Standardization of gut microbiome analysis in sports

• Published in: Cell reports. Medicine 2024-10, Vol.5 (10), p.101759, Article 101759
• Main Authors: Mancin, Laura, Paoli, Antonio, Berry, Sara, Gonzalez, Javier T., Collins, Adam J., Lizarraga, Maria Antonia, Mota, Joao Felipe, Nicola, Segata, Rollo, Ian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Athletes; exercise; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; gut microbiome; Humans; metabolism; methodology; Reference Standards; sport; Sports
• ISSN: 2666-3791; 2666-3791
• DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101759

The gut microbiome plays a significant role in physiological functions such as nutrient processing, vitamin production, inflammatory response, and immune modulation, which, in turn, are important contributors to athlete health and performance. To date, the interpretation, discussion, and visualization of microbiome results of athletes are challenging, due to a lack of standard parameters and reference data for collection and comparison. The purpose of this perspective piece is to provide researchers with an easy-to-understand framework for the collection, analysis, and data management related to the gut microbiome with a specific focus on athletic populations. In the absence of a consensus on microbiome research in the sports field, we hope that these considerations serve as foundational “best practice.” Adherence to these standard operating procedures will accelerate the path toward improving the quality of data and ultimately our understanding of the influence of the gut microbiome in sport settings. This perspective article provides researchers with an easy-to-understand framework for the collection, analysis, and data management related to the gut microbiome in athletic populations. Adherence to these standard operating procedures will improve the quality of data and ultimately our understanding of the influence of the gut microbiome in sport settings.