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Volume 15
Issue 12
10.3390/life15121812
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Review

Exercise and Diet Reshape Athletes’ Gut Microbiota: Countering Health Challenges in Athletes

by
Xiao’e Zhang
1,†,
Yao Li
2,†,
Fen Zhang
2,* and
Guicheng Zhou
2,*
1
College of Physical Education, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
2
Department of Food Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Life 2025, 15(12), 1812; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15121812 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 23 October 2025 / Revised: 17 November 2025 / Accepted: 25 November 2025 / Published: 26 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiome–Gut–Brain Connections: New Windows into Health and Disease)
Versions Notes

Abstract

With the advancement of modern competitive sports, specialized training regimens and tailored dietary patterns collectively shape a distinctive gut microbiota in athletes. This unique ecosystem exhibits high microbial diversity and is enriched with beneficial bacteria—such as short-chain fatty acid-producing strains—that contribute to enhanced athletic performance, support energy homeostasis and neural coordination, and mitigate exercise-induced injuries, thereby improving competitive outcomes. This review elaborates on the characteristics of the athlete gut microbiome across different exercise modalities, examines how microbial changes may benefit or pose risks to athlete health, and provides a unique perspective for developing microbiota-driven personalized nutrition strategies aimed at optimizing athletic performance.
Keywords: exercise; gut microbes; athletes’ diet; gut–brain axis exercise; gut microbes; athletes’ diet; gut–brain axis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, X.; Li, Y.; Zhang, F.; Zhou, G. Exercise and Diet Reshape Athletes’ Gut Microbiota: Countering Health Challenges in Athletes. Life 2025, 15, 1812. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15121812

AMA Style

Zhang X, Li Y, Zhang F, Zhou G. Exercise and Diet Reshape Athletes’ Gut Microbiota: Countering Health Challenges in Athletes. Life. 2025; 15(12):1812. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15121812

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Xiao’e, Yao Li, Fen Zhang, and Guicheng Zhou. 2025. "Exercise and Diet Reshape Athletes’ Gut Microbiota: Countering Health Challenges in Athletes" Life 15, no. 12: 1812. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15121812

APA Style

Zhang, X., Li, Y., Zhang, F., & Zhou, G. (2025). Exercise and Diet Reshape Athletes’ Gut Microbiota: Countering Health Challenges in Athletes. Life, 15(12), 1812. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15121812

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