News flash: moderate exercise is good for you.
41
Can I attribute the longevity of my house pets to the fact (1) I exercise and (2) make them dog drink out of the toilet?
16
Diet (lean) and exercise. Define lean. Close to the bottom number on the BMI chart?? Interesting that there was an increase in the intensity of the exercise.
Interestingly, lean does not protect against all problems associated with weight: Diabetes 2, hypercholesteremia, osteo-arthritis. More on this please.
6
There is absolutely no "down-side" for moderate exercise and no excuse, either!
39
Change is what happens to all of us as time progresses, change is also what happens when we change diets, we are always changing some for the good, some for the bad.
Sometimes the unexpected happens with a pain here or there, some of these pains are accepted, like growing pains, or getting old pains, they shouldn't. I did, so did a few friends of mine.
I've been working out for a long time, some of the pains I get are from muscle growth after a tough routine, the other pain I had was my hip when I walked a certain distance. My friend had back pain, an avid bicycle rider, so was I, like me he thought it was part of the exercise routine. We both found out it wasn't true.
I tried a new stand up scooter that worked different muscles than cycling, after a short time my hip pain disappeared. The same thing happened with my friend, same change of exercise, his back pain changed, it went away.
this is not to say the Me-Mover is the magic bullet for all pain, but it proves that change can happen when you do different things, inside and out.
The problem is many fear change, new has a negative aura for some, they accept the status quo, I did, then I changed.
18
Wow, this is article explained a lot of things I experience with my own body.
I have been a competitive endurance athlete (bicycle racing) from my early 20s to mid 30s. I had to stop racing due to multiple neck and head injuries, but I continued to excercise 2 days a week for 1 hour each day at a HR of 150ish.
I'm now almost 50 years old, but look about 35 with a heavy sugar diet. I'm a very naughty eater. I love sweets and stay clear of salad and veggies, but my naughty diet hasn't gotten me into trouble with my Dr. My stats at the Dr's office are great, the Dr said, "don't change a thing". OK. :-) In fact the Dr says my #'s say that I'm still an athlete. Yay.
Thanks for the info!
6
However, "almost 50 years old" isn't very old. Speaking as a 75-year old who had your attitude until age 48, I predict you'll be miserable and die early unless you adopt a more grown-up diet soon.
48
It would be preferable to look 9. At least that would match your diet.
38
I am a physically active 65 year old who also eats naughty. A poor diet definitely affects you more as you age.
41
I started exercising years ago in my early 30's because after two kids and a job, it helped me feel so much better. I never wanted to go back to the way I felt - tired, lethargic, busy. Exercise has helped me cope with the ups and downs of life, as well as keep my weight down, and my spirits up. Whatever else exercise does, being a 'senior' person who feels great is the best benefit of all.
54
The prep for colonoscopy destroys your gut biome. My doctor brushed off my concern about how long it would take to return to normal, as if I was saying something ridiculous. My system didn’t really feel back to normal for more than a month.
66
but does it ever really come back to 'normal' or pre-procedure levels ?? that is my question / especially as you age that kind of massive disruption to the microbial population can conceivably alter the microbiome permanently / the balance and proportion of microbes is not fully understood / there are apparantly thousands of different species and fungi as well yet we feel justified in destroying that habitat to perform a colonoscopy to prevent disease ?? it may be infact causing disease
19
Ask your doctor about annual stool tests instead. They look for DNA changes related to cancer.
25
You get cleared out with colonoscopy prep, but not sanitized. The bacteria are still there. Maybe the problem was that you didn’t eat the right foods in the days after the test? That could have set you up for an irritated bowel, which took some time to come back to normal. The first day you should go for something light, like soup and toast. It’s good to consume probiotics in the following weeks (always, really), but most people don’t know that you need to eat prebiotics, too, so the bacteria have something to feed on. A banana is a mild prebiotic. So a bowl of live yogurt with a sliced banana and some low-sugar granola or bran on top is a meal for your gut. Or make a banana-yogurt shake with some added inulin (a fiber). I’ve had two colonoscopies and have had no issues getting back to normal.
26
The question is, does it matter if the bacteria live for us or for themselves? That is, are harmful bacteria having a field day but only in lower numbers than the good guys?
And when will Big Pharma come up with a giant pill to replace your microbiome?
4
There are a lot of ways to classify gut microbes, and whether they work “for” us or “against” us is one of them. Some are pathogens, which are almost universally bad for humans, and cause disease. Many of these are known as opportunistic pathogens, meaning that they take advantage of a weakness in our gut. Others are commensals - these are bacteria that are generally understood to either have mutually beneficial relationships with us (we help them and they help us; probiotics fall under this category) or have little effect on our health. Commensals make up most of the microbiome.
There is another category that directly relates to your questions, and that is the pathobionts. These are bacteria that under normal circumstances operate like commensals; however, when our guts are compromised, such as by inflammation, they become pathogenic.
Research now is focusing on identifying which microbes fall under which category. There are so many microbes in the human gut that we are still mostly figuring out what’s even there. Once we do, research will focus on increasing the level of commensals, which prevents colonization by pathogens and pathobionts.
As for a pharmaceutical method to address this - these are in the works! Fecal transplants (which often take the form of a pill) are currently the most promising method. However, since we still don’t totally understand what microbes are beneficial, it will be quite some time before a standardized, safe therapeutic is available.
25
I would caution any serious implications of this study at this time. Even without this paper we agree that exercise is good for health.
4
This is a very interesting article, but all of the talk of the gut microbiome makes it sound as if the rest of our bodies are not similarly colonized by beneficial, essential microbes. Besides the entire digestive tract these include the skin, the lungs, and virtually every part of our bodies that is exposed to the environment.
13
You’re absolutely right - our entire body is teeming with bacteria! And while our many microbiome (such as skin, oral, or nasal microbiome) do play a major role in health, the gut is somewhat unique. Not only is it by far the most densely populated microbial environment on or in our bodies, it is one of the most densely populated microbial communities on the entire planet. Because of this, your gut microbiome tends to play a disproportionally large role in human health. A lot of research is focused on understanding this role, which is why you hear so much about it.
28
Somewhat unique?
2
walking in natural environments can improve our microbiome
walking in natural environments helps us appreciate macrofauna
walking in natural environments can shift our hormones
walking in natural environments together can improve our relations
walking in natural environments is relatively low cost
61
Walking in natural environments may not be available to people unless they can walk to natural environments.
15
True. Livable cities and towns include streets with trees and mini-parks. A long city walk that includes the presence of trees is good for the body and soul. I live in a city that cut down its street trees in the 80s to have more parking spots. Starting about 10 years ago the city began reducing the on-street parking and putting trees back in. Live and learn.
17
As opposed to 'entirely unique'?
1
One of the best exercises for your gut, is eating Yogurt!
6
My experience has been than drinking kefir is far more beneficial than yogurt (even the organic Greek variety). I recommend it to anyone with IBS. Although made with milk it is 99% lactose free.
8
yogurts are laden with sugar. Actual probiotic food, kimchi or sauerkraut, are optimal. The dairy industry has brainwashed Americans for far too long.
12
Yogurt is only "laden with sugar" if it is the sugar-laden (fruit and other sweeteners added). Plain yogurt has the same amount of lactose as a comparable quantity of milk.
19
My new years resolution is to bike more than I drive. It's good for my health and for the environment. Since I am an early retiree and live in sunny California, I have no excuses.
11
the 'little people' outnumber the cells of our body 10 to 1 / they manufacture more serotonin than our brain / the gut is connected directly to the brain via the vagus nerve / the little people are primarily responsible for the immune response in the gastrointestinal tract and the respiratory system / now we find out they respond to exercise by increasing the production of short chain fatty acids that counteract inflammation (the precursor to many diseases) / i suspect there is much more to discover about these commensal organisms and how they interact with our own cells / they have mastered the art of symbiosis and found a home inside our body / if only humans could remember how to do that we could live on our planet as friendly guests not as an infection
38
To complete the report, there should be a discussion of the fact that a plant-based, unprocessed (whole foods only) diet also produces an abundance of the short chain fatty acids that are necessary for the health of cells lining the colon. Animal foods cause a reduction in the good bacteria in this process.
12
How does that complete the report? The report is on the relationship between exercise and microbiome, not on all the things that can affect the microbiome. I agree with you on the merits of such a diet, but there's no need to inject that everywhere.
14
@Vivian Parker
Animal foods may have other digestive consequences, but they contain more short and medium chain fatty acids than standard vegetable oils (which have none; coconut oil has about 15%).
Where is the data that plant-based diets contribute or "produce" SCFAs in the gut? The three most common sources of medium-to-short chain fatty acids (10 carbons and below) are: red meat, butterfat, and coconut fat. Fatty acid composition and metabolism are complicated; I know a lot about it, and I've never seen any data to support that plant-based diets produce short chain FAs. That's an esoteric claim that you need to support with references.
4
@Vivian Parker
Animal foods may have other digestive consequences, but they contain more short and medium chain fatty acids than standard vegetable oils (which have none; coconut oil has about 15%).
Where is the data that plant-based diets contribute or "produce" SCFAs in the gut? The three most common sources of medium-to-short chain fatty acids (10 carbons and below) are: red meat, butterfat, and coconut fat. Fatty acid composition and metabolism are complicated; I know a lot about it, and I've never seen any data to support that plant-based diets produce short chain FAs in the gut. That's an esoteric and non-logical claim that you need to support with references.
I always get a chuckle when editorials & ads feature an image of someone WALKING their bike on a perfectly rideable surface. Health & fitness articles in the Times are so often written for those who are unhealthy & unfit. After 35 years in NYC, I escaped many years ago to a place where a vigorous jaunt over a series of steep hills is its own reward, not a dreaded punishment prescribed too late by an MD trying to remedy years of inactivity. Good health is a welcome benefit of exercise, not its sole purpose.
11
I dislike exercise. But I love walking and gardening and playing sports. The NY Times makes exercise the equivalent of reading a novel by Solzhenitsyn because it’s good for you. How dreary to spend your life trying to please your bacteria.
29
Walking and gardening and playing sports IS exercise.
16
It is an anticipated but not intended side effect of these activities in which engage for enjoyment.
6
I agree with you Paul. I stay in shape by doing things that I happen to enjoy doing. The physical benefits are a side effect. Exercise for the sake of exercise demotivates me. I get tired just thinking about it. Others seem to enjoy going to the gym though. Whatever keeps people moving is OK by me.
6
This is the second time in the past couple of weeks that a piece in the NYT has failed to distinguish the difference between type one and type two diabetes. They are very different diseases. No matter how much exercise my son gets, or how well he eats, he will always be diabetic. Please clarify “type 2” in articles like this—omitting that information perpetuates the myth that diabetes is all the same. For my 11 year old son who’s had a worthless pancreas since he was 4, this is an important distinction.
By the way, I agree with the premise of the article—exercise is great. It helps your body and your mind feel better.
40
I am always so annoyed by the failure to distinguish between these two very different diseases. Harmful for people with both Type 1 and Type 2 to read about blanket "diabetes" as treatment and overall lifestyle needs are so different.
13
@Carrie
Take him off the milk products of Holstein cows,which have a genetic mutation which puts a substance in their milk which can harm the pancreas. Read"the Plant Paradox" by Dr. Steven Gundry.
1
A discussion of the microbiome is not limited to just bacteria. In fact fungi is a significant player in our digestive tract.
9
Use it or lose it, people. Especially as we reach the senior years, keeping active has the protective effect of helping our balance and strength. Tai Chi is especially beneficial for seniors to build the muscles that improve balance thereby reducing the risk of falls.
20
Exercise for me has always been a mental exercise. My sense of well being, discipline and general humor are always the keynotes of exercising regularly. In addition, of course, fitness of the flesh is a welcome side effect.
9
None of the above. If Dr. Martin Blaser's "step-down" theory is correct, then MOST of us do NOT have "healthy" microbiomes to begin with. Exercise or no the microbial base line is off. By decades if not centuries of urbanization. C-sections, sanitizers, ANTIBIOTICS, etc. Studies being done in "traditional" societies are showing gut flora profiles that markedly than ours. We are designed to move around, but if the carburetor is off then the gasoline is't going to help. After a bout of Lyme and too many antibiotics I went from 4 hour a day athlete and normal human to unable to lift head off pillow microbially deficient host. Will power has NOTHING to do with it, missing microbes do. Here's what I'm doing about it. https://etcfmt.com
21
wow good read and congratulations / do you have an opinion about the gut flush used before colonoscopies ?? i have had 3 colonoscopies because of a family history of colon cancer but recently have questioned the benefit-risk factor of killing off all (or most) of the microbiome to perform the procedure
6
I'm with you. I have had one and now 10 years later have refused a second. I get a quizzical look from my GP when I say "never again". When I got the results from the doctor who had done the procedure she commented on seeing "inflammation, but that could be caused by the procedure itself".
4
Not to sound morbid but is it possible that it is built into animal's genetic codes that leading a sedentary lifestyle directs our bodies to begin the dying process. On an evolutionary basis humans and all animals are here for one reason, to procreate and propagate the species. The more physically active you are the stronger and more likely to reproduce you are. If an animal is not reproducing then it is no longer needed and thus should die to preserve resources for the strong.
9
Thus endeth the lives of Stephen Hawkings and numerous other weak and therefore (according to you) useless people.
12
This must be why post-menopausal women die immediately.
8
@ae
No,you don't understand the theory. It is in Dr. Steven Gundry;s first book
I'm really sick of the articles here that orbit around some "new study." It's absolutely insulting to people who have exercised for decades to constantly hear how some careerist piddling away on some obscure area of investigation using a small sample set is supposed to earn our attention. Microbiomes need not be invoked to support the efficacy of exercise!
Eating too much makes you fat and trains you to false hunger. Eating properly does not. Exercise is valuable in myriad respects with no downside, sedentary living costs you in most areas of life. The studies that prove this exist in the form of the relatively more upright, more sure-footed, more able bodies of those who exercise. The proof for the latter is lying around on couches mesmerized by lame TV, studying ads for acid relux and buying out the XXXL sizes at WalMart.
21
I agree wholeheartedly, however, extrapolating broad conclusions from small studies is the whole reason this column exists.
4
"False hunger" is an interesting concept. Does the "false hunger" phenomenon explain why eating more tends to be followed by an illogical increase in hunger pangs before the next meal, whereas a pattern of decreased consumption seems to reduce my craving for snacks and heavy meals? If so, is there a psychological satiation level that responds to behavioral more than physiological hunger stimuli? Certainly the addictive properties of sugar and salt must also play a role in compulsive over-consumption, as we seek higher levels of taste stimulus, while desensitizing our taste buds with these strong flavors.
10
CK, It certainly seems as though you don't gain benefit from these articles, so I wonder why you read them. On the other hand, I do benefit not just from the articles but from many of the comments and am glad they are published.
I have found that building a broad understanding of concepts takes time and repetition so that many individuals can begin to incorporate new ideas into our ways of thinking and then to apply them to our lives. It is simply how cultural change works. Those who are able to understand early on do not need the repetition. Hooray for you - use your time doing something else! Those who are still learning do need exposure.
The whole concept of "bacteria are important" is relatively new (talked about in the last decade plus or minus a few years) and we are still learning about the many ways in which this plays out. If one was paying attention, they understood the concept and made changes in their lives at least five years ago. Yet many people still seek out anti-bacterial everything - go figure!
13
The proof is in the pudding. Exercise regularly and your body and life will be improved. People shouldn't need to have a study about microbes showed to them to get them to exercise if they are smart enough to care about their health. It is an interesting article and does help support that exercise helps reduce fat gain and improve body composition when comparing to not doing anything on a similar diet. You'll get a lot out of incorporating regular exercise to your lifestyle; reduced stress and a stronger body. And very possibly improved eating habits. Don't punish your body and wait until the New Year resolution to get started.
7
Some people need every possible reason to motivate them to exercise. What could possibly be wrong with giving them a new and interesting one? As many people have digestive issues this article could very well motivate some to start moving.
7
Gustavo: "The proof is in the pudding" is meaningless. "The proof of the pudding is in the eating" is the appropriate quote.
7
The advice from the top picked posts seems to be essentially along the well-worn Nike slogan:Just Do It!
Well if this had worked for behaviors that we need to stick with each day for the rest of our life, we won't be here talking lack of physical activity. In USA alone, two out of three are Overweight, and half of those OBESE. This is not including those who are inactive but are counted in the healthy normal weight category.
The reason such exhortations haven't worked for large population is because it's backwards: People are active when they are generally living a meaningful life marked by eagerness for finding things out. This why we all are born with curiosity pumped to its ears -- we barely can restrain ourselves asking questions as soon as we learn basics of language but our curious nature is already at work even before as we try to reach out to world around us and explore our sensations.
Coupled with curiosity, play, too is hardwired -- babies wouldn't become running leaping children all without adults reminding them to move, if we were not INTERNALLY inspired without the remotest idea of its benefits. Yet it has helped us grow healthy and strong. Children move when they are generally in supportive environments that nurture their curiosity. Happy children move because their basic human needs are met. Adults, too find movement easy when they FIRST have the rest of their life in order.
13
It seems the other way around to me. Having too many things already solved and working properly everyday makes you lazy and prone to eat more. From power shortage going thru crazy traffic, poor public transportation, insecurity, lack of timely justice to inflation and policy changes to name a few; really keep to alert. On the other end people without enough income and poor education living in not so wealthy countries also get obese but because of bad eating habits.
2
@Arif, Hey thanks! A well thought out explanation to a vexing problem. Its societies' fault that we're overweight and lazy! Its our environment and our society that has destroyed our beautiful bodies and removed our will to move around...or even to move elsewhere to a place where its "inspired". I just knew it was someone/something else's fault! I can take this and run with it....this excuse ought to last me a couple years at least!
2
Don't be so quick to judge. I am quite overweight but every weekend I'm trekking through the woods, camping, mountain biking, or climbing something. I've tried it all to get back to a svelte shape (starving myself, eating very little, exercising more, the gimmacky shakes, vegan, paleo, etc.) but it's changed very little in the past 10 years. I settled on veganism because it feels good. But if you saw me standing next to my skinny yet sedentary coworker, you'd judge my lifestyle more harshly. One of us can climb stairs without getting winded, and it isn't her.
20
Thanks for a great article.
We’ve known for some time that without our intestinal microbes we cannot absorb a host of vital nutrients.
But the impact on inflammation highlighted by this work is a significant contribution to our understanding of how we resist a variety of diseases. An insufficient or aberrant inflammatory response may be a core process in a whole range of illnesses from heart disease to cancer.
Again, thanks for reporting on one of the research efforts that may make a major impact in the coming years.
29
“Gut” bacteria just seems to be the latest health fitness craze, just like colonic cleansing was at one point. (Celebrities like Lady Di went in big for that.) The latter has been largely debunked. The vitamin stores currently have entire sections devoted to “improving” gut bacteria. But I suppose we will be seeing DYI Fecal Monitoring Kits on those shelves after this article.
4
@Patrick
uBiome! Look it up -- anyone can get a kit and have multiple parts of their microbiome tested. It's pretty neat!
Use the same advice your vet gives you for the dog. Cut out the snausage’s and make them run and play. Break a sweat every day.
10
The best way to sustain exercise over time is to find something you love to do so that it is not seen as a necessary chore but something that brings joy, solitude and a form of meditation to your life. Previously for me it was running (not just jogging, running) and in recent years it has been biking. There are of course serious risks in biking, including death at the hands of distracted drivers, but there are risks in just sitting around too, so make your choice.
Mountain hiking is another great activity. In places less work and stress oriented than the east and west coasts, like Colorado, people get up earlier on the weekends than during the week so they can spend more time outdoors. Whatever you do, as mentioned, look for something you enjoy and something you can love doing and the raw exercise is a great benefit thrown into the mix.
Are Europeans much more in shape than Americans? I don't know, but I have been fortunate to visit the island of Mallorca on two prior springs and people climb awesomely steep mountain roads on bikes there as if it were a casual Sunday walk in the park. It was something to behold. Fitness clubs are everywhere these days in urban areas, but staying in shape, rather than trying to get back into shape, is a much better path.
14
The most joyful exercise is DANCING! Studies have found it's also best for fending off Alzheimer's because you have to think and socialize, not just get into a trance jogging or walking on a treadmill. But it's so difficult to get American's to do it, especially men.
13
You can't compare what you see in Mallorca, Spain to anywhere else. I was a bike racer. We and every other team had their training camps there every spring.
In the spring, there are more cyclists there per square than anywhere on the planet.
Speaking of cycling and Mallorca, they have some big and numerous mountains. Our coach made us 5 passes on 1 ride, I can still remember the pain, 60 miles in 6 hours. It was glorious.
I highly recommend going there.
2
Every day there is a new story about gut bacteria being responsible for everything from autism to obesity. Is this the new catch-all that the medical profession will tout till it falls out of favor in the next few years. It won't be the first fad that has taken hold until proven false in the future. Much more research has to be done before there are any formal pronouncements. Mice are not humans.
4
you probably think exercise is also a fad...
6
I'm sure it's a fine article, but I couldn't get past the introductory photo. I can't figure out what exercise is depicted. Looks like a mountain bike but it's got slicks. And reflectors LOL. The model is wearing trail running shoes. More puzzling, they aren't even on the bike heading into a long drawn out stretch of total flats.
Is this the lightly offroad bike assisted racing I've been hearing about so much?
6
Your comment is funny, but honestly, who cares? Movement is movement, and humans need more of it, even if it looks ridiculous to you. Let's not discourage it with second-rate jokes. P.S. Journalism is expensive and readers are too cheap to pay for it, so clip art is what you get.
7
Quite apart from the substance of this discussion, but as I approach my 89th year may I share my "insight" into the concept that we are all -- the billions of us -- microbes in God's gut.
Thanks.
25
Once again we are reminded we are what we eat and exercise even down to the microbes that live within us
11
The more we can understand how and why exercise changes the body, the better. As a runner, my experience is that food passes through my digestive system more quickly than it did when I did not run. This may have something to do with the findings. The bottom line for me is that I feel better in just about every way when I run. That isn't scientific evidence of anything, but it is more than enough reason for me to keep running.
34
Man have known over centuries that exercise is good for us. We, only, did not know the mechanism by which exercise was helping us. We are just simply learning the more of how and why.
11
Not to mention for hundreds of thousands of years we survived by hunting and gathering i.e. running and walking. It's simply built into us as it is with many other species. Now that children are being denied recess at school and prefer to sit glued to constant screen entertainment what are the chances they will become fit adults? Ironic that our clever brains will never stop inventing ways for us to stop moving and thereby lose our health.
2
.If one wants to see an unscientific study of exercise and its benefits, just go visit a pulmonary rehab center and talk to the people participating. We all started in "Phase 2" - this is highly supervised exercise. Medicare and many insurance policies pay for this phase.
Those who move on to "Phase 3" are the winners here. Yes, we must pay for it - Medicare and insurance do NOT pay for it (but should!). We go 3 times a week and we do it until our condition deteriorates so that we can no longer leave the house. I've been going now for 11 1/2 years and I detest exercise. But I DO like breathing and not being a total invalid! We all know that hard as it is to get out of bed, get dressed and get to rehab, we will feel better if we do so. So we make the effort - yes, even in this severe cold. It helps us as much as the many meds we all take with our various chronic pulmonary conditions.
Yes, the majority of patients are COPD patients who used to smoke, but there are also people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis and other chronic pulmonary conditions which are totally unrelated to lifestyle choices.
We all try to do various exercise on various machines, for 45 minutes. We can't always achieve that goal but we work toward it. Does it "cure" us? Of course not! But it does slow down the progression of our diseases and gives us a far better quality of life. Scientists should study us!
46
@India
Interesting. By building muscle you are adding mitochondria and raising oxygen metabolism. I suspect a full spectrum of antioxidants would also help keep you in oxygen homeostasis.
As with most of the articles in this NYT series it references a small, brief study with implications for the population which are dubious at best. While some of these articles are interesting, I would suspect that they do more harm than good in persuading people to make changes in their diet and exercise plans which have a vanishingly small likelihood of yielding any actual benefit.
14
There is no evidence that vigorous exercise three times a week is bad for you, and lots, and lots, and lots of evidence that it is good for you - your brain, your heart, your emotions, your muscles, your joints, your sex drive, your sleep. How then do these articles do more harm than good?
24
Wow, what a negative attitude-especially for a Dr.
6
My MD has recommended pre/probiotics, increased fiber (vegetables, fiber pills, magnesium citrate tabs), exercise and I FEEL so much better/brighter. My depression is finally abating!
1
I am STILL waiting for a randomized controlled trial (large, long-term) to show that moderate to strenuous exercise significantly affects important "hard" outcomes and mortality.
Until that is done, all we have are studies that indicate that higher-health-consciousness or discipline and higher vitamin D (levels from being outside more) lead to better outcomes (both critical, high-impact confounders that are never controlled for) and studies with high selection bias where the causality inevitably goes in the other direction, i.e. healthier people are more able and willing to exercise than underlying-unhealthier people (considering not just their obvious previous conditions, but things like metabolism, genetics, and mitochondrial function).
Please, help me find an adequate hard-outcome randomized controlled trial!
The few tangential ones I have found indicate the same—or more—net hospitalizations for older exercisers.
1
So close. The NIH is going to start a 1,000,000 person 10-year study this year, the All of Us Project, but they are knowingly going to ignore the microbiome.
1
I think there would be substantial selection bias in creating a cohort of persons who were willing to be assigned randomly to exercise or vigorous exercise vs no exercise groups! So don't hold your breath waiting for a 'definitive' randomized controlled trial that looks at 'hard' impacts associated with exercise - that could be very unhealthy! I do believe there is enough research out there to point reasonably clearly to the impact of exercise/no exercise on health risk factors associated with poor outcomes, and the underlying mechanisms that relate exercise to those factors make sense. As well, there are ways other than randomized controlled trials to approximate the results of such experimental designs. I suspect you will find few older adults who are exercising routinely that will stop because an RCT has shown that exercise is associated with more net hospitalizations - a finding which lacks face validity. I can be a methodological hardliner, but in an area where RCTs are just not going to happen, we have to go with what data we can get. As well, for better or worse we still all have to decide on whether or not we are going to exercise -- assuming that we are not so challenged by life circumstances that we don't have time for exercise - in which case an adverse distal determinants of health profile will DEFINITELY bias odds in favor of many adverse outcomes.
5
Mtn. Vw Steve - "All of Us" is not a Randomized Controlled Trial, RCT; it is just a big Observational study. Because of it's size, it may help uncovering associations with some rarer diseases, but it will only hurt with respect to exercise issues. "Exercise-is-good-for-you" studies HAVE to be randomized because of their inherent, awful, confounder problems mentioned and their inherent, awful, selection bias issues mentioned. They HAVE to be randomized (and analyzed that way) or they are just plain deceptive.
P.S. Microbiome-based causal pathways may, indeed, be relevant for some dietary situations. But exercise? Cmon. That is grasping for straws. But then, causal pathways passed "no pain, no gain" puritanism do have to grasp for straws...
i am 87 years old and i ride my indoor bike every day
124
You shouldn't be worried about paying big pharma for short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) pills if you eat right and exercise. SCFAs are produced (as this article describes) by fermentation in the gut. You can get plenty of soluble fiber (and other nutrients) from whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits. There are also over-the-counter supplements for some SCFAs (the benefits of which are also over-hyped by their makers). So most people have the power to keep big pharma out of this aspect of their lives.
Of course, bacteria and other microorganisms that may promote health in the gut are already widely available in a variety of fermented foods. And if those sources seem too limited in their microbial offerings, you can always consider a fecal matter transplant.
7
The FDA has only approved fecal transplants for folks with C. diff or participants in formal studies. Perhaps it would be available in Asia or Europe.
3
You don't need the FDA and professionals for fecal transplants. Just find a really healthy person, and then...figure it out.
3
Our human microbiome "smartly" and "wisely" farms us as we do our domesticated plants and animals for their "own" biological DNA genetic evolutionary fit advantage.
See " On the Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin and "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawson
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Not sure of the Darwin passages on DNA selection, but I highly concur that every citizen claiming to be educated today should have read "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawson as part of shared human cultural heritage.
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Richard Dawkins (not Dawson) is name of the author of The Selfish Gene
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@SRP
Darwin was describing what he was observing and theorizing about what was happening while the later discovery of genes and DNA provided the mechanisms and methods. Darwinian natural selection is the unifying theory that "explains" and underpins all of biological science. Darwin was the Einstein of biology. But better. While Darwin's insights were also arrived at independently by Alfred Russell Wallace. Their insights were released together in collaboration for the world.
@ Christine Wilbur
Thank you.
See "Sociobiology" by Edward O. Wilson
2
Interval exercise
Decreased calories, two days a week calorie restriction.
Prebiotic diet using lots of leafy vegs
FIBER- Adding fiber supplements each day, tablespoon of polydextrose fiber (vis internet) to food each day
using probiotics , at least 1 cup a day.
See letswakeupfolks.blogspot.com=my talk to those who want to be healthy
1
Five-years ago I began making cultured kefir, a 6-8oz. cup each day. Humbly spoken, I haven't had a cold or flu (zero shots) since the 1990's. I believe the kefir along with exercise.. running 6 miles a week, healthy nutrition etc. contribute to the good health I enjoy now at my 70th b-day 1/11. :)
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To everyone else, please find your own formula. There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to diet and exercise, so please don't be fooled into thinking there is by snake oil salesmen.
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Since you haven't had a cold since the 1990s, obviously the kefir, begun just 5 years ago, is a waste of time.
Exercise is the elixir for many conditions. Want to decrease your dependence on pharmaceuticals? Exercise. Better mood? Exercise. Longer life? Exercise. Higher quality of life? Exercise. The body is designed to move. Simple as that.
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It's not really simple for those that have mobility issues.
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About a month I started swimming and doing water weights.
I sleep better ( and I happen to work the night shift.. which leaves you in a constant state of I don't know what)
I feel better, and feel no pain because the water is so easy on my limbs.
I have swallowed and spit out a lot of water, but I'm better for it.
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Do we really need more studies to confirm that exercise is good? And that maintaining the practice is necessary for ongoing benefits? What we need are more ways to give access to top gyms and trainers. A good experience with exercise goes a long way and gyms are getting pricier.
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Yes, we do really need more studies to confirm that exercise is good, but not the same old similarly-flawed ones.
We desperately need a couple large, long-term, Randomized Controlled Trials examining total "hard" outcomes, like net hospitalizations and chronic diseases. There STILL aren't any. Observational exercise studies simply cannot adequately control for critical confounders.
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Maybe this is the sort of article that would encourage a person to exercise even if they weren't able to get to a gym.
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We need more studies to show why exercise is good. The more we understand the mechanism of how exercise benefits the body, the better. And you don't need a gym to exercise. You can do it anywhere without having to put out a cent. If you have a body you can exercise to your heart's content.
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This study's results are a great 'puzzle piece' to have teased out of the big picture of how we maintain optimal health. Like several of the comments below, I can see big pharma salivating at the opportunity to sell a lifestyle bypass drug to simulate exercise induced microbiome changes. We all know, however, that it's not the same. We also know intuitively that exercise and healthy diet help to stabilize physical frailties. Like Wendy, I have them in spades, especially after a year of intense chemo and 4 major operations and 2 small ones - a few drugs to alter the "pulsating universe" in my body. https://www.drbaileyskincare.com/info/blog/breast-cancer Serendipitous, my 2018 resolution is to figure out my gut microbiome because I know it's part of the frailties (symptoms not to be mentioned but not too hard to put the puzzle together). The end result, like Wendy, is down stream inflammatory misadventures. In my case, the big drama is in the joints (enteropathic arthritis most likely). This study is fascinating in illuminating the complexity of indirect cause and effect - exercise altering gut flora activity - and gives me reason to not focus myopically on diet as I work out my 2018 resolution. Thanks for putting this study in front of me, I missed it in the medical literature.
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Understandably this sort of studies are about correlation and not cause & effect, so I should point out endurance athletes tend to consume a lot more electrolytes and marathoners do a lot of sodium loading. Those rituals or lack thereof could affect how our microbiome behave in our guts
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While existing studies were correlational, in the study reported here, they did attempt to establish causality rather than mere correlation. They added exercise to a sample of previously sedentary subjects who were asked not to modify their normal diet. The comparisons were before exercise, after exercise, and after a similar period without exercise. While the actual physiological basis of the change is not known (nor tested in the study), it is difficult to characterize the study as being “about correlation and not cause & effect”.
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While an intervention was done, the authors didn't rule that different food intake during the exercise intervention was responsible for the changes. As usual, Gretchen Reynolds' interpretation of this study goes way beyond what can be gleaned from the data.
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i can almost hear the TV ad touting "active microbes" now available in a pill. Why sweat when you can trick your body into thinking you exercise?
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Actually that is happening with genetic engineering of various bacteria.
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Forget genetic engineering. We have had "probiotics," i.e. bacteria-in-a-pill, on drug store shelves or through mail order for a long time now. Problem is, though, they don't survive through the high-acid stomach... I am not aware of ANY that have been shown to be worthwhile in any rigorous RCTs (although the pill-within-a-pill approach may show promise). Some hospitals use fecal transplants to, errr, get around this problem.
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Everyone reacts differently to the study, just as everyone reacts differently to the word "exercise". To many exercises brings to mind, work, unnecessary work that gives mixed results, doesn't make money for most, brings back ugly memories of falling, abused muscles that radiate pain. I've heard horror stories from minds locked in distrust of exercise.
It's a shame for those that never brought their bodies to experience endorphins, that calm feeling of well being. They let mind conditioning deter them gaining strength, better health and yes, great feelings of well being without any drugs!
I recommend experimentation with your lives, breaking out from behind closed minds, and use your body the way it was designed to move.
At 80, I've found the more I (don't stop reading) exercise, the better I feel, it just depends on what turns you on. Find out, get help, ask questions, try for your body and mind.
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Bravo!
2
The purpose of our drug, alcohol and tobacco addictions is the release of our bodies biochemical nature pleasure centers.
King Tut lived only 19 years in pain and suffering as a heritage of his parents being siblings. Tut is the best known and remembered Pharaoh of Egypt. "To speak the name of the dead is to make them live again" Ancient Egyptian proverb.
Picking long lived healthy parents was what my late 96 year old aunt deemed the secret of her long healthy life.
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The more we learn about our microbiomes, the more I realize that the one who is writing this very comment is a society rather then an individual. As the CEO or president of this mortal body I have to find ways to keep my employees or citizens happy.
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Mark, what about your undocumented immigrants?
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Hey Paul, maybe you should worry or inquire about your state's rising opioid-related deaths instead.
I can still hear my mother's voice saying "It's a beautiful day, go outside".
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So the, "if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, has feathers like a duck, it's a duck", hold true when comparing the human body and various functions when exposed to exercise, we become a fitter person.
4
So why can't they just put these short chain fatty acids, or the microbes that produce them, in a pill? That way you could just take the pill; no need to get up off the couch.
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Vitamins, in at least some cases, are not as effective as nutrients in food. I suspect this would also be the case with these substances--the exercise would be more effective than synthetic substitutes for it.
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The American approach to health, in a nutshell. Or rather, a pill. The mindset of shortcuts and magic elixirs is what gets us into trouble in the first place.
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Friends, I think this was meant to be a joke. Let's lighten up just a little.
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A balanced lifestyle is a must; proper water intake, clean foods, daily exercise, 7hrs of sleep.
Stop smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, avoid processed foods, be extra mindful of refine sugars and high sodium content, listen to your body for likes & dislikes.
Turn the TV & Computer off. Put the “smart phone” down, and get out there.
Your body & mind will thank you!
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Today my mind is saying, no, don't go out there and slip and break a bone or you won't be able to exercise inside or out when the good weather returns, and be careful of frostbite in this weather. My body is thanking my mind.
24
Pop science nonsense. Oprah meets Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz.
No matter your lifestyle your biological DNA genetic heritage as a result of 300,000+ years of African nature and American nurture will determine your use by mortality when, where and how.
No amount of praying, thinking and moderation can save you from your fate.
3
Will be interesting to know how much pleomorphic adaptation takes place in the microbiome since bacteria don't have fixed species and morph as the milieu changes
9
Exercise seems to play a positive role in nearly every concievable way: improves sleep, builds posture, mitigates depression, affords greater efficiency in fighting a constellation of diseases such as cancer, heart problems, and countless more. The key question is HOW will we respond to this new news: Will we become more active or stay sedentary?
This is a question that seems to be outside the domain of mainstream health sciences. I say this because despite being bathed with positive outcomes of activity, we in the wealthier countries have only become less active -- as higher obesity and diabetes type 2 rates demonstrate.
Perhaps we need insight from non-health disciplines. Perhaps someone like Plato might help who said: The part can never be well unless the whole is well. In other words, we cannot impose only active lifestyle on OURSELVES FOR LIFE simply by willing it. Perhaps we should look for the health of the whole -- nurturing our essential human needs for curiosity and meaning, supporting our self-determination and agency, building human bonds, and yes, purposeless play, both intellectual and physical.
Otherwise we would gain far too little from such scientific progress.
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It's true; we all know exercise is good for us, but it's so hard, and it has to be done several days a week. I have exercised a bit most of my life, but motivation didn't really kick in until I developed a panic disorder after my second child was born. I was desperate and read a study about how exercising 5 times per week vigorously was as effective as an SSRI and had lower relapse. I started exercising at least five times a week, the panic disappeared, and I've stuck with it since. Why? Because I was really, really motivated.
I've seen this happen with other relatives who were diagnosed with Type II diabetes. All of a sudden, the theoretical benefits of exercise became a very real thing that they needed, and so all of a sudden, it wasn't so hard to get out there.
I'm not sure there is really any way to convince a happy sedentary person that they should uproot their lives and begin a daily, time-consuming and uncomfortable habit. It's a hard sell.
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Many believe exercise and fun are not synonymous because of cynical conclusions. I found those self-powered vehicles that demand outside activity help promote well being, needed body movement and positive feelings.
There are more than bicycles, search for them such as Me-Mover, my choice that uses more energy to propel by standing, using your body to propel without pounding your joints and tendons. But one of the most important aspects it compels you to continue, increase your distance, even sprint, all this while gaining confidence in yourself with fun, even for the elderly like me.
Beats sitting and reading about having fun, just do it.
5
I would question the designation in your last paragraph of a "happy sedentary person". I have gone from a period of being sedentary to being active every day. Now I would NOT describe my sedentary self as having been happy. More like existing.
Being active now, I notice nature more, have more energy to do other things that make me happy, spend more enjoyable time with friends etc.
It's as if a sedentary life is an addiction, like alcohol, that does get one through life, but dulls one.
Much better to get the addiction of being more active.
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When the study, which involved a tiny number of people to begin with, throws up disparate results and wide ranging variability, the correct mathematical and scientific response is "it demonstrates nothing", except (a) ingenuity in getting grants on a hot topic (gut biome) and (b) the old maxim that most journals will publish virtually anything that appears interesting, whether sound or not. Exercise might have effects on the nature and activity of bacteria in and on us, but that is going to turn on complex interactions among existing bacterial colonies, amounts and types of exercise, dietary factors and individual-level genetic/epigenetic variations. A study such as the one reported is hopelessly simplified, reductionist, and limited, apart from its statistical problems.
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Science typically work on studies that examine or vary one factor at a time. Or you can overreach as my old boss did and have your research technician and graduate student take on 11 volunteers to show nothing because to many factors were involved.
4
Angry about a speculative report you weren’t forced to read. Too much time on your hands? Angry a lot? Wonder how that affects your biome.
7
During the month of January each year, I look forward to reading and being updated about tweaks we can all try that will lead to improved health.
Fiber, exercise, more intense energy burns and continuing these through the more advanced years ....well all of this makes sense.
Gosh if only higher percentages of people could just manage better weight control...... there must be something we are missing.
5
I'm wondering whether the results comparing lean vs obese volunteers was expected. If this result holds up, it supports the idea that the micro biome in obese individuals is functionally different than that of normal weight individuals. This functional difference might explain some of the paradoxes and failures of weight loss regimens, such as the results that obese individuals who lose weight must consume less calories to maintain their normal weight than someone who was always at that weight.
It also supports the idea that weight loss is a combination of exercise and diet, but dietary changes (and the accompanying micro biome changes) must be done carefully in order best support the use of exercise as an additional pillar of weight loss.
One final thing that this report highlights - there is no single micro biome. Each individual has an unique micro biome, with unique changes on the cellular level. This means it is unlikely that there will be a single probiotic mixture of microorganisms that one could take as a weight loss pill.
Instead, I suspect that we'll find that a healthy and diverse diet, along with exercise and other healthy lifestyle choices, will promote a unique healthy micro biome for that individual.
20
great stuff. we need much more research into this new field.
4
So in today's edition of Nytimes.com you have 2 different articles on how the biome is affected by fiber and by running. Both titles are on how fiber is good for us and how exercise is good for us. Both articles conclude on how the biome is relates to these benefits. Seems short sighted to me. Eating fiber and exercising have mechanical properties that affect digestion. You eat gloopy non fibrous stuff, it will take a awhile for a stool to pass though your intestine as opposed to roughage. When you run, your mechanical systems go faster internally due to the increased heart rate and the increased flow of blood, and all the movement your body does. That speeds digestion as well. No discussion of digestion in both articles. Seems myopic.
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I thought that running/ anything that engages the sympathetic nervous system slows digestion? I think blood/ oxygen is funneled away from your intestines and towards the skeletal muscles. I am no expert but I am getting MCAT flashbacks to "rest and digest" vs "fight or flight"
This article is very informative after reading " Fiber is good for you" by Carl Zimmer. Since small intestine uses glutamine and other proteins for its energy source, exercise seems to help health of large intestine like fiber.
5
Thanks for bring up the Zimmer microbiome article—which didn't allow comments. So here is one to that—that similarly applies to all "exercise" studies:
A huge problem with the fiber/whole-grains hypothesis is that, unlike with many other epidemiological food studies, this one just reeks and reels from “health consciousness” confounders (also called the “healthy user” or “healthy adherer” effect). As do observational exercise studies. In America at least, you have to go WAY out of your way to eat a lot of whole grains and fiber. They aren't found in Big Mac buns. The only people who eat large amounts of whole grains/fiber are those who are especially health conscious, perhaps our top-fifth-most health-conscious individuals. People who opt for whole grains are also much more likely to have overall better diets, to get medical screenings, to seek and take their prescriptions, to not overdo alcohol, wear sunscreen, etc. Our epidemiological models cannot account for all of these coincident “health consciousness” or discipline confounders and the combined effect of these behaviors can be HUGE. Consequently, that is what we are really measuring here, NOT any effects of fiber per se. (Google, especially, “PMID 16790458,” but also, e.g., 21203857, 20706875, 21422960, 17504779, 20869484 & 25893512.)
You have nothing to lose by consuming a lot of whole-grains/fiber instead of the alternative—so go ahead. But any benefits may turn out just to be wishful thinking. Same for exercise.
1
Exercise, fiber, meanungful work and community. They seem to be the keys to health.
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Unfortunately, many people do not do "meaningful" work. I am glad I work with students who want to become certified allied health professional. That's meaningful work.
I avoid social media, which is primarily about making us into a society of tribes, rather than building community. And I avoid most uses of personal electric devices, which tend to make people stupider and lazier, at least, mentally. When I need a mental fix, I read a good book, or look for a real human with which to have a real conversation of about some topic of common interest.
I am fortunate in that my lifestyle and job allow for lots of exercises (including walking to work from time to time).
And I also like fiber-rich foods like bran flakes, figs and vegetables.
Of course, I'll still die, probably within the next 20 years. But getting old and dying doesn't bother me.
The Carl Zimmer article was very nice. I think the science-based writers of the NY Times are THE best writers at the Times for the most part.
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Amen Sandra.
2
My parents told me this when I was a kid in the 70s.
7