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Fecal Microbiota and Associated Metabolites Are Minimally Affected by Ten Weeks of Resistance Training in Younger and Older Adults.

Sports (Basel, Switzerland)
March 26, 2025
Anthony Agyin-Birikorang et al. (12 authors)
Journal ArticleHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether 10 weeks of resistance training differentially alters gut microbiome composition, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and gastrointestinal integrity markers in younger versus older adults.

Results Summary

The study found that resistance training increased lean body mass and muscle thickness equally in both age groups but had no significant effects on gut microbiome diversity, SCFAs, or gastrointestinal integrity markers. No correlations were observed between muscle mass changes and microbiome or SCFA changes.

Population

Untrained younger (22 ± 2 years) and older (58 ± 8 years) adults.

Effective Dosage

Supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training.

Duration

10 weeks

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (11)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training
increase
VL thickness
untrained younger and older participants
-
significantly increased
#1
10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training
increase
lean body mass
untrained younger and older participants
-
significantly increased
#2
10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training
no change
alpha diversity measures
untrained younger and older participants
-
no effects of age, time, or their interaction were observed
#3
10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training
no change
fecal SCFAs
untrained younger and older participants
-
no significant age, time, or interaction effects were evident
#4
10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training
no change
serum acetic acid
untrained younger and older participants
-
no significant age, time, or interaction effects
#5
10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training
decrease
serum LRG1
all participants
-
decreased
#6
10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training
no change
serum FABP2
untrained younger and older participants
-
no G × T interactions were observed
#7
10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training
no change
serum LBP
untrained younger and older participants
-
no G × T interactions were observed
#8
10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training
no change
RT-induced changes in muscle mass-related outcomes and changes in fecal microbiome diversity
untrained younger and older participants
-
no significant correlations were observed
#9
10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training
no change
RT-induced changes in muscle mass-related outcomes and changes in total or individual SCFAs
untrained younger and older participants
-
no significant correlations were observed
#10
10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body resistance training
no change
RT-induced changes in muscle mass-related outcomes and changes in serum FABP2/LBP/LRG-1
untrained younger and older participants
-
no significant correlations were observed
#11
Abstract

Preclinical evidence suggests that short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by gut microbiota may impact body composition and muscle growth. While aging is implicated in negative alterations to the gut microbiome, exercise may mitigate these changes. Limited human evidence indicates that resistance training (RT) does not appreciably alter the gut microbiome in older adults, and no human study has examined whether resistance training differentially alters the gut microbiome and associated SCFAs between younger and older individuals. Therefore, we examined whether 10 weeks of RT differentially altered fecal microbiota composition, fecal and circulating SCFAs, and serum markers associated with gastrointestinal integrity in two cohorts of adults. Fecal and serum samples were obtained from untrained younger (22 ± 2 years, n = 12) and older (58 ± 8 years, n = 12) participants prior to and following 10 weeks of supervised twice-weekly full-body RT. Outcome measures immediately before (PRE) and after the intervention (POST) included dual X-ray absorptiometry for body composition, ultrasound for vastus lateralis (VL) thickness, 16S rRNA gene sequencing fecal microbiome data, serum and fecal SCFAs measured by gas chromatography, and serum intestinal fatty acid-binding protein 2 (FABP2), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), and leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein (LRG-1) quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Main effects and interactions were measured by repeated measures analysis of variance (group × time; G × T) for all dependent variables, and Spearman correlations were used to explore relationships among changes in relevant outcomes. The intervention significantly increased VL thickness and lean body mass (p < 0.05) equally in both groups. Although group differences in microbiome beta diversity were identified, no effects of age, time, or their interaction were observed for the alpha diversity measures. Seven SCFAs were detected in the fecal samples, albeit no significant age, time, or interaction effects were evident. In serum, acetic acid was the only SCFA detected, with no significant age, time, or interaction effects. Serum LRG1 decreased for all participants (p = 0.007) with higher levels in younger adults (p = 0.015), but no G × T interactions were observed for this marker, serum FABP2, or LBP. No significant correlations were observed among RT-induced changes in muscle mass-related outcomes and changes in fecal microbiome diversity, total or individual SCFAs, or serum FABP2/LBP/LRG-1. These results highlight that 10 weeks of RT largely does not affect fecal microbiota, associated SCFAs, or select markers of gastrointestinal integrity in untrained younger or older adults.

Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety90
Efficacy70/10
Quality85/10
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
Weight Score1.35
Normalized Score0.81
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