Exercise Changes Gut Microbes For Better

A few more things that are changed for the better by exercise: the hundred trillion bacteria in your gut. This suggestion comes from researchers a the University of Colorado, who are convinced that exercise, especially exercise at a young age–when our microbrial community is particularly plastic– can encourage a microbial mix that can lead to a healthier brain and metabolic rhythm throughout our lives.  A University of Colorado news release reports that the researchers, working with rats, not humans, found that juvenile rats who voluntarily exercised every day developed a more beneficial microbial structure, including the expansion of probiotic bacterial species in their gut compared to both their sedentary counterparts and adult rats, even when the adult rats exercised as well. What about us older humans? Is it too late for us? The researchers think it’s too soon to say it’s too late. They plan to explore novel means of encouraging positive gut microbe plasticity in adults, who tend to have stable microbial communities that are more resistant to change.