NPR

Elite Runners' Gut Microbe Makes Mice More Athletic — Could It Help The Rest Of Us?

Researchers identified a strain of bacteria that flourishes in the guts of athletes after exercise. When transferred to mice, it gave a big boost in endurance. Could runners' probiotics be on the way?
Researchers studied the gut microbes of runners from the Boston Marathon, isolating one strain of bacteria that may boost athletic performance.

Competitive runners (myself included, once upon a time) will try almost anything that could give them a natural edge in their next 5k or 10k.

Down concentrated beet juice before a race? I've done it.

Eat chia seeds by the handful? Yep.

Altitude tents that mimic life at 10,000 feet? If only I had the money.

But new research hints that, perhaps, someday I may add consuming bacteria to that list.

A new in the journal identified a group of bacteria that are more common in athletes, especially after exercise, and may play a role in enhancing athletic performance. The researchers isolated this bacterial strain from elite runners, put it into the colons of lab

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