , medicine , ecology , genetics , immunology , bacteria , gene , paleontology
Background/Objective An imbalance between harmful and beneficial bacteria in the gut, termed dysbiosis, has been associated with a variety of illnesses. In specific, reduced community diversity has been implicated in various conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and irritable bowel syndrome amongst others. The role of physical fitness in the context of gut microbial community in humans is currently not known. A recent study of elite athletes suggested a positive association between fitness and microbial diversity in humans, however due to extreme dietary differences amongst the groups, disentangling the respective influences of fitness versus diet was not possible. Hence, we analyzed the gut microbiota of healthy subjects with varying cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels with similar diets in order to isolate the relationship between fitness and microbial composition. Methods 22 males and 19 healthy females of similar age, BMI, and diets participated in this study. The subjects’ aerobic capacities were determined using a standard peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) test, considered the gold standard of CRF. High‐throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA of fecal microbiota were carried using the Illumina platform. Fecal short‐chain fatty acids (SCFA) were analysed using gas chromatography. Results The primary findings from this study showed that VO2peak was positively correlated with gut species richness (P=0.01, B‐coefficient=5.35) and can predict over 20% of the observed variability, while keeping all other factors constant, including diet. Further, protein intake but not VO2peak was significantly associated with changes in beta‐diversity, correlating strongly with Bacteroides genus. VO2peak was a significant factor in explaining variability of the microbiomes predicted metagenomic functions, aligning positively with genes related to bacterial chemotaxis and motility, and negatively with lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis. Of all SCFA analysed, VO2peak was positively correlated with only butyrate, known for its role in promoting gut health. Conclusions Results from this study show that CRF is correlated with increased microbial diversity in healthy humans and that the associated changes are anchored around a set of functional cores rather than specific taxa. The microbial profiles of those with high CRF levels favor the production of the beneficial SCFA, butyrate. As increased microbiota diversity and butyrate production is associated with overall host health, our findings warrant further research in the use of exercise prescription as an adjuvant therapy in combating dysbiosis‐associated diseases. Support or Funding Information This project was funded by the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada