Abstract:
Objectives To compare the gut microbiota and related fecal metabolites between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with and without exercise response, explore the relationship between exercise response and gut microbiota metabolism, and infer its influence mechanism.
Methods Sixteen T2DM patients were randomly recruited and a self-control experiment was conducted with a 6-week high-intensity interval exercise intervention. HOMA-IR data was collected three weeks in advance and the typical error was calculated to divide the subjects into an exercise response group (R group, n=9) and a non-exercise response group (NR group, n=7), and the gut microbiota and fecal metabolites of the two groups were compared.
Results ① After intervention, the α diversity of the R group increased and was significantly higher than that of the NR group. ② The microbial relationship of the R group was more complex and stable, and its network characteristics were further enhanced after intervention. ③ The dominant microbial populations differed significantly between the two groups, with the R group mainly including Christensenellaceae bacterium and Bifidobacterium adolescentic bacterium, and the NR group mainly including Veillonella bacterium and Finegoldiamagna bacterium. The significant differences within the groups were only observed in the R group, mainly including Ruminococcaceae bacterium and Clostridium bacterium. ④ The associated metabolites of the dominant microbial populations in the R group mainly included arachidonic acid and norvaline, while those in the NR group mainly included L-glutamine and 2-ethylhexanoic acid.
Conclusions The exercise response of T2DM patients is closely related to their gut microbiota. The gut microbiota of exercise responders is more stable, containing more dominant microbial populations that are positively correlated with sugar and fat metabolism, insulin metabolism, and improvement of intestinal inflammation. The changes in the abundance of these microbial populations may be an important reason for exercise response.