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Published on: July 31, 2019
Exercise and the Gut Microbiome: From Mechanisms to Clinical Applications
Yousra Alsinani1, Fatemeh Rostamkhani2, Hossein Shirvani3
1Curriculum and Instruction Department, College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman.
Nutrients
|May 27, 2026
Summary
Exercise positively impacts the gut microbiome, increasing beneficial bacteria and improving metabolic health. However, effects are transient and personalized, with more research needed to link microbial shifts to athletic performance.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Exercise Physiology
- Human Metabolism
Background:
- The gut microbiome critically influences host metabolism, immunity, and the gut-brain axis.
- Exercise is a potential non-pharmacological intervention for modulating the gut microbiome, but human data is inconsistent.
- This review synthesizes current knowledge on the exercise-gut microbiome axis, including mechanisms, evidence, and future research directions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the mechanisms by which exercise influences the gut microbiome.
- To synthesize human and animal evidence on the exercise-gut microbiome axis.
- To identify future research directions for understanding and utilizing the exercise-gut microbiome relationship.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SID for studies published between January 2000 and February 2025.
- Keywords included exercise, physical activity, gut microbiome, gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids, and gut-muscle axis.
- Eighty-nine original studies (47 human, 42 animal) were critically appraised after initial screening of 218 records.
Main Results:
- Exercise modulates the gut microbiome through physiological changes like altered blood flow and transit time, impacting microbial composition.
- Moderate-intensity exercise consistently enhances microbial diversity and promotes beneficial bacteria like *Faecalibacterium prausnitzii* and *Akkermansia muciniphila*.
- High-intensity interval training can transiently increase gut permeability but stimulates butyrate production post-adaptation; effects are reversible upon detraining, with human responses being individualized.
Conclusions:
- Exercise is a promising, low-cost strategy for modulating the gut microbiome to promote health and improve metabolic outcomes.
- Current evidence is insufficient to definitively link exercise-induced microbial changes to enhanced athletic performance in humans.
- Future research should focus on diet-controlled, longer-term randomized controlled trials with advanced sequencing and mechanistic studies of the gut-muscle axis.
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