Table of contents
- That's why your microbiome is important for achieving sporting goals
- Sport has such a positive effect on your intestinal health
- But your intestinal bacteria can do much more
- Building muscle through the right intestinal bacteria
- Maximum oxygen intake increases fitness
- Athletic performance and intestinal health go together
- Introduction to Natascha Grillo – who actually writes here?
That's why your microbiome is important for achieving sporting goals
Many scientific studies show that sporting activities have a positive influence on our intestines. On the contrary, a healthy microbiome can have a beneficial effect on our physical performance. So if you want to achieve sporting goals, it makes sense to take care of the health of your own microbiome.
Sport has such a positive effect on your intestinal health
Several studies have shown that endurance athletes, in particular, tend to have greater microbial diversity. Diversity describes the variety of microorganisms in the gut and indicates whether different bacterial species are present in relatively equal proportions or whether certain species dominate. High diversity has been linked to numerous health benefits, whereas low diversity is associated with a range of diseases and symptoms. It could therefore be argued that endurance exercise can increase the diversity of the gut microbiome.
But your intestinal bacteria can do much more
The little residents also have a big impact on our immune system and brain health. When our little roommates are doing well, it has been proven that this can lead to increased well-being, which means we move significantly more in everyday life and in our free time.
Building muscle through the right intestinal bacteria
You probably wouldn't have expected this, but your microbiome also influences your muscle growth. A sporty microbiome has a positive effect on carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. This, in turn, can lead to better muscle building and a healthier body composition of muscle mass and body fat.
This is also reflected in a recent study. It examined 150 adults over eight weeks of structured strength training. Although no significant changes in microbial diversity were observed, individuals who achieved greater strength gains showed more pronounced individual changes in their gut microbiome. Of particular note was the increase in important bacterial groups associated with health benefits, including Faecalibacterium and Roseburia hominis. Both have been linked to anti-inflammatory effects and improved gut function. These findings suggest that strength training could have a positive impact on gut health as well as physical fitness.
Regular exercise increases the number of butyrate-producing bacteria.
Maximum oxygen intake increases fitness
Researchers have been able to prove in various studies that regular training increases the number of butyrate-producing bacteria and thus the bacterial metabolite butyrate, which was subsequently linked to increased cardiorespiratory fitness - also known as maximum oxygen uptake. Cardiorespiratory fitness is a measure that describes the ability to transport oxygen from the air into our muscles. Those who have a high maximum oxygen intake provide their muscles with enough oxygen to generate energy and thus increase their physical performance. The maximum oxygen uptake can in turn be improved through training.
Athletic performance and intestinal health go together
If you want to increase your physical fitness, you should not only train sufficiently and regularly but also pay attention to a high level of diversity in your intestines. The more diverse our trillions of microorganisms are, the better our mental and physical performance.
Introduction to Natascha Grillo – who actually writes here?
My name is Natascha Grillo. We (the Crossfit Coblenz team) and I have been involved in sport and nutrition for over 8 years. We have a great interest in our athletes moving well and eating healthily.
Natascha Grillo has been involved in sports and nutrition for 8 years.
In our holistic coaching we often work with the myBioma microbiome analysis. We want to get to the bottom of acute problems such as indigestion, abdominal pain or flatulence or simply find out how our athletes' intestines are doing in order to improve their performance in training. Depending on the results and the myBioma team's suggestions for improvement, we then adjust the diet and/or nutritional supplements. Stress management has also been taking up more and more space in our coaching for a long time, which is directly related to intestinal health.
I'm a big fan of the capabilities of our gut microbiome and find it fascinating how all of this affects our daily performance. And it's not that difficult to get a little exercise every day.
This way you can find out more about me
You are welcome to follow my Instagram account (@coach_taschi) directly and send a message if you have any questions.
References
- Estaki, M., Pither, J., Baumeister, P. et al. Cardiorespiratory fitness as a predictor of intestinal microbial diversity and distinct metagenomic functions. Microbiome 4, 42 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-016-0189-7
- Straub et al., Resistance Training Reshapes the Gut Microbiome in a Longitudinal 8-Week Intervention in Sedentary Adults. Sports Med Open. 2026 Mar 16;12(1):21. doi: 10.1186/s40798-026-00990-6. PMID: 41834018; PMCID: PMC12989468.
