(LB01-04-24) The Impact of 12-Week Moderate-Intensity Treadmill Exercise on the Gastrointestinal Microbiome of Mice With Diet-Induced Obesity

Objectives: Considering obesity’s prevalence and associated morbidities, public health objectives are using lifestyle changes for prevention and management. Both obesity and a western-style diet are associated with gut microbial dysbiosis; however, the relationship between the gut microbiota and physical activity is unclear. Therefore, this study examined the influence of moderate-intensity treadmill exercise on the microbial composition of mice with diet-induced obesity.

Methods: In this study, 4-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were allocated into four groups based on diet (standard chow diet vs high fat diet with sugar water (HFHS)) and physical activity (sedentary vs moderate-intensity treadmill exercise) for a 12-week intervention period. Afterwards, fecal pellets were collected. Shallow shotgun sequencing of the fecal biome was performed by CosmosID (Germantown, MD). Statistical analysis examined group differences in microbial diversity and taxonomical relative abundance.

Results: As expected, mice in all four groups (control, exercise, HFHS, HFHS + exercise) gained weight during the study with the HFHS group experiencing the greatest weight gain. In terms of microbial diversity, the HFHS appeared to have a greater impact on α-diversity than exercise training. At the taxonomic level, both diet and exercise impacted bacterial relative abundance. Importantly, the relative abundance of the phyla Deferribacteres was higher in the HFHS group compared to controls and exercise training appeared to attenuate this change. Furthermore, the relative abundance of Defferibacteres was composed of a single strain, Mucispirillum schaedleri ASF457. Since Mucispirillum schaedleri thrives on the degradation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in the intestinal mucosa, future research should explore its potential as an indicator of intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress.

Conclusions: Our study indicated that both diet and exercise impact the composition of the gut microbiota. Furthermore, exercise may modify diet-induced obesity-related alteration in the microbiota.

Funding Sources: This work was supported by the Alabama Agricultural Experimental Station, Hatch/Multistate Funding Program, Auburn University Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship, and Midwestern Alzheimer’s Association Consortium funding.