Why are elite athletes different than the rest of us? Take a look at their microbes

[Andy]

Elite athletes really are different from you and me. Or, at least their gut microbes are.

Scientists who analyzed stool samples of 15 runners a week before and after they competed in the 2015 Boston Marathon found unusually high levels of one particular microbe compared to 10 non-athletes. Levels of the microbe in question, Veillonella, spiked after an intense workout and bloomed even more after the marathon.

That was a lightbulb moment for the scientists because the bacterium is known for breaking down and eating lactate, a metabolite even ordinary runners equate with fatigue.

www.statnews.com/2019/06/24/elite-athletes-different-microbes/

 

[Sly Saint]

Don’t look for Veillonella just yet. Beyond needing to vet its function in more people and understand how it works, Kostic and Scheiman point out that not all of the high-performing athletes they tested had high levels of Veillonella. And there may be better microbes to pursue.