Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

EXERCISE

Can microbes increase exercise performance in athletes?

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 15, pages 629–630 (2019)Cite this article

Subjects

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been suggested to be a therapeutic strategy for inflammatory diseases and it is known that regular physical activity can alter the composition of the gut microbiota. Now, a study proposes that FMT might increase exercise performance in athletes, raising the possibility of ‘faecal doping’.

Refers to Scheiman, J. et al. Meta-omics analysis of elite athletes identifies a performance-enhancing microbe that functions via lactate metabolism. Nat. Med. 25, 1104–1109 (2019).

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Whitham, M. & Febbraio, M. A. The ever-expanding myokinome: discovery challenges and therapeutic implications. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 15, 719–729 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Sonnenburg, J. L. & Backhed, F. Diet-microbiota interactions as moderators of human metabolism. Nature 535, 56–64 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Imdad, A. et al. Fecal transplantation for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 11, CD012774 (2018).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Scheiman, J. et al. Meta-omics analysis of elite athletes identifies a performance-enhancing microbe that functions via lactate metabolism. Nat. Med. 25, 1104–1109 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Mailing, L. J., Allen, J. M., Buford, T. W., Fields, C. J. & Woods, J. A. Exercise and the gut microbiome: a review of the evidence, potential mechanisms, and implications for human health. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev. 47, 75–85 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Marlicz, W. & Loniewski, I. The effect of exercise and diet on gut microbial diversity. Gut 64, 519–520 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Farrell, P. A., Wilmore, J. H., Coyle, E. F., Billing, J. E. & Costill, D. L. Plasma lactate accumulation and distance running performance. Med. Sci. Sports. 11, 338–344 (1979).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Newman, E. V. D. D. B., Edwards, H. T. & Webstter, F. A. The rate of lactic acid removal in exercise. Am. J. Physiol. 118, 457–462 (1937).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Starkie, R. L., Rolland, J., Angus, D. J., Anderson, M. J. & Febbraio, M. A. Circulating monocytes are not the source of elevations in plasma IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels after prolonged running. Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 280, C769–774 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

    Sarah M. Turpin-Nolan & Mark A. Febbraio

  2. Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    Michael J. Joyner

Authors
  1. Sarah M. Turpin-Nolan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael J. Joyner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mark A. Febbraio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark A. Febbraio.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Turpin-Nolan, S.M., Joyner, M.J. & Febbraio, M.A. Can microbes increase exercise performance in athletes?. Nat Rev Endocrinol 15, 629–630 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-019-0250-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-019-0250-2

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing