Microbiotica intestinale e attività fisica - IoBoscoVivo Srl

Intestinal microbiota and physical activity

The human intestine hosts 10 14 microorganisms of hundreds of different species, which participate in the formation of a complex microbiota-intestine ecosystem. It is therefore essential that there is a balance between the two parts so as to guarantee optimal health of both the bacterial population and the individual: the balance between our organism and the ecosystem we host is defined as eubiosis. When this balance is lost we instead speak of dysbiosis, that is, a condition of microbial imbalance and therefore alteration of the structure of the local flora both in terms of composition and functionality. Intestinal microbiota is the name used to identify the set of microorganisms present in the human digestive tract that play a fundamental role in human life.

Numerous factors can influence the composition of the intestinal microbiota: some non-modifiable such as genetics, others modifiable such as diet, physical activity, stress, the use of probiotics, the intake of antibiotics, the consumption of alcohol.

The intestinal microbiota provides the host with a series of metabolic, immunological and protective functions:

  • The protective function is guaranteed by the production by microorganisms of a biofilm and metabolites which constitute a chemical-physical barrier, inhibiting the proliferation of pathogens. Furthermore, the presence of symbiotic strains competes with pathogens for space and nutrients, thus also limiting their growth.
  • The intestinal flora plays a significant role in the maturation of the immune system, in fact it "teaches" immune cells to discriminate potential pathogenic bacteria from symbiotic ones.
  • From a metabolic function point of view, it promotes the digestion and absorption of nutrients and provides metabolites important for our health such as folate, vitamin K2 and SCFA (short chain fatty acids).
  • It produces numerous compounds with hormonal and/or neurotransmitter-like activity which are released into the bloodstream, thus being able to carry out their activity on different tissues. The most recent studies have shown that the targets of these compounds also include structures of the central nervous system, thus being able to influence the cognitive and emotional state of the individual.

In light of this ability to influence the activity of different organs, the intestinal microbiota can be considered as a real endocrine organ and the disturbances that affect it, causing dysbiosis, can in the long term constitute a factor promoting pathologies such as diabetes type II, obesity, cancer and inflammatory diseases.

The intestinal microbiome is dominated by two bacterial phylotypes representing approximately 90% of the total: Bacteroides and Firmicutes, these microorganisms play an active and important role in numerous physiological processes. The composition of the microbiota is extremely plastic and this means that it is able to modify itself by adapting to the stimuli due to the person's lifestyle.

The available scientific literature confirms that diet can significantly influence the composition and activity of the microbiota but, although there are currently still few studies investigating the role of physical activity in modifying the composition and functionality of the microbiota, physical exercise there seems to be a positive correlation between a good habit of physical exercise and the richness of the bacterial community, especially favoring bacteria producing butyrate, a fatty acid involved in reducing the risk of colon diseases such as cancer and IBD.

This effect is very clearly visible when comparing the intestinal microbiota of sporting individuals with that of sedentary subjects, but the type of physical activity also seems to have an impact, determining the colonization of strains that not only promote health but also athletic performance. The changes induced by exercise are transient and, in all likelihood, dependent on repeated stimuli. However, excessive and/or prolonged exercise has a negative impact on intestinal function, for example by increasing intestinal permeability and therefore facilitating the entry of pathogens or potentially harmful substances.

To conclude, we have seen how the intestinal microbiota, by actively influencing metabolism, the synthesis of vitamins, the inflammatory and immune response, plays a fundamental function in the promotion and maintenance of our health. This means that an exogenous factor such as physical activity capable of modifying its functionality ends up inevitably influencing the activity of other systems and consequently can have repercussions not only on the subject's athletic performance, but also on his health.

In the article “THE SHITAKE MUSHROOM AND OUR SECOND BRAIN” we saw how IoBoscoVivo Shiitake mushrooms have an effective prebiotic effect thanks to the presence of β-glucans such as lentinan! Thanks to this effect they help keep our intestinal microbiota in balance and therefore also our well-being!

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