398: Marathon Microbes Maximize Mileage

This episode: Bacteria found in the guts of serious athletes help
mice exercise longer by transforming their metabolic waste!


Download Episode (7.3 MB, 10.6 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus)
actinomycetemcomitans

News item

Takeaways
Our gut microbes affect many aspects of health, and many aspects
of how we live affect our microbes. One such aspect is physical
exertion, which has been associated with enrichment of various
microbes in the guts of athletes. This observation led to the
question: are these microbes just benefiting from the high levels
of exertion, or are they able to contribute also?

This study found that certain such bacteria, when given to mice,
enabled the mice to run for a longer period on a treadmill. These
microbes break down lactic acid, which is generated in our bodies
when we push our physical limits, but the study provided evidence
that the longer run times were due not to removal of this waste
product, but to the propionate compound produced by its
degradation.

Journal Paper:
Scheiman J, Luber JM, Chavkin TA, MacDonald T, Tung A, Pham L-D,
Wibowo MC, Wurth RC, Punthambaker S, Tierney BT, Yang Z, Hattab
MW, Avila-Pacheco J, Clish CB, Lessard S, Church GM, Kostic AD.
2019. Meta-omics analysis of elite athletes identifies a
performance-enhancing microbe that functions via lactate
metabolism. Nat Med 25:1104–1109.


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