The surprising habit that can improve the gut microbiome in eight weeks

Lifting weights just two or three times a week can make a huge difference to the trillions of bacteria living in your gut, and this can happen in as little as eight weeks.

This is according to a recent study – which has not yet been peer-reviewed – that finds that previously inactive people who started resistance training saw remarkable changes in their lives. gut microbiomeThe community of microbes living in the digestive system.

Your intestine is home to bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microbes, most of which live in the large intestine. These microbes help break down food that your body can’t digest on its own, allowing you to get more nutrients and vitamins.

Some bacteria are considered beneficial because they are often found in people who are physically and mentally healthy. They produce compounds that appear to support well-being.

The composition of your gut microbiome is not fixed. It varies depending on factors such as what you eat, how old you are, how well you sleep — and, as this study shows, whether you Exercise,

Researchers at the University of Tübingen in Germany recruited 150 people who did not normally exercise and asked them to do resistance training two to three times a week for eight weeks. Participants either used light weight with more repetitions (15 to 20) or heavy weight with fewer repetitions (eight to ten).

Both methods produced similar improvements in strength and body composition. Exercises included chest presses, abdominal work, leg curls, leg presses and back exercises – two sets of each.

Researchers collected stool samples at the beginning of the program, after four weeks, and after eight weeks to track changes in the participants’ bodies. gut bacteria,

Some people gained strength much faster than others. The researchers divided participants into “high responders” — the top 20%, who increased their strength by an average of more than 33% — and “low responders” — the bottom 20%, who gained less than 12.2%.

The biggest factor determining whether a person was a high or low responder appears to be his or her initial strength level.

But the researchers also found something interesting: The people who gained the most strength showed subtle but significant changes in their gut bacteria that the others did not.

High responders saw an increase in 16 types of bacteria and a decrease in 11 others. Two bacteria in particular stood out: faecalibacterium And roseburia man,

Both produce butyrate, a type of compound called a short-chain fatty acid. These compounds are formed when gut bacteria break down fiber, and they serve several purposes: They provide energy for the body and help maintain a healthy gut lining, which prevents harmful bacteria from entering the bloodstream.

Other studies on exercise and the gut have found similar increases in these bacteria. However, in this study, researchers did not find an actual increase in short-chain fatty acids in the stool samples – only that the bacteria that produce them were higher.

not that easy

It’s tempting to label certain bacteria as “good” or “bad,” but it’s not that simple. Throughout the study, some bacteria typically associated with good health decreased, while other bacteria previously associated with poor health increased.

This highlights an important point: everyone’s microbiome is unique. The same bacteria may play different roles in different people, depending on the individual and their overall health.

We also can’t say for sure whether the increased strength is due to changes in gut bacteria, or whether getting stronger is due to changes in bacteria. Such studies may show associations, but they cannot prove cause and effect – the microbiome is influenced by too many factors to control them all.

For example, diet has a big impact on gut bacteria. During the study, participants were asked not to change their eating habits, but it is extremely difficult to accurately track what people eat.

It is possible that some of the high responders changed their diet as they became more focused on fitness, and this may have contributed to both their bacterial changes and their increase in strength.

We can say with greater confidence that exercise benefits overall physical and mental health and should be part of a healthy lifestyle, regardless of the effect it has on your gut microbes.

This was a small study that has yet to go through the peer-review process to be officially looked at by other scientists. But it has the potential to add to the growing evidence that our lifestyle choices, including how much we move, can affect the microscopic world that lives inside us.