While doing my periodic review of articles on PubMed dealing with the microbiome, I came across Gut dysbiosis is associated with the reduced exercise capacity of elderly patients with hypertension [2018].

• “The abundance of Betaproteobacteria, Burkholderiales, Alcaligenaceae, Faecalibacterium and Ruminococcaceae was diminished in subjects with a reduced exercise capacity”
• “Escherichia coli are a primary producer of trimethylamine and inflammation in the human gut, and the abundance of this bacteria was increased in patients with a reduced exercise capacity”

A related article Intestinal Metagenomes and Metabolomes in Healthy Young Males: Inactivity and Hypoxia Generated Negative Physiological Symptoms Precede Microbial Dysbiosis [2018] found that after inactivity (HBR):

• “Eubacterium ventriosum(p = 0.028), Bacteroides sp. (p = 0.045) and Proteobacteria [Escherichia coli (p = 0.026), Shigella sp. (p = 0.029), Veillonella sp. (p = 0.042)] were significantly enriched “
• “members of the genus Bacteroides were significantly enriched at the end of HBR variant [B. xylanisolvens (p = 0.012), B. finegoldii (p = 0.015), B. ovatus (p = 0.015), B. sp. D22 (p = 0.018); B. sp. D1 (p = 0.021), B. thetaiotaomicron (p = 0.021), B. fragilis (p = 0.033), B. caccae(p = 0.036), B. cellulosilyticus (p = 0.04), B. capillosus (p = 0.045), B. dorei (p = 0.048)]. In addition, B. eggerthii (p = 0.02) and B. pectinophilus (p = 0.049) were decreased at the end”
• “a significant increase in the presence of the members of the genus Bacteroides in HBR participants that belonged to species, previously linked to various dysbioses in humans (e.g., intestinal tract inflammation, obesity, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, metabolic syndrome, T2D “

Hypoxia and inactivity related physiological changes precede or take place in absence of significant rearrangements in bacterial community structure: The PlanHab randomized trial pilot study [2017]

• “The first significantly enriched taxa were probably inflammagenic and mucin degrading species B. thetaiotamicron, B. acidifaciens, B. fragilis, B.dorei and other members of the genus Bacteroides in HBR variant characterized with the most severe inflammation symptoms, indicating a shift towards host mucin degradation and harmful immune crosstalk. “
• “The inactivity-generated negative physiological and psychological symptoms diminished after reintroduction of exercise …over 14 days”

Bottom Line

A change of microbiome is seen in as little as 5 days of inactivity. Once changed, it may take up to 2 weeks after activity is resumed for the microbiome to return to normal. A secondary aspect, from looking at the microbiome of the elderly, is that some microbiome shift may diminish exercise capacity on an ongoing basis.

For those dealing with microbiome dysbiosis associated with an autoimmune condition, it re-emphasis the importance of getting regular daily exercise — but expectations should be not to see any real changes until 2 weeks into this life style changes