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Toda K, Yoshimoto S, Yoshida K, Mitsuyama E, Iwabuchi N, Hosomi K, Sanada TJ, Tanaka M, Nanri H, Kunisawa J, Odamaki T, Miyachi M. An Exploratory Study on Seasonal Variation in the Gut Microbiota of Athletes: Insights from Japanese Handball Players. Microorganisms 2024; 12:781. [PMID: 38674725 PMCID: PMC11051819 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12040781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite accumulating evidence that suggests a unique gut microbiota composition in athletes, a comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon is lacking. Furthermore, seasonal variation in the gut microbiota of athletes, particularly during the off-season, remains underexplored. This study aimed to compare the gut microbiotas between athletic subjects (AS) and non-athletic subjects (NS), and to investigate variations between athletic and off-season periods. The data were derived from an observational study involving Japanese male handball players. The results revealed a distinct gut microbiota composition in AS compared with NS, characterized by significantly higher alpha-diversity and a greater relative abundance of Faecalibacterium and Streptococcus. Moreover, a comparative analysis between athletic and off-season periods in AS demonstrated a significant change in alpha-diversity. Notably, AS exhibited significantly higher alpha-diversity than NS during the athletic season, but no significant difference was observed during the off-season. This study demonstrates the characteristics of the gut microbiota of Japanese handball players and highlights the potential for changes in alpha-diversity during the off-season. These findings contribute to our understanding of the dynamic nature of the gut microbiota of athletes throughout the season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuya Toda
- Innovative Research Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama 252-8583, Kanagawa, Japan; (K.T.); (S.Y.); (K.Y.); (E.M.); (N.I.); (M.T.)
| | - Shin Yoshimoto
- Innovative Research Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama 252-8583, Kanagawa, Japan; (K.T.); (S.Y.); (K.Y.); (E.M.); (N.I.); (M.T.)
| | - Keisuke Yoshida
- Innovative Research Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama 252-8583, Kanagawa, Japan; (K.T.); (S.Y.); (K.Y.); (E.M.); (N.I.); (M.T.)
| | - Eri Mitsuyama
- Innovative Research Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama 252-8583, Kanagawa, Japan; (K.T.); (S.Y.); (K.Y.); (E.M.); (N.I.); (M.T.)
| | - Noriyuki Iwabuchi
- Innovative Research Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama 252-8583, Kanagawa, Japan; (K.T.); (S.Y.); (K.Y.); (E.M.); (N.I.); (M.T.)
| | - Koji Hosomi
- Laboratory of Vaccine Materials and Laboratory of Gut Environmental System, Microbial Research Center for Health and Medicine, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Ibaraki 567-0085, Osaka, Japan; (K.H.); (T.J.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Takayuki Jujo Sanada
- Laboratory of Vaccine Materials and Laboratory of Gut Environmental System, Microbial Research Center for Health and Medicine, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Ibaraki 567-0085, Osaka, Japan; (K.H.); (T.J.S.); (J.K.)
- Department of Respirology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Chiba, Japan
| | - Miyuki Tanaka
- Innovative Research Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama 252-8583, Kanagawa, Japan; (K.T.); (S.Y.); (K.Y.); (E.M.); (N.I.); (M.T.)
| | - Hinako Nanri
- Department of Physical Activity Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Settsu 566-0002, Osaka, Japan;
- Laboratory of Gut Microbiome for Health, Microbial Research Center for Health and Medicine, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Ibaraki 567-0085, Osaka, Japan
| | - Jun Kunisawa
- Laboratory of Vaccine Materials and Laboratory of Gut Environmental System, Microbial Research Center for Health and Medicine, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Ibaraki 567-0085, Osaka, Japan; (K.H.); (T.J.S.); (J.K.)
- Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan
- Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-0043, Osaka, Japan
- International Vaccine Design Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Minato-ku 108-8639, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017, Hyogo, Japan
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Shinjuku-ku 169-0072, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshitaka Odamaki
- Innovative Research Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama 252-8583, Kanagawa, Japan; (K.T.); (S.Y.); (K.Y.); (E.M.); (N.I.); (M.T.)
| | - Motohiko Miyachi
- Department of Physical Activity Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Settsu 566-0002, Osaka, Japan;
- Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa 359-1192, Saitama, Japan
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Rama L, Teixeira AM, Matos A, Borges G, Henriques A, Gleeson M, Pedreiro S, Filaire E, Alves F, Paiva A. Changes in natural killer cell subpopulations over a winter training season in elite swimmers. Eur J Appl Physiol 2013; 113:859-68. [PMID: 22990626 DOI: 10.1007/s00421-012-2490-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2012] [Accepted: 08/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Immune changes and increased susceptibility to infection are often reported in elite athletes. Infectious episodes can often impair training and performance with consequences for health and sporting success. This study monitored the occurrence of episodes of upper respiratory symptoms (URS) and the variation in circulating NK cells, CD56(bright) and CD56(dim) NK cells subpopulations, over a winter swimming season. Nineteen national elite swimmers and 11 non-athlete controls participated in this study. URS episodes were monitored using daily log books. Blood samples were taken at rest at four time points during the season: before the start of the season (t1--middle September), after 7 weeks of an initial period of gradually increasing training load (t2--early November), after 6 weeks of an intense training cycle (t3--late February) and 48 h after the main competition (t4--early April) and from the controls at three similar time points (t1--early November; t2--late February; t3--early April). In the swimmers, the occurrence of URS clustered around the periods of elevated training load (67 %). No URS were reported at equivalent time points in the non-athletes. Athletes showed a decrease in the percentage (t2 = 21 %; t3 = 27 %; t4 = 17 %) and absolute counts of circulating NK cells (t2 = 35 %; t3 = 22 %; t4 = 22 %), coinciding with the periods of increased training load, never recovering to the initial values observed at the start of the season. The reduction in the CD56(dim) and an increase in the CD56(bright) NK cell subpopulations were significant at t2 and t3 (p < 0.05). Concomitant with the fall in values of NK cells, in athletes that shown more than three URS episodes, a moderate correlation (r = 0.493; p = 0.036) was found between CD56(bright)/CD56(dim) ratio and the number of URS episodes after the more demanding training phase (t3). At t3, a lower value of CD56 cell counts was found in the group who reported three or more URS episodes (t = 2.239; p = 0.032). A progressive significant decrease in the expression of CD119, the receptor for IFN-γ, on the CD56(dim) cells was found over the season and an elevation in Granzyme B expression was coincident with the more demanding training phases. Periods of highly demanding training seem to have a negative impact on innate immunity mediated by NK cell subsets, which could partially explain the higher frequency of URS observed during these training phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luís Rama
- Research Center for Sport and Physical Activity, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
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