Why are elite athletes different than the rest of us? Take a look at their microbes

Andy · Jun 25, 2019

Elite athletes really are different from you and me. Or, at least their gut microbes are.

Scientists who analyzed stool samples of 15 runners a week before and after they competed in the 2015 Boston Marathon found unusually high levels of one particular microbe compared to 10 non-athletes. Levels of the microbe in question, Veillonella, spiked after an intense workout and bloomed even more after the marathon.

That was a lightbulb moment for the scientists because the bacterium is known for breaking down and eating lactate, a metabolite even ordinary runners equate with fatigue.
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www.statnews.com/2019/06/24/elite-athletes-different-microbes/

Sly Saint · Jun 26, 2019

Don’t look for Veillonella just yet. Beyond needing to vet its function in more people and understand how it works, Kostic and Scheiman point out that not all of the high-performing athletes they tested had high levels of Veillonella. And there may be better microbes to pursue.
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Why are elite athletes different than the rest of us? Take a look at their microbes

Andy Committee Member

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Why are elite athletes different than the rest of us? Take a look at their microbes

Andy Committee Member

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