The Impact of Exercise on Gut Microbiota Diversity During a Period of Increased Caloric Intake Characteristic of the Winter Holiday Period (P21-029-19)

Abstract

Abstract Objectives The winter holiday period is associated with weight gain from overconsumption of calories from fat and sugar. Such short-term lifestyle change has the ability to decrease diversity of the gut microbiome and enhance the harvest of energy from the hosts’ diet, both of which are relevant factors in obesity. Exercise may influence gut microbial diversity and prevent diet induced obesity related health outcomes. The study aim to determine the impact of exercise on taxonomic diversity of the gut microbiota (GM) and cardiometabolic health parameters after four weeks of consuming a fat-sugar supplemented diet. Methods Healthy overweight/obese (BMI 29.8 ± 3.5 kg/m2, age 29 ± 7 yrs, waist circumference (WC) 99.8 ± 10 cm) males (n = 18) supplemented their diet with 2 donuts per day (606 kcal, 50% fat, 46% carbs, 4% protein), 6 days/week, for 4 weeks. Subjects were randomized to sedentary control (n = 4) or 1000 kcal/week on a cycle ergometer 4 days/week of supervised exercise (n = 14). We measured WC (cm), flow mediated dilation (FMD, %) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). GM diversity was analyzed, in stool samples collected pre- and post-intervention, with DADA2 and vegan, and visualized with ggplot in R. SILVA v.132 was used for taxonomic assignment. Differences in GM alpha (Shannon Index) and beta (Bray-Curtis) diversity were evaluated with Mann-Whitney U and Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) tests. Results Microbial diversity analysis revealed no significant (P > 0.05) alpha (Shannon Index) or beta diversity (Bray-Curtis) differences between the control and exercise group after 4 weeks intervention. GM alpha and beta diversity also did not differ (P > 0.05) by HOMA-IR and FMD categories. We did observe that participants with a lower WC (<102 cm) had a significantly (P < 0.05) different microbial beta diversity than men with a WC of 102–109.99 cm but not compared to those with a WC > 110 cm. Conclusions In this study, exercise training during 4 weeks of consuming a fat-sugar supplemented diet did not appear to influence GM diversity. However, beta-diversity was heterogeneous across WC classes suggesting a potential link between central adiposity and GM community structure. Further studies with a larger sample size should be done to confirm these findings. Funding Sources This study was partially funded by the Arizona State University Graduate and Professional Student Association Research Program.