Module 3.7: Exercise

Consistent exercise itself is eubiotic in nature as it promotes GM diversity and increased SCFA production independent of dietary changes (55,56). It is not yet fully understood how exactly exercise induces these positive effects within the GM. However, a 2016 study tested 39 healthy individuals, and found that independent of diet, a higher fitness level correlated with higher GM diversity and butyrate production (57). Butyrate is a well-known SCFA that is an important energy source for colonocytes, and it is important in the regulation of TJ proteins (40,41). Low butyrate production is thus logically suspected to contribute to the pathogenesis of IBD, specifically UC (18). Exercising on a consistent basis improves overall fitness levels. Thus, exercising on a consistent basis is an important and often overlooked tool that can be used to improve the composition of the GM, increase SCFA production, strengthen your TJ proteins, and help reverse the cascade that leads to IBD (4,5,8,9,10,55,56,57).

In addition to this, when I was sick and trying to heal, I noticed that I felt better when I was consistently exercising. When I looked into this I found that IBD patients can often have a stagnant and clogged lymphatic system, which causes inflammation to get trapped inside the intestines (58). The lymphatic system can be extrinsically powered by musculoskeletal movement, so exercising gets the lymphatic system flowing and helps dissipate that inflammation by allowing a functional trafficking of immune cells (58,59).

Bottom line, moderate and consistent exercise encourages better functioning of the immune system, reduces inflammation, and exerts eubiotic effects on the GM (55,56,58). You don’t want to over do it, because excessive, strenuous exercise, such as endurance training for a marathon, can have the opposite effect and cause mucosal erosion and colitis symptoms (60). So overtraining can have deleterious effects, but moderate exercise is once again an important and often overlooked way to fight IBD. I personally exercise 3-4 times per week and try to have at least 24 hours in between training sessions to ensure that I have plenty of recovery time and am not overtraining. I prefer lifting and sprints, and avoid endurance training.

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