- A new study shows adherence to a Mediterranean diet and regular exercise benefited the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome and led to weight loss.
- The study may point toward a new avenue of research exploring the impact of diet and exercise on gut health.
- Despite the promising results, experts say the study’s design may have yielded a less definitive finding, and more research is needed.
A new study investigated the effects of combining a Mediterranean diet with exercise and how that impacts the gut microbiome.
The findings show changes in gut microbiota in participants who closely adhered to the Mediterranean diet and engaged in an exercise program compared to those who ate a Mediterranean diet alone.
The people in the diet and exercise group also lost more weight.
A high quality diet and regular exercise are known to benefit overall health.
However, experts say diet is key to weight loss, while exercise benefits cardiovascular, metabolic, and cognitive health, as well as strength and balance.
This would be the first study to suggest a synergistic benefit of diet and exercise for gut health and weight loss if its findings are confirmed.
The study was recently published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
For the 1-year study, 400 participants ages 55–75 at high cardiovascular risk were divided into two groups of 200 individuals each.
Before the trial, researchers collected dietary information, body measurements, blood samples, and stool samples for microbiota analysis using
The first group, the lifestyle intervention group, was placed on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet and received personal training advice from a dietitian.
Participants were encouraged to take brisk walks, or the equivalent, for 45 minutes daily and perform specific strength, balance, and flexibility exercises.
In addition, members of the lifestyle intervention group…
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