Some gut bacteria can activate gut nerves that promote the desire to exercise, according to a study in mice published in the journal Nature. The study sheds light on a gut-to-brain pathway that explains why some bacteria boost athletic performance. In the study, researchers found that in a large group of laboratory mice, differences in running performance were largely due to the presence of a certain type of gut bacteria in the better-performing animals. The researchers traced the effect to small molecules of metabolites produced by the bacteria that stimulate sensory nerves in the gut, increasing activity in brain regions that control motivation during exercise.
Two bacteria closely associated with better performance, Eubacterium rectale (Eubacterium genus) and Coprococcus eutactus (Coprococcus genus), produced metabolites called fatty acid amides (FAAs). The latter stimulate receptors called CB1 endocannabinoid receptors on sensory nerves in the gut that connect to the brain via the spine. Stimulation of these CB1-receptor-laden nerves during exercise leads to increased levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the ventral striatum region of the brain.
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