This Is the Type of Exercise You Need for a Healthier Gut
New research supports the idea that physical activity can improve gut health.
The study, however, says it’s less about intensity and more about duration when it comes to supporting your gut health—and experts say you need to move more, more often to really gain the benefits.
The diversity of beneficial bacteria throughout the digestive system—called the microbiome—has been connected to an array of health advantages, including deeper sleep, better mood, and stronger immune system function. While nutrition plays a major part in improving gut health, a recent study in The FASEB Journal adds to previous research suggesting physical activity is just as important.
What’s new in these findings is that how long you exercise may offer more of a boost than a shorter but more intense workout.
To investigate how exercise shapes the microbiome in non-athletes, researchers looked at a group of 350 middle-aged adults, collecting data on physical activity, diet, body weight, hand-grip strength, and gut bacteria composition.
They found that those who participated in greater than 150 minutes per week of physical activity increased both the richness and diversity of the gut biomes, compared to study participants who exercised less, which was an expected result, lead author Shrushti Shah, Ph.D.(c), researcher in the department of nutrition, metabolism, and genetics at the University of Calgary, told Runner’s World.
However, she said, it was surprising to find that when exercise intensity was examined, duration was more beneficial than intensity. Although more research needs to be done to determine why, she added that simply being more active throughout the day—not just in a planned exercise session—might be what’s driving better gut health.
“The beneficial effects here could be attained simply by being more physically active in every way, like biking to work, brisk walking after dinner, gardening, doing household chores, and moving more while at work,” she said.
One potential mechanism of this effect is reduced inflammation. A 2021 study in Frontiers in Nutrition looking at the interplay between exercise performance and the microbiome noted that intense exercise tends to increase inflammation temporarily, while moderate exercise has been known to decrease that effect.
The study also showed that changes in the microbiome weren’t the same between different groups of individuals when they were classified by weight. The most beneficial changes were seen in individuals who were categorized as normal weight compared to overweight. This was true even when those in the latter group performed more physical activity than people in the normal weight category, said Shah.
That’s another aspect for future research, she added, but the takeaway is the same for everyone: Move more often and your gut will thank you.
“Based on these results, everyone should aim to meet at least the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week to maintain a healthy microbiome,” Shah said. “That doesn’t mean going to the gym more often, it just means being more physically active in general.”
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