Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Gut Microbiota (EGM) - P & F Ancillary Study (E-Mechanic)

We will collect ancillary data for the ongoing Examination of Mechanisms of exercise-induced weight compensation (E-Mechanic; RCT; Martin CK and Church TS Co-PI's; R01 HL 102166) to investigate the independent aim and hypothesis of this pilot and feasibility (P & F) grant examining if there are differences in colonic microbial populations from a fecal sample following supervised and controlled aerobic exercise.

The proposed study seeks to better understand the role of colonic microbial populations as a mechanism of change in body weight during aerobic exercise. E-Mechanic is examining the effects of 2 tightly controlled and supervised doses of aerobic exercise, and a no-exercise control group, on energy balance and body weight over 24 wks in overweight and obese persons. The two aerobic exercise doses were: 1) 8 kcal/kg of body weight/week (KKW) (~900 kcal/wk) and 2) 20 KKW (~2250 kcal/wk) compared to a no exercise control group. The low dose of exercise (8 KKW) represents the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommendation for overall health and the higher dose (20 KKW) the recommendation for weight loss and weight loss maintenance.

Aim 1 To investigate if colonic bacterial populations differ between the exercise groups and the healthy living control group following aerobic exercise.

It is hypothesized that participants in the exercise group will have different bacterial populations than those in the healthy living control group.