Effects Of Changes In Gut Microbiota Characteristics And Short-chain Fatty Acid On Rugby Players

Analysis of gut microbiota characteristics and short-chain fatty acid contents on rugby players OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential effects of gut Microbiota characteristics and short-chain fatty acid content on excellent male rugby players. METHODS: 30 male rugby players were recruited as the athlete group, and 15 male college students not majoring in physical education served as the control group. 16S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze and compare the composition and structure of the subjects' intestinal flora; GC-MS was used to determine the contents of acetic, propionic, butyric, and valeric acids in short-chain fatty acids in the subjects' fecal samples. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS26.0, and the independent samples t-test was used to compare and analyze the data between the two groups, p < 0.05. The study was officially approved by a professional ethics committee. RESUTLS: ①The abundance of Bacteroides vulgatus, Coprococcus comes and Roseburia inulinivorans in the faecal samples of the rugby players were significantly higher compared to the control group (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, p < 0.001). ②Concentrations of acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid were significantly higher in the fecal samples of rugby players compared to the control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.05). ③Observed-species index and shannon index were significantly higher in rugby players compared to the control group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Rugby players had significantly higher abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing flora components in their intestinal tracts, their fecal samples contained significantly higher levels of acetic, propionic, and butyric acids, and the α-diversity of intestinal flora in the athlete group was significantly higher. Thus, the specialized exercise loads to which rugby players are subjected may have a significant impact on their gut microbiota, where changes in the abundance of flora components may contribute to an increase in the production of short-chain fatty acids in the gut.