Never feel like playing sports? Bacteria in your gut may be to blame.

There are people for whom do the exercises This is the whole world. They do it because they know it’s good for them, but they have to be very aware beforehand so they don’t fall into the trap. procrastination. Others, on the other hand, seem to have been born running, cycling, or any other sport. They love it, they love it, and they never seem to be lazy. If you belong to the first group, surely envy made you wonder what their trick is. In fact, this question was also asked by some scientists who came to the conclusion that the key may lie in intestinal microbiota.

It should be noted that this idea is the result of studies done on mice, so it cannot be said that the same thing happens in humans. However, as the authors explain in Natureif this discovery were also demonstrated in our species, it could open the door for development new methods of treatment.

It would be helpful to improve performance of athletes how to increase motivation for the lazy. In fact, simple dietary modifications can be enough to promote the growth of the right bacteria in the gut microbiota.

Another “superpower” of the microbiota

The microbiota is a group of microorganisms that live under normal conditions in our body. That is, they are not pathogenic microbes that they appear in an exceptional situation, but usually live with us.

These microorganisms live in all of our bodies, where we provide them with shelter and food. But they are also useful to us. For example, gut microbiota it can help in the process of digestion or crowd out and fight those other microorganisms that can make us sick. In addition, during his metabolismcan generate beneficial substances for our health.

Changes in the microbiota can be associated with certain diseasesThat is why so much research is being done into the possibility of fecal transplantation. But the gut microbiota is beneficial for more than just digestion. The intestine contains a large amount neurons. It is often said that this is where our second brain is located, although this goes too far. But it is true that both organs are very well connected. For this reason, a possible link between the gut microbiota and some neurological diseases. And now, as if that wasn’t enough, they’re analyzing how the bacteria in our gut can influence our brains and influence our desire to exercise.

Intrinsic motivation to exercise

To conduct their study, these University of Pennsylvania scientists took a group of mice and measured how much time they volunteered. running on a wheel

In addition, blood and stool samples were taken from all of them for analysis. both your DNA and your gut microbiota and substances that are formed for this. Then this data was entered into machine learning models so that artificial intelligence would find meaningful relationships between some pair of factors. And they found it because the mice that spent more time on the wheel had a higher proportion of two types of bacteria in their microbiota: Eubacterium rectum D Coprococcus eutactus. Initially, it was thought that each animal’s genetics could also have an influence, but it was found to have a much smaller impact than the microbiota.

What did these bacteria do? The key is in some of the substances they produce. Both have been observed to produce, through their metabolic activity, compounds called fatty acid amides (FAA). These act on Endocannabinoid CB1 receptors intestines, which connect it to the brain through the spinal cord. Thus, they can send signals that trigger the release of dopamine. Thus, this should have produced a pleasant situation in the mice; therefore, logically, they will feel more attractive to exercise.

It should be said that exercises always cause this type of brain reactions. However, this is not done in the same way all over the world. Until now, the focus has always been on the brain, but these scientists have confirmed that everything can start in the gut.

Now it remains only to see if the same thing happens in humans. If yes, can it be improved? performance of athletes and encourage the lazy to get up off the couch and exercise. And the fact is, if we don’t feel like it, nothing will help as much as a few bacteria to give us the little boost we need.