Gut microbiota and physical activity level: characterization fromsedentary to soccer players
Cristian Petri, Gabriele Mascherini, Pascal Izzicupo, Diletta Rosati, Matteo Cerboneschi, Serena Smeazzetto, Luís Suárez-Arrones
Abstract
). Relative microbiota composition was determined by analyzing DNA extracted from stool samples. The quality and quantity of extracted DNA were assessed using a Qubit Fluorometer. Differences between subjects' populations were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA, and Bonferroni's post-hoc test was employed to identify localized effects. Elite soccer players and subjects with high physical activity levels showed a significantly higher prevalence of the nine microbiota populations analyzed than subjects with moderate physical training or who were sedentary. No differences were found in the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio among the different study populations. This study reports the gut microbiota parameters of elite footballers for the first time. In addition, it brings new insights into the effects of different levels of physical activity on the composition of the gut microbiota.