Vigorous exercise associates with the abundance of gut bacterial species reflecting energy pathways: an epidemiological cross-sectional analysis within the Lifelines Dutch Microbiome Project

BackgroundRegular physical activity (PA) is vital for proper organ functions including the gut. Despite existing research, it remains unclear how the gut microbiome is affected by different intensities of PA, and how other lifestyle factors influence this relationship. Here we study the relation between PA intensity and gut microbiome composition and function in a large Lifelines Dutch Microbiome Project dataset. MethodsA cross-sectional design was performed on 5409 adults aged 40 to 60 from the community-based Lifelines Dutch Microbiome Project and from all these participants metagenomic shotgun data was available. Participants were categorized into sedentary (N=2501), moderate (N=1915), and vigorous (N=993) PA groups, based on self-reported activity levels. We investigated association between PA intensity and microbial diversity, bacterial species, and metabolic pathways by multiple regression models sequentially adjusted for the covariates age/sex, BMI, stool consistency and diet quality/alcohol intake. ResultsVigorous PA, but not moderate PA, was significantly associated with higher gut microbiome alpha diversity (i.e., species richness, Shannon diversity, and Simpson diversity) as compared to sedentary PA. Compared to the sedentary group, the vigorous PA group showed a lower abundance of the bacterial species Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus ({beta} = -0.003, p = 0.042), even after extensive covariate adjustments and correction for multiple testing. Other species were initially also significantly associated with vigorous PA, but they disappeared after adjusting for covariates resulting in a loss of significance. Pathway analysis showed significant enrichment of two distinct metabolic pathways related to cellular energy recycling (Pyruvate fermentation to acetate and lactate II, {beta} = 8.11x10-05, p = 0.035) and purine metabolism (Purine ribonucleosides degradation, {beta} = 3.36x10-04, p = 0.039) in participants engaging in vigorous PA as compared to sedentary PA. ConclusionsVigorous PA is associated with higher gut microbiome diversity and with specific alterations of microbial composition. The lower abundance of Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus within the vigorous PA group may be linked to increased gut permeability. The identified enrichment of microbial fermentation and purine metabolism in vigorous PA hints at a potential role of PA in affecting gut microbiome functionality and host health. The results of our modeling strategy highlight the importance of adjusting for dietary covariates to understand how PA may impact the gut microbiome independently from other influences.