Koutouratsas T, Philippou A, Kolios G, Koutsilieris M, Gazouli M. Role of exercise in preventing and restoring gut dysbiosis in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases: A review. World J Gastroenterol 2021; 27(30): 5037-5046 [PMID: 34497433 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i30.5037]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Maria Gazouli, PhD, Professor, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Biology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Michalakopoulou 176, Goudi, Athens 11527, Greece. mgazouli@med.uoa.gr
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 14, 2021; 27(30): 5037-5046 Published online Aug 14, 2021. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i30.5037
Role of exercise in preventing and restoring gut dysbiosis in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases: A review
Tilemachos Koutouratsas, Anastassios Philippou, George Kolios, Michael Koutsilieris, Maria Gazouli
Tilemachos Koutouratsas, Maria Gazouli, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Biology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
Anastassios Philippou, Michael Koutsilieris, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Physiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
George Kolios, Department of Medicine, Laboratory of Pharmacology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece
Author contributions: Koutouratsas T, Philippou A, and Gazouli M performed the majority of the literature search and writing; Koutsilieris M, Kolios G, and Gazouli M conceived the study, made critical revisions, and wrote the manuscript; all the authors made critical revisions and provided approval of the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors have nothing to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Maria Gazouli, PhD, Professor, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Biology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Michalakopoulou 176, Goudi, Athens 11527, Greece. mgazouli@med.uoa.gr
Received: February 26, 2021 Peer-review started: February 26, 2021 First decision: April 18, 2021 Revised: April 19, 2021 Accepted: July 12, 2021 Article in press: July 12, 2021 Published online: August 14, 2021 Processing time: 164 Days and 21.4 Hours
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) include a spectrum of chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract whose pathogenesis is yet to be elucidated. The intestinal microbiome has been studied as a causal component, with certain microbiotic alterations having been observed in subtypes of IBD. Physical exercise is a modulator of the intestinal microbiome, causing shifts in its composition that are partially corrective of those observed in IBD; furthermore, physical exercise may be beneficial in patients with certain IBD subtypes. This review studies the effects of physical exercise on the human gut microbiome while investigating pathophysiologic mechanisms that could explain physical activity’s clinical effects on patients with IBD.
Core Tip: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a spectrum of diseases that are characterized by their complex pathogenesis. The intestinal microbiome is thought to be a part of their pathogenesis, with certain alterations having been associated with IBD subtypes. Physical exercise is a modulator of the intestinal microbiome that has, furthermore, been associated with positive clinical outcomes in certain patients with IBD. Herein we discuss certain types of physical exercise, their effect on the intestinal microbiome, and its clinical effects on patients with IBD, as well as investigating underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms that could mediate the observed associations.
