Research

Energy balance

Gut microbiota depletion via broad-spectrum antibiotics significantly reduces skeletal muscle endurance and fatigue resistance in healthy mice, an effect mediated by altered glucose homeostasis and muscle glycogen levels rather than changes in muscle mass or mitochondrial function.

Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is important for muscle endurance. While this study used mice, it suggests that factors disrupting gut bacteria (like broad-spectrum antibiotics) may temporarily reduce your stamina and fatigue resistance. Restoring gut health (natural reseeding) can reverse these effects. Focus on fiber-rich foods and fermented foods to support gut bacteria, which may help optimize glucose availability for your muscles during exercise.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
We found that, in gut microbiota-depleted mice, running endurance was decreased, as well as the extensor digitorum longus muscle fatigue index... These endurance changes were not related to variation in muscle mass, fiber typology, or mitochondrial function. However, several pertinent glucose metabolism markers... and muscle glycogen level, paralleled the muscle endurance changes...
Kévin Nay et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2019

Why this rating

Robust experimental design with antibiotic depletion and natural reseeding controls, but results are limited to mouse models.

Source

Gut bacteria are critical for optimal muscle function: a potential link with glucose homeostasis

Kévin Nay et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2019

DOI 10.1152/ajpendo.00521.2018

mechanism_only · n=29Cited 206×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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