Probiotics and Exercise

This past week, we took a small break from our regular work in the shop and spent some time in the beautiful Poconos Mountains of Pennsylvania! While we were taking in the breathtaking scenery, we got to thinking about how all our exercising and hiking may be affecting our gut health! 

We know that the helpful bacteria in our gut works hard to provide the amino acids and vitamins that fuel our immune systems, continuing research has shown that regular exercise can help accelerate this process and encourages the helpful bugs in our microbial ecosystem to flourish. 

The microbial ecosystem in our gut shares a symbiotic relationship with the rest of our body and works in tandem. While being mindful of the foods that we eat and how they aid our digestive system, keeping active will also help those helpful bugs get the job done right. 

A study done in 2019 (published in Nature's Medicine) found that marathon runners carried a higher concentration of the bacteria called Veillonella, in contrast to non-runners. Veillonella is a microbe that our bodies produce during hard workouts that eats up lactate, and converts it into short-chain fatty acids that increase energy. In addition to this, the added immune health support that probiotics can help defend against common ailments that can arise from over exercise such as upper respiratory tract infections (URTI).