UCLA researchers from the Department of Medicine have identified microbiome and metabolic markers associated with high physical activity in an obese population, leading to possible therapies that may provide the positive effects of physical activity.
BACKGROUND: It is known that physical activity has a multitude of beneficial effects on health. On the other hand, a lack of physical activity leads to obesity and associated adverse health outcomes. While many of the positive effects of physical activity have been identified, the mechanisms by which physical activity leads to each of these effects are not fully understood. The microbiome, the collection of all microbes within the human body, has recently gained attention as a significant factor in human health and disease. In particular, the gut microbiome is closely linked to brain activity and psychological variables, a phenomenon referred to as the brain-gut microbiome axis. Many pharmaceutical companies have ventured into the field of probiotics or prebiotics, which aim to optimize the makeup of the human microbiome. Thus, identifying how physical activity may impact the microbiome provides a valuable path to generating therapies that can mimic these microbiome changes to provide the positive effects of physical activity.
INNOVATION: UCLA researchers have identified several microbial and metabolic signatures associated with increased physical activity in obese individuals. By collecting and analyzing fecal samples from a cohort of obese individuals whose physical activity levels were assessed via survey, researchers identified five bacteria and one fecal metabolite that are associated with high physical activity and increased appetite control. They further conducted whole brain resting-state functional MRI of these individuals and found that high levels of physical activity were associated with high activity in brain regions associated with appetite control. Thus, researchers have deciphered some of the psychological, metabolic, and microbiome effects of physical activity, paving the way for novel supplements that may be able to mimic and enhance the positive impact of high physical activity levels.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:
- Generating supplements to mimic the positive metabolic and psychological effects of physical activity
- Deciphering mechanisms by which physical activity leads to improved mental and physical health via the brain-gut microbiome axis
ADVANTAGES:
- Potential to generate supplements that can mimic the widespread, multi-organ effects of physical activity rather than targeting a specific organ system
- Probiotic/prebiotic supplements are already widely used and exhibit little to no toxicity
- Ability to provide benefits of physical activity (increased resilience, decreased stress, and better cognition) to individuals who are unable to exercise due to movement restriction or other health conditions.
DEVELOPMENT-TO-DATE: UCLA researchers have identified five bacteria and one fecal metabolite that are associated with high physical activity levels in obese individuals. They identified changes in connectivity in brain regions of individuals who are more physically active and found associations between high physical activity levels and increased resilience, appetite regulation, cognition, and impulse control.
Related Papers (from the inventors only): Guan, M. et al. Improved psychosocial measures associated with physical activity may be explained by alterations in brain-gut microbiome signatures. Scientific Reports 13, (2023).
Keywords: Microbiome, gut brain axis, obesity, exercise, physical activity, MRI, probiotic, prebiotic, bacteria, metabolomics, psychology, gastrointestinal system, digestive system