Why are elite athletes different than the rest of us? Take a look at their microbes
by Elizabeth Cooney
Jun 24, 2019
3 minutes
Elite athletes really are different from you and me. Or, at least their gut microbes are.
Scientists who analyzed stool samples of 15 runners a week before and after they competed in the 2015 Boston Marathon found unusually high levels of one particular microbe compared to 10 non-athletes. Levels of the microbe in question, Veillonella, spiked after an intense workout and bloomed even more after the marathon.
That was a lightbulb moment for the scientists because the bacterium is known for breaking
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