Researchers determined whether six-weeks endurance exercise, without changing diet, affected the gut metagenome and systemic metabolites of overweight women.
Previously sedentary overweight women underwent a six-weeks endurance exercise intervention. The gut microbiota composition and functions were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metagenomics. Body composition was analyzed with DXA X-ray densitometer and serum metabolomics with Nightingale's NMR metabolomics. As a results, exercise training modified the gut microbiome without greatly affecting systemic metabolites or body composition.