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The bacteria in our guts plays a big role in our overall health. It’s one reason why we make probiotic foods such as yogurt and kombucha part of our diets. But new research shows that it’s not just what you eat that keeps your gut healthy—it’s how you exercise, too.
In the study, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, researchers had 19 previously sedentary, overweight women perform six weeks of endurance tests, all done on a bicycle ergometer. The first two weeks consisted of six 40-minute workout sessions where they stayed below their aerobic threshold. The second two weeks consisted of six 50-minute workout sessions where every other session included three 10-minute intervals of moderate intensity cycling. The last two weeks consisted of six 60-minute workout sessions where four included the above 10-minute intervals and the rest were at low intensity.
The researchers discovered that not only did six weeks of these interval-heavy cycling workouts boost the women’s overall fitness, but they also increased the amount of a good type of gut bacteria called Akkermansia and decreased the amount of a bad type of gut bacteria called Proteobacteria.
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“Akkermansia are bacteria that have been associated positively to well-functioning metabolism and health,” study author Satu Pekkala, Ph.D., a professor of bacteriology at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, told Bicycling by email. So an increase in Akkermansia may keep our metabolism humming along smoothly.
On the flip side, Pekkala said, Proteobacteria may have inflammatory effects, so reducing the amount of it in your gut may help quell inflammation.
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Overall, the study suggests that regular time spent on your bike can actually improve the way your gut microbiome functions.
“A healthy microbiome helps us in maintaining our immune system, and it produces several important nutrients, like vitamins, that we cannot produce by ourselves,” she said. “Conversely, an unhealthy microbiome has been associated with several chronic diseases, including obesity and inflammatory intestinal diseases.”
And while Pekkala said more research is needed in both genders and fitness levels, incorporating intervals into your regular training schedule once or twice a week is never a bad idea, since this type of workout helps improve your power, speed, endurance, and overall health. And who doesn’t want that?
