Objective It is evident that the gut microbiota and factors that influence its composition and activity effect human metabolic, immunological and developmental processes. We previously reported that extreme physical activity with associated dietary adaptations, such as that pursued by professional athletes, is associated with changes in faecal microbial diversity and composition relative to that of individuals with a more sedentary lifestyle. Here we address the impact of these factors on the functionality/metabolic activity of the microbiota which reveals even greater separation between exercise and a more sedentary state. Design Metabolic phenotyping and functional metagenomic analysis of the gut microbiome of professional international rugby union players (n=40) and controls (n=46) was carried out and results were correlated with lifestyle parameters and clinical measurements (eg, dietary habit and serum creatine kinase, respectively). Results Athletes had relative increases in pathways (eg, amino acid and antibiotic biosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism) and faecal metabolites (eg, microbial produced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) acetate, propionate and butyrate) associated with enhanced muscle turnover (fitness) and overall health when compared with control groups. Conclusions Differences in faecal microbiota between athletes and sedentary controls show even greater separation at the metagenomic and metabolomic than at compositional levels and provide added insight into the diet–exercise–gut microbiota paradigm.

中文翻译：

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职业运动员的微生物组在组成上与久坐者的微生物组不同，尤其是在功能代谢水平上

目的很明显，肠道微生物群和影响其组成和活性的因素会影响人类的代谢、免疫和发育过程。我们之前曾报道过，具有相关饮食适应性的极端体育活动，例如职业运动员所追求的，与粪便微生物多样性和组成的变化有关，相对于久坐生活方式的个体而言。在这里，我们解决了这些因素对微生物群功能/代谢活动的影响，这表明运动和久坐状态之间的分离更大。对国际职业橄榄球联盟球员 (n=40) 和对照组 (n=46) 的肠道微生物组进行设计代谢表型和功能宏基因组分析，结果与生活方式参数和临床测量值（例如饮食习惯和血清肌酸）相关联激酶）。结果 运动员的通路（例如，氨基酸和抗生素生物合成以及碳水化合物代谢）和粪便代谢物（例如，微生物产生的短链脂肪酸 (SCFA) 醋酸、丙酸和丁酸）相对增加，与增强的肌肉周转（健康）和与对照组相比，整体健康状况。