Why Your Gut Bacteria Love Exercise!

I’ve spoken at length about the important, health-sustaining role of diversity as it relates to the various types of bacteria that live with our intestines. In short, diversity paves the way for resiliency.

There are many avoidable factors that work against bacterial diversity – reducing the varieties of bacteria. These include various medications, like antibiotics, artificial sweeteners, and even sugar! Decreased diversity is associated with a variety of conditions including diabetes, obesity, allergy, and any number of inflammatory conditions.

Now, new research shines a positive light on this whole issue by demonstrating a strong association between having a robust, healthy and diverse set of gut bacteria and a person’s level of cardiorespiratory fitness.

As you watch this video, keep in mind that we want to do everything we can to dial up the diversity of our gut bacteria, and it looks like exercise may well be an important way to achieve that goal.