title: The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level.
abstract: It is evident that the gut microbiota and factors that influence its composition and activity effect human metabolic, immunological and developmental processes. We previously reported that extreme physical activity with associated dietary adaptations, such as that pursued by professional athletes, is associated with changes in faecal microbial diversity and composition relative to that of individuals with a more sedentary lifestyle. Here we address the impact of these factors on the functionality/metabolic activity of the microbiota which reveals even greater separation between exercise and a more sedentary state.
  
  
  
  Metabolic phenotyping and functional metagenomic analysis of the gut microbiome of professional international rugby union players (n=40) and controls (n=46) was carried out and results were correlated with lifestyle parameters and clinical measurements (eg, dietary habit and serum creatine kinase, respectively).
  
  
  
  Athletes had relative increases in pathways (eg, amino acid and antibiotic biosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism) and faecal metabolites (eg, microbial produced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) acetate, propionate and butyrate) associated with enhanced muscle turnover (fitness) and overall health when compared with control groups.
  
  
  
  Differences in faecal microbiota between athletes and sedentary controls show even greater separation at the metagenomic and metabolomic than at compositional levels and provide added insight into the diet-exercise-gut microbiota paradigm.
authors.affiliation: Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.|Teagasc Food Research Centre, Cork, Ireland.|Department of Medicine, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Wiley
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.affiliation: Section of Biomolecular Medicine, Division of Computational Systems Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK.|Division of Surgery, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Nicholas C
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0896-6590
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Penney
authors.affiliation: Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.|Department of Medicine, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Owen
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cronin
authors.affiliation: Section of Biomolecular Medicine, Division of Computational Systems Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Garcia-Perez
authors.affiliation: Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.|Department of Medicine, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Molloy
authors.affiliation: Section of Biomolecular Medicine, Division of Computational Systems Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.affiliation: Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.|Department of Medicine, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Fergus
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shanahan
authors.affiliation: Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.|Teagasc Food Research Centre, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.affiliation: Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.|Teagasc Food Research Centre, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Orla
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
mesh_terms: D056352:Athletes; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: DIET; MOLECULAR BIOLOGY