The DOI matches its Crossref record; 56 of the 56 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 21 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level
Open accessAbstract
Objective: 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. Design: 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). Results: 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. Conclusions: 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.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
42 Own result · 14 Not checked yet · 5 Own interpretation · 4 No basis given · 2 Own method
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The impact of the athletes' increased protein intake compared to both control groups was evident in the metabolomic phenotyping results.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“of the total 19,300 pathways, 98 were significantly altered between the three cohorts (p < 0.05)”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Functional structure of the enteric microbiome correlates with athletic state
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Furthermore, athletes have an enriched profile of SCFAs, previously associated with numerous health benefits and a lean phenotype.[33][34][35]”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
What the sources say
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The relative abundances of pathways related to fundamental metabolic function-amino acid biosynthesis, vitamin biosynthesis, and lipid biosynthesis-were higher on average within the high BMI control group when compared to the athlete group.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Notably, from a functional perspective, the microbiota of the low BMI group was more similar to the athletes.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Comparing athletes to both high and low BMI controls, a greater number of pathways correlating to specific macronutrients with the controls suggests a shift in the dynamics of these varied metabolic functions.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“SCFAs were also correlated with pathway relative abundances, with all SCFAs associating with considerably more pathways in the athletes versus the controls (Fig. 4C).”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Correlating metabonomic and metagenomic results
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Beta-alanine betaine was higher in both faecal and urine samples of athletes.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Distinct differences between host and microbial metabolites in athletes and controls
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“with the high BMI control group having the lowest average abundance scores across 31 metabolic pathway categories (the exceptions being Vitamin Biosynthesis (VB), Lipid Biosynthesis (LB), and Amino Acid Biosynthesis (AAB) categories).”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Functional structure of the enteric microbiome correlates with athletic state
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The athlete group had the highest mean abundance across 29 of the 34 metabolic categories”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Functional structure of the enteric microbiome correlates with athletic state
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- It may state two separate claims as one. 21
- Probably not a substantial claim. 8
- The quote only partly states this claim. 1
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Athletes' 1 H-NMR metabolic phenotypes were characterised by higher levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), L-carnitine, dimethylglycine, O-acetyl carnitine, proline betaine, creatinine, acetoacetate, 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid, acetone, N-methylnicotinate, N-methylnicotinamide, phenylacetylglutamine (PAG) and 3-methylhistidine in urine samples and higher levels of propionate, acetate, butyrate, tr”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Distinct differences between host and microbial metabolites in athletes and controls
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Athletes have an increased abundance of pathways that-giving an equivalent amount of expression activity-could be exploited by the host for potential health benefit, including biosynthesis of organic cofactors and antibiotics, as well as carbohydrate degradation and secondary metabolite metabolism compared to both control groups.[32]”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [32] source
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Separation according to group membership was further illustrated through Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA), with statistical support of the significant separation between the athletes and both control groups (p < 0.05) (Fig. 2B).”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Functional structure of the enteric microbiome correlates with athletic state
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Roseburia was positively correlated with acetate (p = 0.004) and butyrate (p = 0.018) while Family XIII Incertae Sedis was positively correlated with isobutyrate (p < 0.001), isovaleric acid (p < 0.001) and valeric acid (p = 0.008)”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Correlating metabonomic and metagenomic results
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Furthermore, concentrations of propionate strongly correlated to protein intake while butyrate was shown to have a strong association with intake of dietary fibre (Supplementary Table 6).”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Distinct differences between host and microbial metabolites in athletes and controls
boostedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Likewise, the CV-OPLS-DA models comparing faecal samples, although weaker than the urine models, reveal significant differences between athletes and controls by 1 H-NMR analysis (R 2 Y=0.86, Q 2 Y=0.52, Fig. 2D) and HILIC UPLC-MS positive mode analysis (R 2 Y=0.65, Q 2 Y=0.34, Supplementary Fig 2D).”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Distinct differences between host and microbial metabolites in athletes and controls
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Subsequently, large-scale functional dissimilarity between athletes and controls was determined and distinct patterns of pathway composition between groups were revealed”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Functional structure of the enteric microbiome correlates with athletic state
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“SCFA levels in faeces measured by targeted GC-MS showed significantly higher levels of acetate (p < 0.001), propionate (p < 0.001), butyrate (p < 0.001) and valerate (p = 0.011) in athletes relative to controls.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Distinct differences between host and microbial metabolites in athletes and controls
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“By-products of dietary protein metabolism (mostly by microbes) including TMAO, carnitines, trimethylamine, 3-Carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropionic acid, and 3-hydroxy-isovaleric acid are all elevated in the athlete cohort.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Each group was represented by distinct association profiles of the correlation between clinical measurements and metagenomic pathways.Dietary factors, sugars and other carbohydrates, as well as energy intake, provide the majority of the correlation for the control groups whereas the athlete group was predominantly correlated with CK, total bilirubin, and total energy intake.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > [CfB], and Energy Metabolism [EM]) (Supplementary table 2).
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Similarly to these populations, the athletes' diet contained a significantly greater proportion of fish.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Two distinct blocks of proportionately discriminant correlations were observed with isobutyric and isovaleric acids, which were more abundant in the athletes while acetic and butyric acids were more proportionately abundant in controls.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Correlating metabonomic and metagenomic results
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Athletes were further characterised by lower levels of glycerate, allantoin and succinate and lower levels of glycine and tyrosine relative to controls in urine and faecal samples, respectively (Supplementary Table 3).”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Distinct differences between host and microbial metabolites in athletes and controls
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“The same clusters are observed when correlating with individual taxa, in support of previously observed links between SCFAs and numerous metabolic benefits and a lean phenotype.[33][34][35]”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
What the sources say
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Diversity measures are statistically significant between low BMI and athletes (p < 0.049), with statistical significance between all groups (Kruskal Wallis p < 0.05).”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Additional information
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Furthermore, PAG positively correlates with the genus Erysipelotrichaceae Incertae Sedis, which we have previously noted to be present in relatively higher proportions in the athlete group compared to both control groups.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Heat map of bacterial taxa (family, genus, and species level) that correlate with faecal short-chain fatty acid levels using Spearman's correlation.”
- Also stated in: § Additional information · plain
“All taxa shown had a correlation p-value < 0.01.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Additional information
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
The quote only partly states this claim.
- Also stated in: § Additional information · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Within the SCFAs, two distinct clusters were observed; acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid correlate with dietary contributors (fibre and protein), while isobutyric acid, isovaleric acid and valeric acid correlate with microbial diversity.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“associated with enhanced muscle turnover (fitness) and overall health when compared to control groups.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Results
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Elevated TMAO has been observed in patients with cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis, highlighting a potential downside to increased protein intake.[15-17,22, 37]”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
What the sources say
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“On the contrary, the athlete microbiome presents a functional capacity that is primed for tissue repair and to harness energy from the diet with increased capacity for carbohydrate, cell structure and nucleotide biosynthesis, reflecting the significant energy demands and high cell-turnover evident in elite sport.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Participants made no report of gastrointestinal (GI) distress or alterations of GI transit time throughout the course of the initial study.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > RESULTS
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Approval for this study was granted by the Cork Clinical Research Ethics Committee.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Study population
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“3-hydroxy-isovaleric acid (potentially from egg consumption) which has been demonstrated to have efficacy for inhibiting muscle wasting when used in conjunction of physical exercise.[40]”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [40] Stratton, 2006, Lymphocyte propionyl-CoA carboxylase and its activation by biotin are sensitive indicators of marginal biotin deficiency in humans, Am J Clin Nutr source
boosteddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“All presented p values were corrected for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini-Hochberg False Discovery Rate (pFDR) method.[47]”
- Also stated in: § Metabolic profiling · plain
“P-values were adjusted for multiple testing using the Benjamini-Hochberg False Discovery Rate (pFDR) method.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Metagenomic statistical and bioinformatic analysis
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [47] source
plainn = 86- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
- Also stated in: § Metabolic profiling · plain
In the paper
“It is notable that PAG-a microbial conversion product of phenylalanine-has been associated with a lean phenotype, and is increased in the athletes.[42]”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [42] source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“The compound is also commonly used as a supplement by athletes to increase exercise-induced gains in muscle size, muscle strength, and lean body mass, reduce exercise-induced muscle damage, and speed recovery from highintensity exercise.[41]”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [41] source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper relies on this without support.
The control participants are representative of a more sedentary lifestyle than the athletes.
“The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“These findings support the role of A muciniphila in metabolic regulation.”
From Influence of the Gut Microbiome, Diet, and Environment on Risk of Colorectal Cancer (2020) · cites this paper as [110]
In the citing paper
“For example, levels of SCFAs were significantly higher in athletes compared with controls,”
From Influence of the Gut Microbiome, Diet, and Environment on Risk of Colorectal Cancer (2020) · cites this paper as [110]
In the citing paper
“Among the individual species that differed between athletes and controls, A muciniphila was found to be enriched by 16s rRNA and metagenomic sequencing analyses, as well as in the metabolic pathway analysis.”
From Influence of the Gut Microbiome, Diet, and Environment on Risk of Colorectal Cancer (2020) · cites this paper as [110]
In the citing paper
“The athletes were found to have a more diverse gut microbiome than the controls.”
From Influence of the Gut Microbiome, Diet, and Environment on Risk of Colorectal Cancer (2020) · cites this paper as [110]
In the citing paper
“A high-fiber diet and exercise are associated with increased diversity of the gut microbiota and enrichment of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), both of which have been implicated in improved survival following treatment with ICB”
From Hallmarks of response, resistance, and toxicity to immune checkpoint blockade (2021) · cites this paper as Barton et al., 2018
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > Distinct differences between host and microbial metabolites in athletes and controls
“Levels of glutamine, 7methylxanthine, imidazoleacetic acid, isoquinoline / quinolone were lower in athletes' urinary samples relative to controls.”
§ The microbiome of professional athletes differs from that of more sedentary subjects in composition and particularly at the functional metabolic level > DISCUSSION
“Metabolites derived from vitamins and recovery supplements common in professional sports, including glutamine, lysine, 4-pyridoxic acid, and nicotinamide, are also raised in the athlete group.”
Citations
Cites
Controlling the False Discovery Rate: A Practical and Powerful Approach to Multiple Testing
Benjamini, Y., & Hochberg, Y. (1995) · Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B: Statistical Methodology · doi:10.1111/j.2517-6161.1995.tb02031.x · Cited by 109,482
An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvest
Turnbaugh, P. J., Ley, R. E., Mahowald, M. A., Magrini, V., Mardis, E. R., & Gordon, J. I. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature05414 · Cited by 12,444
From Dietary Fiber to Host Physiology: Short-Chain Fatty Acids as Key Bacterial Metabolites
Koh, A., De Vadder, F., Kovatcheva-Datchary, P., & Bäckhed, F. (2016) · Cell · doi:10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.041 · Cited by 7,070
Gut flora metabolism of phosphatidylcholine promotes cardiovascular disease
Wang, Z., Klipfell, E., Bennett, B. J., Koeth, R., Levison, B. S., DuGar, B., Feldstein, A. E., Britt, E. B., Fu, X., Chung, Y.-M., et al. (2011) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature09922 · Cited by 5,597
Sumner, L. W., Amberg, A., Barrett, D., Beale, M. H., Beger, R., Daykin, C. A., Fan, T. W.-M., Fiehn, O., Goodacre, R., Griffin, J. L., et al. (2007) · Metabolomics · doi:10.1007/s11306-007-0082-2 · Cited by 5,368
den Besten, G., van Eunen, K., Groen, A. K., Venema, K., Reijngoud, D.-J., & Bakker, B. M. (2013) · Journal of Lipid Research · doi:10.1194/jlr.r036012 · Cited by 5,048
Intestinal microbiota metabolism of l-carnitine, a nutrient in red meat, promotes atherosclerosis
Koeth, R. A., Wang, Z., Levison, B. S., Buffa, J. A., Org, E., Sheehy, B. T., Britt, E. B., Fu, X., Wu, Y., Li, L., et al. (2013) · Nature Medicine · doi:10.1038/nm.3145 · Cited by 4,386
Gut Microbiota from Twins Discordant for Obesity Modulate Metabolism in Mice
Ridaura, V. K., Faith, J. J., Rey, F. E., Cheng, J., Duncan, A. E., Kau, A. L., Griffin, N. W., Lombard, V., Henrissat, B., Bain, J. R., et al. (2013) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1241214 · Cited by 3,788
Intestinal microbial metabolism of phosphatidylcholine and cardiovascular risk
Tang, W. H. W., Wang, Z., Levison, B. S., Koeth, R. A., Britt, E. B., Fu, X., Wu, Y., & Hazen, S. L. (2013) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejmoa1109400 · Cited by 3,400
Caspi, R., Billington, R., Ferrer, L., Foerster, H., Fulcher, C. A., Keseler, I. M., Kothari, A., Krummenacker, M., Latendresse, M., Mueller, L. A., et al. (2016) · Nucleic Acids Research · doi:10.1093/nar/gkv1164 · Cited by 3,395
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 201–300 of 582
Mohr, A. E., Mach, N., Pugh, J. N., Grosicki, G. J., Allen, J. M., Karl, J. P., & Whisner, C. M. (2025) · FEMS Microbiology Reviews · doi:10.1093/femsre/fuaf037 · Cited by 37
“For instance, Cronin et al. ( 2018 ) observed that increased protein consumption, either alone or combined with exercise, had a more substantial effect on shaping the virome over 8 weeks than exercise alone in previously sedentary humans.”
InfluentialRobust cross-cohort gut microbiome associations with COVID-19 severity
Li, J., Ghosh, T. S., MacCann, R., Mallon, P. W. G., Hill, C., Draper, L. A., Schult, D., Fanning, L. J., Shannon, R., Sadlier, C., et al. (2023) · Gut Microbes · doi:10.1080/19490976.2023.2242615 · Cited by 32
“To identify potentially beneficial diets, we used nonparametric Spearman correlation to test associations between dietary intake and relative abundance of the identified microbiome biomarkers with published datasets that contained both food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and relative species abundance of gut microbiome…”
BackgroundMethodResultSchlegel, P., Novotný, M., Klímová, B., & Vališ, M. (2019) · Journal of Alzheimer s Disease · doi:10.3233/jad-190460 · Cited by 39
“[79]reportthatthegut microbiomeofathletespromotedamoreintense metabolismofmacronutrients(especiallycarbohy-dratesandproteins)andhigherSCFAconcentrations werefoundcomparedtothesedentarycontrolgroup.”
Development and application of a HILIC UHPLC-MS method for polar fecal metabolome profiling.
Sillner, N., Walker, A., Harrieder, E.-M., et al. (2019) · Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences · doi:10.1016/j.jchromb.2019.01.016 · Cited by 30
Nota, M. H. C., Nicolas, S., O’Leary, O. F., & Nolan, Y. M. (2023) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105147 · Cited by 31
Forteza, F., Bourdeau‐Julien, I., Nguyen, G. Q. H., Agudelo, F. A. G., Rochefort, G., Parent, L., Rakotoarivelo, V., Feutry, P., Martin, C., Perron, J., et al. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-10757-0 · Cited by 30
Morella, I., Negro, M., Dossena, M., Brambilla, R., & D’Antona, G. (2023) · Neuropharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109718 · Cited by 36
“In accordance with Kern et al. (2020), but in contrast with Allen et al. (2018), Cronin et al. (2018) reported significant, but subtle, changes in alpha-diversity in healthy males and females after 8-weeks of moderate progressive aerobic and resistance program, performed 3 times a week.”
InfluentialBrooks, C. N., Wight, M. E., Azeez, O. E., Bleich, R. M., & Zwetsloot, K. A. (2023) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2023.1168731 · Cited by 35
“was significantly enhanced, compared to controls, such that metabolic byproducts of amino acids and carbohydrates, along with SCFA concentrations were elevated (106).”
Exercise-induced microbial changes in preventing type 2 diabetes
Yao, T., Wang, H., Lin, K., Wang, R., Guo, S., Chen, P., Wu, H., Liu, T., & Wang, R. (2023) · Science China Life Sciences · doi:10.1007/s11427-022-2272-3 · Cited by 31
“Accumulating evidence from both animal (Evans et al., 2014) and human (Barton et al., 2018; Han et al., 2020) studies implies that those metabolic improvements involve the reciprocal interactions between exercise and gut microbiota.”
Wortelboer, K., Koopen, A. M., Herrema, H., de Vos, W. M., Nieuwdorp, M., & Kemper, E. M. (2022) · Frontiers in Medicine · doi:10.3389/fmed.2022.1077275 · Cited by 33
“It is important to account for other confounding factors that influence the function or composition of the microbiota, such as age (87, 88), diet (89), lifestyle (90) and environmental factors (91, 92).”
BackgroundCai, Y., Liu, Y., Wu, Z., Wang, J., & Zhang, X. (2023) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu15122743 · Cited by 29
“Depending on the different metabolic states of the host (normal individuals [13], diabetes [14], obesity [15], hypertension [16], anxiety and cog‐ nitive impairment [17]), exercise can have different positive effects on the intestinal flora to promote host health.”
BackgroundDietary Strategies to Improve Exercise Performance by Modulating the Gut Microbiota
Zhang, L., Li, H., Song, Z., Liu, Y., & Zhang, X. (2024) · Foods · doi:10.3390/foods13111680 · Cited by 34
“A more enriched profile of SCFAs and increased metabolic pathways (amino acid biosynthesis, vitamin biosynthesis, and lipid biosynthesis) were also exhibited, which help in muscle turnover [31].”
BackgroundIntensity-specific considerations for exercise for patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Ordille, A. J., & Phadtare, S. (2022) · Gastroenterology report · doi:10.1093/gastro/goad004 · Cited by 35
Mach, N., Moroldo, M., Rau, A., Lecardonnel, J., Moyec, L. L., Robert, C., & Barrey, É. (2021) · Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences · doi:10.3389/fmolb.2021.656204 · Cited by 36
“The gut microbiota is considered a central organ because of its direct and indirect roles in host physiology, including improved metabolic health and athletic performance (Barton et al., 2017; Keohane et al., 2019; Scheiman et al., 2019).”
BackgroundPotential Roles of Exercise-Induced Plasma Metabolites Linking Exercise to Health Benefits
Yang, Y. R., & Kwon, K. (2020) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.602748 · Cited by 33
The stress concept in gastroenterology: from Selye to today
Elsenbruch, S., & Enck, P. (2017) · F1000Research · doi:10.12688/f1000research.12435.1 · Cited by 31
“Professional athletes show moderately altered microbiota profiles but significantly increased metabolic activity (short-chain fatty acids, acetate, and butyrate) compared with sedentary adults 123 , and similar differences were found between an active and a sedentary lifestyle in women 124 .”
BackgroundLi, T., Rui, Z., Mao, L., Chang, Y., Shao, J., Chen, Y., Han, Q., Sui, X., An, N., Li, H., et al. (2023) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu15214554 · Cited by 28
“Such a phenomenon may due to the athletic training routine; Barton and Peterson found that regular exercise can promote SCFAs production [40,41].”
BackgroundWang, K., Mehta, R. S., Ma, W., Nguyen, L. H., Wang, D. D., Ghazi, A. R., Yan, Y., Al‐Shaar, L., Wang, Y., Hang, D., et al. (2023) · Microbiome · doi:10.1186/s40168-023-01542-w · Cited by 32
Mohr, A. E., Pugh, J., O'Sullivan, O., Black, K., Townsend, J. R., Pyne, D. B., Wardenaar, F. C., West, N. P., Whisner, C. M., & McFarland, L. V. (2022) · Frontiers in Nutrition · doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.809983 · Cited by 27
“For secondary outcomes like the GM, athletes exhibit gut microbial profiles that differentially reflect activity level, volume of exercise, and diet (58, 59).”
BackgroundMacrophages in the pathophysiology of NAFLD: The role of sex differences
Ministrini, S., Montecucco, F., Sahebkar, A., & Carbone, F. (2020) · European Journal of Clinical Investigation · doi:10.1111/eci.13236 · Cited by 26
Dovrolis, N., Kolios, G. C., Spyrou, G. M., & Maroulakou, I. G. (2017) · Briefings in Bioinformatics · doi:10.1093/bib/bbx154 · Cited by 37
Targeting the Gut Microbiota for Prevention and Management of Type 2 Diabetes
Zeppa, S. D., Gervasi, M., Bartolacci, A., Ferrini, F., Patti, A., Sestili, P., Stocchi, V., & Agostini, D. (2024) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu16223951 · Cited by 33
“Owing to the therapeutic functions of SCFAs, studies on how exercise affects the production and consumption of these fats were conducted [162,163].”
Microbiota–gut–brain axis: the mediator of exercise and brain health
Kang, P., & Wang, A. (2024) · Psychoradiology · doi:10.1093/psyrad/kkae007 · Cited by 31
“Meanwhile , there has been an ele-v ated SCFAs concentr ation in their feces (Barton et al. , 2018 ).”
BackgroundBaldanzi, G., Sayols-Baixeras, S., Ekblom‐Bak, E., Ekblom, Ö. B., Dekkers, K. F., Hammar, U., Nguyen, D. T., Ahmad, S., Ericson, U., Arvidsson, D., et al. (2024) · EBioMedicine · doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.104989 · Cited by 37
“61 These fi ndings could be due to lower fi bre content in the diet of sedentary individuals, which we aimed to address by adjusting for fi bre, whole grains, fruit and vegetables intake.”
BackgroundYeh, W., Hsu, Y.-J., Ho, C.-S., Ho, H.-H., Kuo, Y., Tsai, S., Huang, C., & Lee, M. (2022) · Frontiers in Nutrition · doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.896503 · Cited by 32
“muciniphila, a gut microbe known for mucin degradation and SCFA production, is thought to be positively correlated with exercise performance in its abundance (57), in addition to maintaining gut barrier function and glucose homeostasis (46).”
BackgroundLee, M., Jhang, W.-L., Lee, C., Kan, N., Hsu, Y.-J., Ho, C.-S., Chang, C.-H., Cheng, Y.-C., Lin, J., & Huang, C. (2021) · Metabolites · doi:10.3390/metabo11030136 · Cited by 29
“and carbohydrate metabolism) and fecal metabolites (such as SCFA produced by microorganisms, such as acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid) to promote health and exercise performance [20].”
BackgroundImpact of probiotic Veillonella atypica FB0054 supplementation on anaerobic capacity and lactate
Gross, K. N., Santiago, M., Krieger, J. M., Hagele, A. M., Zielińska, K., Scheiman, J., Jäger, R., Kostic, A. D., & Kerksick, C. M. (2023) · iScience · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.108643 · Cited by 30
Pu, G., Hou, L., Du, T., Zhou, W., Liu, C., Niu, P., Wu, C., Bao, W., Huang, R., & Li, P. (2022) · mSystems · doi:10.1128/msystems.00937-22 · Cited by 32
Bielik, V., Hric, I., Ugrayová, S., Kubáňová, L., Putala, M., Grznár, Ľ., Penesová, A., Havranová, A., Šardzíková, S., Grendár, M., et al. (2022) · Sports Medicine - Open · doi:10.1186/s40798-022-00453-8 · Cited by 29
“As found in professional international rugby union players, microbial-derived SCFAs (including acetate, propionate, and butyrate) and metabolic pathways are enhanced in the athletes relative to controls [32].”
BackgroundNitert, M. D., Gómez-Arango, L. F., Barrett, H. L., McIntyre, D. H., Anderson, G. J., Frazer, D. M., & Callaway, L. K. (2018) · British Journal Of Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s0007114518001149 · Cited by 31
“Higher faecal butyrate concentrations have been associated with increased abundance of the genus Roseburia from the family Lachnospiraceae (23) .”
From dysbiosis to longevity: a narrative review into the gut microbiome’s impact on aging
Tseng, C., & Wu, C. (2025) · Journal of Biomedical Science · doi:10.1186/s12929-025-01179-x · Cited by 31
“In humans, studies looking at the gut microbiome of professional athletes revealed higher alpha diversity, lower inflammatory markers, a greater abundance of Akkermansia [183], and elevated fecal SCFA levels [184] compared to sedentary controls.”
Wang, Y., Chen, J., Ni, Y., Liu, Y., Xiang, G., Tse, M. A., Panagiotou, G., & Xu, A. (2024) · Gut Microbes · doi:10.1080/19490976.2024.2416928 · Cited by 24
“11 Furthermore, the fermentation and composition of the bacterial microbiome are dramatically remodeled by exercise and determine differential exercise responsiveness in overweight individuals with prediabetes.”
BackgroundPaley, E. L. (2019) · Journal of Alzheimer s Disease · doi:10.3233/jad-190873 · Cited by 41
“In the human gut microbiota study, the athletes had relative increases in pathways, such as amino acid and antibiotic biosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism [38].”
Cheng, H. T., Yen, G., Huang, S., Chen, S., & Hsu, C. (2022) · Journal of Food and Drug Analysis · doi:10.38212/2224-6614.3396 · Cited by 24
Arazi, H., Falahati, A., & Suzuki, K. (2021) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2021.747200 · Cited by 29
Exercise, the Gut Microbiome, and Frailty
Shin, H. E., Kwak, S. E., Lee, J., Zhang, D., Bae, J. H., & Song, W. J. (2019) · Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research · doi:10.4235/agmr.19.0014 · Cited by 28
Fang, J., Yan, W., Sun, X., & Chen, J. (2025) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2025.1665551 · Cited by 23
Optimizing the Gut Microbiota for Individualized Performance Development in Elite Athletes
Nolte, S., Krüger, K., Lenz, C., & Zentgraf, K. (2023) · Biology · doi:10.3390/biology12121491 · Cited by 28
“Fiber can help balance a diet rich in monosaccharides and high in protein [170,181], both of which are common in performance sports.”
BackgroundMetabolomics in Team-Sport Athletes: Current Knowledge, Challenges, and Future Perspectives
Bongiovanni, T., Lacome, M., Fanos, V., Martera, G., Cione, E., & Cannataro, R. (2022) · Proteomes · doi:10.3390/proteomes10030027 · Cited by 25
Wei, S., Brejnrod, A., Trivedi, U., Mortensen, M. S., Johansen, M. Y., Karstoft, K., Vaag, A. A., Ried‐Larsen, M., & Sørensen, S. J. (2021) · Gut Microbes · doi:10.1080/19490976.2021.2005407 · Cited by 27
“rugby training athletes) and associated diets have higher gut microbial diversity, with enhanced production of amino acids and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) (likely contributed by genus Roseburia and family XIII Incertae Sedis), compared to more sedentary individuals.(18,19) Recently, a study has linked extreme exer…”
BackgroundAli, A. M., & Kunugi, H. (2021) · BioMed · doi:10.3390/biomed1010002 · Cited by 28
“Gut microbiome structure correlated with muscle turnover/fitness and overall health in professional athletes compared with sedentary control groups [114].”
BackgroundOptimizing Microbiota Profiles for Athletes
Mancin, L., Rollo, I., Mota, J. F., Piccini, F., Carletti, M., Susto, G. A., Valle, G., & Paoli, A. (2020) · Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews · doi:10.1249/jes.0000000000000236 · Cited by 26
“Although diets high in fermentable carbohydrate improve the growth of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA)— producing bacteria (i.e.,Prevotella species), dietary patterns low inmicrobiota-accessible carbohydrates (MAC) promote the growth of mucus-degrading bacteria, impairing the gut intestinal barrier (17).”
BackgroundInfluentialThe GALNTL6 Gene rs558129 Polymorphism Is Associated With Power Performance
Diaz-Ramirez, J., Álvarez‐Herms, J., Castañeda-Babarro, A., Larruskain, J., de la Piscina, X. R., Borisov, O., Semenova, E. A., Kostryukova, E., Kulemin, N. A., Andryushchenko, O. N., et al. (2020) · The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · doi:10.1519/jsc.0000000000003814 · Cited by 27
“Short-chain fatty acid has an important role in the regulation of the immune system, anti-inflammation and metabolism, and have been associated with enhanced fitness and overall health in the comparison between athletes and sedentary group (3).”
BackgroundŠket, R., Treichel, N. S., Kublik, S., Debevec, T., Eiken, O., Mekjavić, I. B., Schloter, M., Vital, M., Chandler, J., Tiedje, J. M., et al. (2017) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0188556 · Cited by 22
“The close affiliation between the triad of diet, metabolism and exercise was clearly outlined recently as increased exercise and dietary extremes shaped microbial diversity in professional athletes [3,4].”
BackgroundMethodChen, D., Xiao, C., Jin, H., Yang, B., Niu, J., Yan, S., Sun, Y., Zhou, Y., & Wang, X. (2019) · Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine · doi:10.3892/etm.2019.7934 · Cited by 22
“A dysfunctional gut microbiome has been implicated in the development of many disorders, such as diabetes (13), obesity (14) and cardiovascular disease (15).”
Molecular Mechanisms behind Obesity and Their Potential Exploitation in Current and Future Therapy
Nicze, M., Dec, A., Borówka, M., Krzyżak, D., Bołdys, A., Bułdak, Ł., & Okopień, B. (2024) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms25158202 · Cited by 30
The effect of exercise on depression and gut microbiota: Possible mechanisms
Yao, M., Qu, Y., Zheng, Y., & Guo, H. (2024) · Brain Research Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.111130 · Cited by 26
“Cronin et al. proposed that aerobic exercise lasting 18 – 32 minutes per session does not alter the diversity and composition of gut microbiota (Cronin et al., 2018).”
InfluentialAkazawa, N., Nakamura, M., Eda, N., Murakami, H., Nakagata, T., Nanri, H., Park, J., Hosomi, K., Mizuguchi, K., Kunisawa, J., et al. (2023) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2023.1219345 · Cited by 24
“have reported that gut microbiome of athletes is associated with metabolic pathway including synthesis of organic enzyme, carbohydrate degradation, and short-chain fatty acid compared to sedentary subject (15).”
BackgroundThe Effect of Athletes’ Probiotic Intake May Depend on Protein and Dietary Fiber Intake
Son, J., Jang, L.-G., Kim, B., Lee, S., & Park, H. (2020) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu12102947 · Cited by 37
“difficile in the intestine by controlling the quorum-sensing signal and toxicity of the intestinal pathogen [14], but also improves intestinal inflammation by lowering Salmonellainduced NF-κB expression and the expression of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-8 [20].”
BackgroundO’Donovan, C. M., Connor, B., Madigan, S. M., Cotter, P. D., & Sullivan, O. O. (2020) · Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease · doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2020.101553 · Cited by 20
Self-citationCameron, S. J. S., & Takáts, Z. (2018) · Methods · doi:10.1016/j.ymeth.2018.04.027 · Cited by 26
Humińska‐Lisowska, K., Zielińska, K., Mieszkowski, J., Michałowska‐Sawczyn, M., Cięszczyk, P., Łabaj, P. P., Wasąg, B., Frączek, B., Grzywacz, A., Kochanowicz, A., et al. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0297858 · Cited by 23
Díaz-Cañestro, C., Chen, J., Liu, Y., Han, H., Wang, Y., Honoré, É., Lee, C., Lam, K. S. L., Tse, M. A., & Xu, A. (2023) · Cell Reports Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.100944 · Cited by 29
“For instance, elite endurance athletes are characterized by a more diverse microbiome, with high abundance of health-associated microbial species such as Akkermansia, and increased levels of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) compared with sedentary controls.(69,70) Likewise, ET modulates gut microbiota composition in mi…”
BackgroundMancin, L., Amatori, S., Caprio, M., Sattin, E., Bertoldi, L., Cenci, L., Sisti, D., Bianco, A., & Paoli, A. (2022) · Frontiers in Nutrition · doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.979651 · Cited by 24
Gut Microbiota and Serum Metabolome in Elite Cross-Country Skiers: A Controlled Study
Hintikka, J. E., Munukka, E., Valtonen, M., Luoto, R., Ihalainen, J. K., Kallonen, T., Waris, M. E., Heinonen, O. J., Ruuskanen, O., & Pekkala, S. (2022) · Metabolites · doi:10.3390/metabo12040335 · Cited by 22
“In addition, a set of studies has explored the gut microbiomes of professional rugby players compared to healthy controls [11,32].”
BackgroundFu, H., Zhang, L., Fan, C., Li, W., Liu, C., Zhang, H., Cheng, Q., & Zhang, Y. (2021) · Microorganisms · doi:10.3390/microorganisms9091890 · Cited by 24
“In addition, Akkermansia contributes to energy expenditure in the host, and a higher Akkermansia abundance has been associated with a slim body [41,42].”
BackgroundShamsi, M. M., Maryam, J., Bakhshi, B., Neda, F., Mokhtarzade, M., Mahboobeh, B., Quinn, L. S., & Kalani, B. S. (2021) · Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry · doi:10.1080/13813455.2021.1871763 · Cited by 26
Impact of Sample Storage on the NMR Fecal Water Metabolome
O’Sullivan, V., Madrid-Gambín, F., Alegra, T., Gibbons, H., & Brennan, L. (2018) · ACS Omega · doi:10.1021/acsomega.8b01761 · Cited by 21
Modulation of oral microbiota: A new frontier in exercise supplementation
Bescós, R., Brookes, Z. L. S., Belfield, L., Fernández‐Sanjurjo, M., & Casas‐Agustench, P. (2020) · PharmaNutrition · doi:10.1016/j.phanu.2020.100230 · Cited by 16
“Research on exercise and the human microbiome has mainly focussed on gut bacteria, with several studies reporting different compositions and activities of the gut microbiome in trained individuals compared to sedentary ones (4, 5, 67-73).”
Standardization of gut microbiome analysis in sports
Mancin, L., Paoli, A., Berry, S., Gonzalez, J. T., Collins, A. J., Lizarraga, M. A., Mota, J. F., Nicola, S., & Rollo, I. (2024) · Cell Reports Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101759 · Cited by 22
“Given that the microbial ecology is intrinsically dynamic and varies throughout the day and from day to day, 25 an important consideration is the timing and frequency of stool collection.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialGut microbiome: New perspectives for type 2 diabetes prevention and treatment
Li, S.-X., & Guo, Y. (2023) · World Journal of Clinical Cases · doi:10.12998/wjcc.v11.i31.7508 · Cited by 22
Exercise–microbiota interactions in aging‐related sarcopenia
Burtscher, J., Ticinesi, A., Millet, G. P., Burtscher, M., & Strasser, B. (2022) · Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle · doi:10.1002/jcsm.12942 · Cited by 20
“capacity to synthetize short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in their faecal microbiota than sedentary controls.(14,15) Compared with community-dwelling older adults, master athletes dis-”
BackgroundMarfil-Sánchez, A., Seelbinder, B., Ni, Y., Varga, J. T., Berta, J., Hollósi, V., Döme, B., Megyesfalvi, Z., Dulka, E., Gálffy, G., et al. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0259898 · Cited by 20
Cui, M., Trimigno, A., Castro-Mejía, J. L., Reitelseder, S., Bülow, J., Bechshøft, R. L., Nielsen, D. S., Holm, L., Engelsen, S. B., & Khakimov, B. (2021) · Metabolites · doi:10.3390/metabo11110717 · Cited by 21
“found that acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid concentrations are increased in the gut of trained subjects (male rugby players) [35].”
BackgroundRong, B., Wu, Q., Saeed, M., & Sun, C. (2021) · Animal nutrition · doi:10.1016/j.aninu.2021.09.009 · Cited by 24
Glišić, M., Flueck, J. L., Ruettimann, B., Hertig-Godeschalk, A., Valido, E. M., Bertolo, A., Stucki, G., & Stoyanov, J. V. (2022) · Pilot and Feasibility Studies · doi:10.1186/s40814-022-01048-6 · Cited by 16
“Thus, a microbiome of professional athletes seems to have a better profile compared to the microbiome of sedentary individuals [19].”
BackgroundXu, L., Li, W., Lü, L., Zhang, Z., Cui, Z., Jiang, G., Wang, Y., Meng, Q., Wang, Y.-D., Liu, K., et al. (2023) · Current Microbiology · doi:10.1007/s00284-023-03480-0 · Cited by 23
“Sedentary behavior and a lack of physical exercise can affect the composition, diversity, abundance, and function of the gut microbiota [2, 11, 12], causing many health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease [13].”
BackgroundInfluentialBoytar, A. N., Nitert, M. D., Morrison, M., Skinner, T. L., & Jenkins, D. G. (2022) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1113/jp283702 · Cited by 28
“…analyses of microbiota composition and metabolites, the evidence suggests that the changes in microbial abundance observed with exercise training significantly change the function of the gut microbiome (Barton et al., 2018; Keohane et al., 2019; O’Donovan et al., 2020; Petersen et al., 2017).”
BackgroundInfluentialGut Microbiota – A Potential Contributor in the Pathogenesis of Bipolar Disorder
Zhang, P., Kong, L., Huang, H., Pan, Y., Zhang, D., Jiang, J., Shen, Y., Xi, C., Lai, J., Ng, C. H., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.830748 · Cited by 26
Implications of the Gut Microbiome in Sports
Miranda-Comas, G., Petering, R. C., Zaman, N., & Chang, R. G. (2022) · Sports Health A Multidisciplinary Approach · doi:10.1177/19417381211060006 · Cited by 24
“A comparison of professional international union rugby players with more sedentary controls resulted not only in differences in fecal microbiota compositionally, but the athletes also had increased amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, enhanced muscle turnover and overall better health.(2) While these studies looked…”
BackgroundEffects of 12 weeks of resistance training on rat gut microbiota composition
de Castro, A. P., Silva, K. K. S., Medeiros, C. S. D. A., Alves, F. D. C. G., Araújo, R. C., & de Almeida, J. A. (2021) · Journal of Experimental Biology · doi:10.1242/jeb.242543 · Cited by 28
Warbeck, C. B., Dowd, A. J., Kronlund, L. J., Parmar, C., Daun, J. T., Wytsma-Fisher, K., Millet, G. Y., Schick, A., Reimer, R. A., Fung, T. S., et al. (2020) · Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism · doi:10.1139/apnm-2020-0459 · Cited by 27
“, 2018) and athletes possess greater microbial diversity compared to healthy controls (Barton et al., 2018; Clarke et al., 2014).”
BackgroundChaves, F. M., Baptista, I. L., Simabuco, F. M., Quaresma, P. G. F., Pena, F. D. L., Bezerra, R. M. N., Pauli, J. R., da Cunha, D. T., de Campos‐Ferraz, P. L., & Antunes, A. E. C. (2018) · British Journal Of Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s0007114518000594 · Cited by 17
“(69) .”
Associations of physical activity with gut microbiota in pre-adolescent children
Santarossa, S., Sitarik, A. R., Johnson, C. C., Li, J., Lynch, S. V., Ownby, D. R., Ramirez, A., Yong, G. J. M., & Cassidy‐Bushrow, A. E. (2021) · Physical Activity and Nutrition · doi:10.20463/pan.2021.0023 · Cited by 19
Gut microbiota influence frailty syndrome in older adults: mechanisms and therapeutic strategies
Wang, X., Fan, L., Meng, C., Wang, Y., Deng, L.-E., Yuan, Z., Zhang, J., Li, Y., & Lv, S. (2023) · Biogerontology · doi:10.1007/s10522-023-10082-7 · Cited by 20
Bugs, drugs, and cancer: can the microbiome be a potential therapeutic target for cancer management?
Chen, B., Du, G., Guo, J., & Zhang, Y. (2019) · Drug Discovery Today · doi:10.1016/j.drudis.2019.02.009 · Cited by 18
Martin, D., Bonneau, M., Orfila, L., Horeau, M., Hazon, M., Demay, R., Lecommandeur, E., Boumpoutou, R., Guillotel, A., Guillemot, P., et al. (2025) · Cell Reports · doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115448 · Cited by 22
The Role of the Gut Microbiome and Probiotics in Sports Performance: A Narrative Review Update
Jarrett, H., Medlin, S., & Morehen, J. C. (2025) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu17040690 · Cited by 17
“Specifically, several observational studies have reported that athletes have a greater gut microbial diversity than those who are sedentary [14,15].”
Yang, W., Si, S.-C., Wang, W., Li, J., Ma, Y.-X., Zhao, H., & Liu, J. (2025) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2025.1526764 · Cited by 18
Ostrowska, J., Samborowska, E., Jaworski, M., Toczyłowska, K., & Szostak-Węgierek, D. E. (2024) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu16020266 · Cited by 18
Safadi, D. E., Paulo-Ramos, A., Hoareau, M., Roche, M., Trotot, P. K., Lebeau, G., & Viranaïcken, W. (2023) · Viruses · doi:10.3390/v15122399 · Cited by 25
“It is also crucial to bear in mind that the connection between exercise and immune function is undoubtedly a multifactorial concept involving other aspects such as nutrition and changes in the micro-biome, for example [112].”
BackgroundÁlvarez‐Herms, J., González, A., Corbi, F., Odriozola, I., & Odriozola, A. (2023) · AIMS Public Health · doi:10.3934/publichealth.2023049 · Cited by 22
“In the general population, one should maintain an active and healthy lifestyle since regular physical exercise can improve the microbiota and intestinal permeability [199].”
BackgroundLee, M., Chen, M., Huang, H., Wu, W., Lee, Y.-W., Kuo, H.-C., & Huang, C. (2022) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu14163308 · Cited by 19
“This may be due to a higher protein intake by athletes, which increases the diversity of the gut microbiota, which in turn enhances tissue repair and utilization of dietary energy, while also increasing carbohydrate metabolism, cellular structure, and nucleotide biosynthesis ability [10].”
BackgroundThe controversial association of gut and urinary microbiota with kidney stone formation
Bostanghadiri, N., Ziaeefar, P., Sameni, F., Mahmoudi, M., Hashemi, A., & Darban‐Sarokhalil, D. (2021) · Microbial Pathogenesis · doi:10.1016/j.micpath.2021.105257 · Cited by 17
Gut microbiome and obesity care: Bridging dietary, surgical, and pharmacological interventions
Masi, D., Watanabe, M., & Clément, K. (2026) · Cell Reports Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.102573 · Cited by 22
“Professional athletes show greater diversity and enhanced metabolic capacity compared to their sedentary counterparts, 62 and the variability in response to exercise among individuals with prediabetes is associated with differential capacity for producing SCFAs and degrading BCAAs.”
A Bibliometric Analysis on the Research Trend of Exercise and the Gut Microbiome
Deng, R., Wang, M., Song, Y., & Shi, Y. (2023) · Microorganisms · doi:10.3390/microorganisms11040903 · Cited by 21
“focus on the unique characteristics of the gut microbiome of athletes [49–51], compare the differences between elite athletes and sedentary subjects [41], and explore the effect of fitness improvement on the gut microbiome [33,52,53].”
BackgroundInfluentialRamos, C., Magistro, D., Walton, G., Whitham, A., Camp, N., Poveda, C. G., Gibson, G. R., Hough, J., Kinnear, W., & Hunter, K. A. (2025) · GeroScience · doi:10.1007/s11357-025-01605-w · Cited by 21
“Barton and colleagues [38], for example, compared the gut microbiota composition of professional rugby athletes with sedentary controls and demonstrated that their gut microbiotas were distinctly different.”
The gut mucin-microbiota interactions: a missing key to optimizing endurance performance
Clark, A. P., & Mach, N. (2023) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1284423 · Cited by 22
Mańkowska, K., Marchelek‐Myśliwiec, M., Kochan, P., Kosik-Bogacka, D. I., Konopka, T., Grygorcewicz, B., Roszkowska, P., Cecerska‐Heryć, E., Siennicka, A., Konopka, J., et al. (2022) · Archives of Microbiology · doi:10.1007/s00203-022-03111-5 · Cited by 16
Metagenomic assembled plasmids of the human microbiome vary across disease cohorts
Stockdale, S. R., Harrington, R. S., Shkoporov, A. N., Khokhlova, E. V., Daly, K. M., McDonnell, S. A., O’Reagan, O., Nolan, J. A., Sheehan, D., Lavelle, A., et al. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-13313-y · Cited by 19
Self-citationTarracchini, C., Fontana, F., Lugli, G. A., Mancabelli, L., Alessandri, G., Turroni, F., Ventura, M., & Milani, C. (2022) · Microbiology Spectrum · doi:10.1128/spectrum.00420-22 · Cited by 21
Houttu, V., Boulund, U., Nicolaou, M., Holleboom, A. G., Grefhorst, A., Galenkamp, H., van den Born, B. H., Zwinderman, A. H., & Nieuwdorp, M. (2021) · Metabolites · doi:10.3390/metabo11120858 · Cited by 18
“There are also indications that the composition of the gut microbiota in athletes is associated with gut microbial metabolism and proxies of exercise, such as plasma creatinine kinase (CK) [18].”
BackgroundInfluentialEstaki, M., Morck, D., Quin, C., et al. (2020) · bioRxiv · doi:10.1101/2020.05.24.113290 · Cited by 16
“butyrate concentrations in wheel running in rats (89), following exercise training in lean humans (30), and elite athletes (90).”
BackgroundMeng, Y., Chen, L., Lin, W., Wang, H., Xu, G., & Weng, X. (2020) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.00311 · Cited by 19
“, 2017) and two human studies (Barton et al., 2017; Allen et al., 2018) have demonstrated that endurance exercise does have effects on some microbial species and microbiome function, such as the production of shortchain fatty acids that are beneficial for health, after adjusting for dietary habits.”
BackgroundThe Gut Microbiota: A Clinically Impactful Factor in Patient Health and Disease
Rodriguez, D. A., Peña-Vélez, R., Monjaráz, E. M. T., Mayans, J. R., & Ryan, P. M. (2018) · SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine · doi:10.1007/s42399-018-0036-1 · Cited by 21
“A recent observational study [76] compared the gut microbiome of professional international rugby players (athletes) with controls.”
BackgroundRen, J., & Xiao, H. (2023) · Life · doi:10.3390/life13122285 · Cited by 17
“Different exercise intensities and modalities may differentially affect SCFA levels, with implications for microglial phagocytosis and inflammation [143–145].”
BackgroundInvestigating the Role of Diet and Exercise in Gut Microbe-Host Cometabolism
Penney, N. C., Barton, W., Posma, J. M., Darzi, A. W., Frost, G. S., Cotter, P. D., Holmes, E. C., Shanahan, F., O’Sullivan, Ó., & García‐Pérez, I. (2020) · mSystems · doi:10.1128/msystems.00677-20 · Cited by 19
“As described previously (7), metagenomic library preparation was performed with the Illumina Nextera XT DNA library preparation kit (Illumina, Inc.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSelf-citationHolzhausen, E. A., Malecki, K. M. C., Sethi, A. K., Gangnon, R. E., Cadmus‐Bertram, L., Deblois, C. L., Suen, G., Safdar, N., & Peppard, P. E. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0276684 · Cited by 18
“Previous studies that compared athletes with sedentary controls have found that athletes have increased alpha-diversity and enriched functional pathways associated with host health, including amino acid synthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, and short-chain fatty acid synthesis [23, 24].”
Hoseini, R., Rahim, H. A., Saifalddin, D. L., Kareem, D. A., & Fatah, A. M. (2025) · Journal of Translational Medicine · doi:10.1186/s12967-025-07492-1 · Cited by 19
“Moderate training positively influences gut microbial diversity, with athletes exhibiting increased abundances of bacterial genes involved in protein and carbohydrate metabolism and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) synthesis [114, 116].”
Li, J., Liu, T., Xian, M., Zhou, K., & Wei, J. (2025) · Journal of Advanced Research · doi:10.1016/j.jare.2025.03.001 · Cited by 20
“Additionally, exercise promotes the production of beneficia l gut metabolites, such as SCFAs [35].”
Metadata
- Authors
- Barton, W., Penney, N. C., Cronin, O., Garcia-Perez, I., Molloy, M. G., Holmes, E., Shanahan, F., Cotter, P. D., & O'Sullivan, O.
- Affiliations
- Teagasc - The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (IE)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- National University of Ireland (IE)
- Section of Biomolecular Medicine, Division of Computational Systems Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
- Corresponding author
- Shanahan, Fergus
- ORCID
- Venue
- Gut
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2017-03-30
- Volume
- 67
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 625-633
- ISSN
- 0017-5749 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-3288
- OpenAlex
- W2597526148
- Cited by
- 647
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 73 · 2025: 73 · 2024: 79 · 2023: 84 · 2022: 92 · 2021: 89 · 2020: 56 · 2019: 61 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 12
- FWCI
- 17.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Locations
- Gut (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Cork Open Research Archive (University College Cork, Ireland) (submittedVersion)
- Arrow@dit (Dublin Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Science Foundation Ireland (11/PI/1137, 13/SIRG/2160, SFI/12/RC/2273)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
- Keywords
- gut microbiota, professional athletes, rugby union players, physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, microbial metabolic functions, short-chain fatty acids, fecal metabolites, amino acid biosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, antibiotic biosynthesis, serum creatine kinase, functional metagenomics
- MeSH terms
- Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Feces, Feeding Behavior, Female, Humans, Male, Exercise, Body Mass Index, Case-Control Studies, Young Adult, Athletes
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-07, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-07 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
