Dave: You're listening to Bulletproof Radio with Dave Asprey.
Today's cool fact of the day is that those annoying gut bacteria that keep growing in your gut—maybe doing good things, maybe doing bad things—have now been proven to do more good than bad, depending on who you are. If you are an elite athlete, it turns out your gut bacteria might help boost your physical performance.
Scientists have discovered that microbes growing in the guts of some runners after a marathon boosted the time that lab mice ran on a treadmill. These researchers, from Harvard (which means they have a cool Boston accent), published their findings in Nature Medicine.
It turns out these bacteria make lactates—compounds muscles also produce during exercise—and convert them into something that enhances endurance. What the researchers did (and I think this is incredibly cool, even though it’s gross) is collect stool samples from 15 elite runners for five days before and after they ran the 2015 Boston Marathon.
I want to see the email they sent to the runners, like: "Hey, we're really interested in your poop." But anyway, they found them and compared those microbial makeups with samples from 10 non-runners. I also want to see those emails: "Hey, is your poop as good as a marathoner's?" The marketing for that must have been fun.
The runner samples showed a spike in bacteria from the genus Veillonella (and if I mispronounced that, I’ll get corrected in today’s episode). Researchers saw the same increase in Veillonella in a group of 87 ultramarathoners and Olympic trial rowers. So, if you’re doing all this exercise, maybe it’s just to make the bacteria change. Maybe you could just change the bacteria without exercise. Would that be the ultimate bio-hack? I mean, I’d be like, “Haha, look at you, runners. I just popped a pill and ate some prebiotics, and I’m good to go.” That’s my hope, anyway.
Back to the researchers— They cultured one strain called Veillonella atypica from a runner and fed it to 32 mice. Not all the mice responded, but on average, the mice that got the bacteria from the runner's poop ran 13% longer than the control group.
Now, if you're an elite runner, that’s something that could be, dare I say, badass. See what I did there? Sorry, had to. These bacteria eat lactate to get the carbon they need to grow, which leads them to make propionate—a compound that raises heart rate and oxygen use in mice. It’s also one of the reasons I’ve been telling you for years to eat your vegetables already.
Overview:
In this episode of The Human Upgrade™, Dave Asprey talks with Tina Anderson, Co-Founder and CEO of Just Thrive Health, and Kiran Krishnan, Chief Microbiologist at Just Thrive, about spore-based probiotics that are resilient enough to survive even space. The discussion explores how these probiotics optimize gut health, improve mental wellness, and support longevity by thriving in extreme conditions. Learn how these “armor-plated” strains can strengthen your microbiome and promote better overall health.
Episode Highlights:
- How spore-based probiotics are “armor-plated” to survive harsh environments like stomach acid, ensuring they reach your gut intact.
- Why diversity in your gut microbiome is essential for mental and physical health.
The unique ability of certain probiotics to thrive even after being exposed to extreme conditions like space. - How gut bacteria communicate through quorum sensing to maintain a balanced microbiome.
- Key strategies to boost gut health, including supporting species that naturally produce essential nutrients like vitamin K2.
Resources Mentioned:
- Kiran Krishnan | Microbiome Keynotes
- Kiran Krishnan | Facebook
- Just Thrive Health | Website
- Just Thrive Health | Instagram
-
Just Thrive Health | Facebook
- Just Thrive Health | Twitter
