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Webster, Joshua Alexander

University of British Columbia

The role of the gut microbiome in host physiology and its association with various diseases is a developing field of research and information on the impact of physical activity on the gut microbiome is limited, particularly in diverse population-based cohorts. This study examines the associations between physical activity with gut microbial diversity, composition, and function. Utilizing data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, we evaluated the relationship between physical activity and the gut microbiome in participants aged 47-61. Physical activity was assessed through self-reported measures (n = 581) and accelerometer data (n= 364), while gut microbiome measures were analyzed using whole genome shotgun (WGS) sequencing. We employed regression models for cross-sectional analyses, adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioural covariates, such as diet, as well as body mass index (BMI). Self-reported physical activity showed significant positive associations with beta diversity and negative associations with species richness, a measure of alpha diversity, after adjusting for all factors, but no change in Shannon Diversity Index. Identification of associations with specific bacterial species, metabolic pathways and enzyme families revealed both positive and negative associations with self-reported physical activity levels, highlighting complex associations between physical activity and gut microbiota. Accelerometer data revealed significant positive associations between beta diversity and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), with no associations with alpha diversity or specific species, metabolic pathways, and enzyme families. The study underscores the intricate association between physical activity and the gut microbiome in a middle-aged, racially diverse cohort. Our findings support the notion that regular physical activity is associated with changes in the gut microbiome, which promote improved host health, and negatively associated with metabolic functions that have been implicated in pathological states. The study's diverse demographic and robust methodology strengthen its external validity and contribute to a growing body of evidence on lifestyle factors that are associated with the gut microbiome. While these insights enhance our understanding of the multifactorial nature of gut microbiome dynamics, future studies should employ longitudinal and interventional designs with integrated methodologies for physical activity assessment, using the most up-to-date methods of DNA analysis.

Text

2024-05-03

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/88169

Kinesiology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/