Exercise and My Gut? Say What?
A few months ago, you may have seen how dedicated our staff is about being active and regularly exercising. Well, there’s good reason for that and evidence continues to mount supporting the beneficial effects of exercise on the gut microbiome. A recent article from Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews is a beautiful summary of implications exercise has on the gut.
Some key findings included:
- Physically active individuals have a 24% reduced risk for colorectal cancer compared with sedentary individuals.
- Studies have found that exercise can increase a type of butyrate-producing microbe in the gut. Butyrate may have an anti-depressant effect, boosting brain serotonin levels.
- Evidence from animal studies suggest that exercise may lessen gut microbe imbalance induced from a high-fat diets.
- There have been findings that voluntary exercise in mouse models increases the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and reduces inflammatory markers in mice with inflammatory bowel disease.
Because I only think it’s fair to practice what I (we) preach, I thought I would share my own experience with exercise. I have been active most of my life because I have appreciated the mental benefits from consistent activity. I think it’s important to find something you enjoy doing, not something you dread! If getting outside and gardening is your thing than do it! If you want to train for some type of a race, do it! If you want to simply walk on a treadmill in your home or at a gym, do it! Whatever it is you find, try to stay consistent. I stumbled upon powerlifting over a year ago and have really enjoyed it. It makes me feel strong and I can continue to set goals to work toward that keep me engaged and excited!
If you want to be more active or start a more formal exercise program please contact us, we have a team of professionals here to help. Shayne Welch is our licensed Physical Therapist and Fitness Consultant; she can help determine readiness for activity or develop a structured program along with guided goal setting. Call our office at 224-407-4400 to set up an appointment or visit our website at www.compgihealth.com to request an appointment.