Unlocking a novel determinant of athletic performance:The role of the gut microbiota,short-chain fatty acids,and“biotics”in exercise

The gut microbiota refers to the collection of trillions of intestinal microorganisms that modulate central aspects of health and disease through influential effects on host physiology.Recently,a connection has been made between the gut microbiota and exercise.Initial investigations demonstrated the beneficial effects of exercise on the gut microbiota,with cross-sectional studies revealing positive correlations between exerciseassociated states,and healthy gut microbiota and exercise interventions showed post-intervention increases in the abundance of beneficial bacterial taxa.More recent investigations have focused on exploring the reverse relationship:the influence of the gut microbiota on exercise performance.Murine investigations have revealed that certain bacterial taxa may enhance endurance exercise performance by augmenting various aspects of lactate metabolism.Further,short-chain fatty acids—which modulate metabolism at various organ sites,including within skeletal muscle—have been shown to enhance endurance exercise capacity in mice.This review highlights what is currently known about the connection between the gut microbiota and exercise,with a particular focus on the ergogenic potential of the gut microbiota and how it may be leveraged to enhance endurance exercise performance.

Targeted Application of Motor Learning Theory to Leverage Youth Neuroplasticity for Enhanced Injury-Resistance and Exercise Performance: OPTIMAL PREP

Youth athletes are ideal candidates for novel therapeutic motor learning interventions that leverage the plasticity of the central nervous system to promote desirable biomechanical adaptions.We summarize the empirical data supporting the three pillars of the Optimizing Performance Through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning(OPTIMAL)theory of motor learning and expand on potential neurophysiologic mechanisms that will support enhanced movement mechan-ics in youth to optimize prevention programs for reduced injury risk,injury rehabilitation,exercise performance,and play(Prevention Rehabilitation Exercise Play;PREP).Specifically,we highlight the role of motivational factors to promote the release of dopamine that could accelerate motor performance and learning adaptations.Further,we detail the potential for an external focus of attention to shift attentional allocation and increase brain activity in regions important for sensorimotor integration to facilitate primary motor cortex efficiency.This manuscript serves to provide the most current data in support of the application of OPTIMAL PREP training strategies of the future.

Creatine Supplementation Improves Physical Performance,Without Negative Effects on Health Markers,in Young Weightlifters

Purpose The safety of creatine supplementation has been investigated,however,the safety of a high-dose/short-term or low-dose/long-term supplementation dosing scheme,combined with a resistance training program,a commonly used dosing scheme,has not yet studied.The aim of this study was to evaluate physical performance and the safety of the cited creatine supplementation dosing scheme in a double-blind placebo-controlled study by assessing blood and urine health indicators in subjects undertaking resistance training.Method Thirty-four healthy male subjects were randomly assigned to creatine supplement(CREA/7 days,0.3 g/kg body mass+21 days,0.03 g/kg)or placebo(PLA)group and both groups participated in a resistance training intervention(6 exercises,3 sets of 8-12 repetitions per exercise at 85%of 1RM,3 d/week).Blood and urine samples were collected pre-,7 and 30 days post-supplementation.For blood(26 parameters)and urine markers(15),between-group differences were calculated by using 2 groups(CREA and PLA)×2 measures(“POST7 minus PRE”and“POST30 minus PRE”)terms.Results The CREA group exhibited significant body weight and 1RM increase(POST30 minus PRE)of all evaluated exercises,when compared to PLA group.Regarding the blood and urine health markers,only hematocrit,LDL,Uric Acid,Phosphatase Alkaline and Creatinine exhibited between-group differences,but with small magnitude of differences and maintained into the range of clinical reference values.Conclusion Our data suggest that creatine supplementation the used dosing scheme,concomitantly with resistance training,improves physical performance with no evident risk or protection to health for young weightlifters.

Practical Training Strategies to Apply Neuro-Mechanistic Motor Learning Principles to Facilitate Adaptations Towards Injury-Resistant Movement in Youth

Youth may be particularly responsive to motor learning training strategies that support injury-resistant movement mechanics in youth for prevention programs that reduce injury risk,injury rehabilitation,exercise performance,and play more gener-ally(Optimizing Performance Through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning Prevention Rehabilitation Exercise Play;OPTIMAL PREP)One purpose of the present manuscript was to provide clinical applications and tangible examples of how to implement the proposed techniques derived from OPTIMAL theory into PREP strategies for youth.A secondary purpose was to review recent advances in technology that support the clinical application of OPTIMAL PREP strategies without extensive resources/programming knowledge to promote evidence-driven tools that will support practitioner feedback delivery.The majority of examples provided are within the context of anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)injury rehabilitation,but we emphasize the potential for OPTIMAL PREP strategies to be applied to a range of populations and training scenarios that will promote injury resistance and keep youth active and healthy.