The Intestinal Bacteria May Increase Muscle Strength In Old People
The gut bacteria have been linked to a good number of diseases in recent years. Hence, it may not come as much of a surprise as new evidence from Tufts University showed that the intestinal bacteria may be vital in the maintenance of muscle strength in older adults. This raises the possibility of improving muscle function using prebiotics and probiotics that help in the maintenance of a healthy intestinal environment.
There have been few reports on the possible influence of the gut bacteria on exercise-related outcomes. Previously, researchers from Ireland showed remarkable differences in the composition and diversity of the intestinal bacteria in athletes compared to non-athletes. In this latest report, the team led by Dr. Michael Lustgarten showed a more direct impact of the gut bacteria on muscle strength.
Initially, the authors separated older adults (between 70-85 years) into high functioning (HF) and low functioning (LF) participants depending on their percentage lean body mass and physical performance measures. Thereafter, they collected stool samples from the two groups, analyzed and compared the bacterial composition. Interestingly, they discovered significant distinctions between the gut bacteria in the 2 groups. Of note is the significant abundance of Prevotella-related bacteria in the high functioning group compared to the low functioning group of older adults. The same bacteria have been shown to be elevated in young professional athletes.
Now to the fun part of the study! The researchers took the older adult fecal samples (containing the intestinal bacteria) and fed them into two groups of germ-free mice (mice without intestinal microorganisms, bred and raised in a sterile environment). At the end of one month, they measured grip strength and the endurance capacity of the mice on a treadmill 😃. Interestingly, the mice that received fecal samples from the high functioning adults had a 6.4% increase in grip strength compared to those animals that got their poop from low functioning adults. However, endurance on the mice treadmill was not different between the two groups.
In recent years, prebiotics, probiotics, and even fecal transplantation have been used to improve the management of several ailments. Hence, the results of this new study open up the possibility of providing gut-related interventions to improve physical functions in older adults. When I asked him of this possibility, Dr. Lustgarten totally believes an actionable intervention related to gut bacteria manipulation is possible in the near future: "We should not forget about exercise, which has also been shown to positively impact the gut microbiome. Not far, I plan on proposing an intervention based on exercise + prebiotics next year".
In any case, we are still at the early stages of unraveling the importance of the tiny creatures that reside in our intestines, and how they may be beneficial in the maintenance of optimal muscle function either in athletes or older adults. It would be interesting to see the direction of clinical research in this area in the coming years.
Main Article:
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| Bacteria Image by Arek Socha |
Initially, the authors separated older adults (between 70-85 years) into high functioning (HF) and low functioning (LF) participants depending on their percentage lean body mass and physical performance measures. Thereafter, they collected stool samples from the two groups, analyzed and compared the bacterial composition. Interestingly, they discovered significant distinctions between the gut bacteria in the 2 groups. Of note is the significant abundance of Prevotella-related bacteria in the high functioning group compared to the low functioning group of older adults. The same bacteria have been shown to be elevated in young professional athletes.
Now to the fun part of the study! The researchers took the older adult fecal samples (containing the intestinal bacteria) and fed them into two groups of germ-free mice (mice without intestinal microorganisms, bred and raised in a sterile environment). At the end of one month, they measured grip strength and the endurance capacity of the mice on a treadmill 😃. Interestingly, the mice that received fecal samples from the high functioning adults had a 6.4% increase in grip strength compared to those animals that got their poop from low functioning adults. However, endurance on the mice treadmill was not different between the two groups.
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| Mice Treadmill |
In recent years, prebiotics, probiotics, and even fecal transplantation have been used to improve the management of several ailments. Hence, the results of this new study open up the possibility of providing gut-related interventions to improve physical functions in older adults. When I asked him of this possibility, Dr. Lustgarten totally believes an actionable intervention related to gut bacteria manipulation is possible in the near future: "We should not forget about exercise, which has also been shown to positively impact the gut microbiome. Not far, I plan on proposing an intervention based on exercise + prebiotics next year".
In any case, we are still at the early stages of unraveling the importance of the tiny creatures that reside in our intestines, and how they may be beneficial in the maintenance of optimal muscle function either in athletes or older adults. It would be interesting to see the direction of clinical research in this area in the coming years.
Main Article:
- Fielding, R. A., Reeves, A. R., Jasuja, R., Liu, C., Barrett, B. B., & Lustgarten, M. S. (2019). Muscle strength is increased in mice that are colonized with microbiota from high-functioning older adults. Experimental gerontology, 110722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2019.110722
_________________________________________________________________________________
Follow Dr. Lustgarten on Twitter. Click here to follow his work on his blog.
Follow me on Twitter
Connect on LinkedIn
Follow me on Instagram
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