Endurance Training Improves Gut Health

Endurance training improves gut health Endurance workouts are a sure-fire way to strengthen your heart and improve your fitness in a way that leaves you equipped to carry out the most arduous tasks without losing a breath. But there’s more: Recent research suggests that endurance exercise can also positively affect gut health. The results of a European study show that after six weeks of training, the participants showed an increase in the number of gut microbes thought to enhance metabolism and a decrease in those potentially linked to inflammation.

The study

The researchers enrolled a team of 17 sedentary women into an exercise regimen that involved training thrice a week for six weeks with an exercise ergometer. The intensity of the exercise was controlled by heart rate. Other lifestyle factors such as diet were not changed to ensure that any changes observed had resulted from the exercise.

The research was carried out by scientists from the universities of Jyväskylä and Turku in Finland, along with others from Spain’s nonprofit research and healthcare organization FISABIO.

Results

At the end of the six weeks, the participants were found to have lowered levels of phospholipids and cholesterol in VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein) particles. This is important because VLDL transports lipids from the liver to other tissues and converts to LDL (“bad” cholesterol) while circulating around the body. And as most of us know, an increase in LDL cholesterol can have negative effects on our cardiovascular health.

The participants also showed decreased Vascular adhesion protein-1 activity, a change that can lead to anti-inflammatory effects on blood vessels.

The increase of Akkermansia – the “beneficial” type of microbe found to increase in the participants’ intestines during this study – is thought to be linked to these changes, although the exact way this happens still remains a mystery. But, other studies have shown that more of these types of microbes are found in physically active people.

Satu Pekkala, an Academy of Finland research fellow from University of Jyväskylä’s Faculty of

Sport and Health Sciences says that this research showed that the study’s participants benefitted from the exercise regimen despite the lack of any significant resulting weight loss. The participants enrolled in the study were considered to be overweight.

What this could mean for you Whether you enjoy walking or cycling, or swimming is more your thing, whatever you do to get your heart revved up works just fine and your physiology will thank you for it.

By Tesneem Ayoub

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10