Research
Mixed
Gut microbiota depletion (via antibiotics or germ-free conditions) leads to muscle atrophy and reduced physical function, suggesting a causal link between microbiota presence and muscle maintenance.
This finding is primarily relevant for understanding the biological basis of muscle loss. For now, it supports the general importance of a healthy diet for gut microbiota, but does not yet justify specific interventions like antibiotics avoidance for muscle gain in healthy individuals.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Two studies showed that gut microbiota depletion directly induced muscle atrophy. For physical performance, one study reported germ-free (GF) mice were more fatigable, and another study found an attenuated muscle strength.
Why this rating
Strong evidence in animal models (germ-free, antibiotic-treated), but human observational data is correlational.
Source
Understanding the gut microbiota and sarcopenia: a systematic review
Chaoran Liu et al. · Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle · 2021
DOI 10.1002/jcsm.12784
systematic_review · n=920Cited 333×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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