ECSS Paris 2023: OP-PN16
INTRODUCTION: The aim was to investigate effects of training and protein supplementation on the gut microbiome in untrained, healthy females. METHODS: A randomised controlled training (12 wk upper-body resistance training and HIIT cycling) study was conducted. Participants were assigned a protein (24 g protein, P) or equicaloric control (3 g protein, C) post-exercise supplement (510 kJ). Dietary intakes were taken at wk 0,4,8,12, body composition and faecal samples at wk 0, 12. Microbiome was analysed in N=22 (32±9 y, 70 ± 12 kg, BMI 26 ± 4, VO2max 27 ±4 ml/kg/min). DNA was extracted from ~20 mg of frozen faecal samples and 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq (2×151 bp). Sequences were processed in Qiita (Gonzalez et al. 2018), filtered against the Greengenes2 reference phylogeny (v2024.09; McDonald et al. 2024). Differential abundance was assessed using BIRDMAn (v0.1.0) adjusting for age, BMI, and treatment group. RESULTS: Average 24h intakes of energy wk 4-12 in P and C were 7.0±1.1, 8.1±1.0 MJ, resp. p=0.03) and of protein (1.5±0.2, 1.2±0.2 g/kg resp. p=0.003). There was little change in body mass with training (p=0.92) and no significant difference between P and C (Δ 0.31±2.72 kg, 0.38±1.68, resp. p=0.95). Aerobic capacity, strength and lean mass increased, while fat mass decreased (Murray et al. 2025). No significant differences in alpha diversity were observed between 0 and 12 wk or between groups. Beta diversity was greater in P than C at 12 wk (Bray Curtis, p=0.009) with no difference over time. Differential abundance analysis at the genus level demonstrated greater abundance in P than C in Lactococcus_A_346120, Prevotella, Megaspaera_A_38685, Clositridium_T, Fusobacterium_C and Lawsonibacter. CONCLUSION: There was no detectable effect of 12 wk training in untrained females on gut microbiome diversity. There was an effect of protein supplementation on diversity and in the differential abundance of specific genera. It is likely the small participant number precluded observation of a training effect and/ or that training load or duration was insufficient to provide a significant shift. These findings support early cross-sectional findings of increased diversity in athletes versus controls in which the diversity increase was associated with increased dietary protein in the athletes (Clarke et al. 2014). Gonzalez, A. et al. (2018). Qiita: rapid, web-enabled microbiome meta-analysis. Nature Methods, 15(10), 796-798. McDonald, D. et al. (2024). Greengenes2 unifies microbial data in a single reference tree. Nature Biotechnology, 42(5), 715-718. Murray, M. et al. (2025). Post-Exercise Whey Protein Supplementation: Effects on IGF-1, Strength, and Body Composition in Pre-Menopausal Women, a Randomised Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 17(12), 2033 Clarke, S. F. et al. (2014). Exercise and associated dietary extremes impact on gut microbial diversity. Gut, 63(12), 1913-1920.
Read CV Nancy RehrerECSS Paris 2023: OP-PN16
INTRODUCTION: PGC-1α is an essential gene that regulates oxidative metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle. Physical activity induces metabolic stress through dynamic changes in lactate levels, oxygen availability, and substrate utilization. These changes are linked to molecular adaptations such as the modulation of mitochondrial stress signaling pathways and the activation of heat shock proteins (HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90). Meanwhile, probiotic supplementation may influence metabolism and immune regulation by modulating microbial metabolite production, thereby affecting host metabolic pathways and immune responses. Emerging evidence suggests that both exercise-induced metabolic signals and microbiota-derived metabolites may regulate gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone modifications. These processes may contribute to long-term transcriptional reprogramming associated with exercise adaptation, potentially affecting key metabolic regulators. METHODS: Circulating exosomes were isolated from plasma samples collected from twelve trained subjects before and after 12 weeks of probiotic supplementation with Lactobacillus spp. Exosomal expression of HSP60, HSP70, HSP90, and PGC-1α was analyzed by Western blot. Genomic DNA was extracted from circulating polymorphonuclear cells isolated from whole blood. MSAP-PCR was used to evaluate methylation pattern changes associated with probiotic supplementation. RESULTS: Probiotic supplementation modulated exosomal heat shock proteins and metabolic markers. Changes in PGC-1α levels suggested modulation of mitochondrial metabolic regulation. Levels of HSP60 increased mildly, while levels of HSP70 remained stable, and levels of HSP90 decreased. HSP60 variations were associated with changes in DNA methylation profiles. CONCLUSION: Lactobacillus spp. supplementation may support exercise adaptation by modulating mitochondrial efficiency, heat shock protein signaling, and epigenetic remodeling. The association between exosomal HSP60 and DNA methylation suggests a potential interplay between mitochondrial stress responses and epigenetic regulation. These effects may contribute to long-term metabolic adaptations and performance maintenance in trained individuals. S. Kong, B. Cai, and Q. Nie, “PGC-1α affects skeletal muscle and adipose tissue development by regulating mitochondrial biogenesis,” 2022. doi: 10.1007/s00438-022-01878-2. E. Koltai et al., “PGC-1 alpha overexpression in the skeletal muscle results in a metabolically active microbiome which is independent of redox signaling,” Sci Rep, vol. 15, no. 1, 2025, doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-05594-w.
Read CV ALESSIA BOATTAECSS Paris 2023: OP-PN16
INTRODUCTION: Exercise-associated gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are reported during prolonged endurance exercise, with prevalence reported as high as 90% in some athletic populations, although severity varies between individuals and conditions. Female athletes remain underrepresented in GI research despite known sex-related differences in gastrointestinal physiology. Postbiotics may influence gut function; however, evidence in exercising females is limited. This study evaluated GI symptom responses and circulating markers of gut integrity during prolonged running before and after a postbiotic supplementation period. METHODS: Twenty four naturally menstruating, recreationally endurance trained females (age 34 ± 7 years; height 164 ± 6.2 cm; body mass 63.0 ± 5.7 kg; BMI 23.4 ± 2.1 kg m⁻²; VO₂max 51.0 ± 6.1 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹) completed a double blind randomised placebo controlled crossover design. Gastrointestinal symptoms were the primary outcome used to determine sample size. Participants consumed a postbiotic yeast preparation or maltodextrin placebo daily for one menstrual cycle (29 ± 3 days). Trials were performed in the early follicular phase. Participants completed a continuous 120 min treadmill run at 95% first lactate threshold (LT1) in 34°C, 40% relative humidity. Symptom severity (median, IQR) was analysed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Circulating CD14 and intestinal fatty acid binding protein were measured pre and post exercise. RESULTS: The prevalence of several gastrointestinal symptoms was reduced following the postbiotic period, including nausea, side stitch, urge to burp, urge to defecate and stomach cramps, whereas prevalence showed no consistent change in placebo. Wilcoxon signed-rank analysis of median (IQR) symptom scores demonstrated baseline to 120 min increases in several symptoms prior to supplementation (all p<0.05) that were not observed following the postbiotic period, whereas increases persisted in placebo. Categorical severity classifications did not differ between conditions (p>0.05). Circulatory markers increased with exercise (p<0.05) with no group by time interaction. CONCLUSION: Following the postbiotic supplementation period, exercise-induced increases in several upper and lower gastrointestinal symptoms were no longer observed, whereas increases persisted in placebo. No differences were identified in categorical severity classifications or circulating markers of gut integrity. The absence of concurrent changes in circulating markers of gut permeability or endotoxin translocation indicates that alterations in symptom responses may occur independently of detectable systemic inflammatory or barrier disruption. Collectively, these data highlight the complexity of gastrointestinal responses to prolonged exercise and support further investigation into gut-targeted strategies in female endurance populations.
Read CV Kelsie Olivia JohnsonECSS Paris 2023: OP-PN16