Exercise and gut microbiome
Increasing global research suggests fucoidans may have a future role to play in exercise nutrition. A new study utilising high purity Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan, produced by Marinova, has shown that fucoidan supplementation enhanced exercise performance, improved muscle function and positively modulated gut microbiome in mice.
During the 10-week study, mice consuming both standard chow and high fat diets were orally supplemented with fucoidan. Their daily voluntary running activity and changes in gut microbiome were assessed. Mitochondrial-related gene expression in skeletal muscle was also evaluated.
“Fucoidan supplementation was shown to significantly increase the daily running distance and muscle mass, by 25.5% and 10.4% respectively, in mice fed a standard chow diet. More modest improvements were observed in mice fed a high fat diet,” explained Marinova’s Scientific Affairs Director, and co-author of the paper, Dr Corinna Dwan. “In addition, fucoidan supplementation was shown to upregulate the mRNA expression of key genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative capacity, regardless of diet.”
Improvements in gut microbiome health were also observed, including significant increases in beneficial bacteria Bacteroides/Prevotella, Akkermansia muciniphila and Lactobacillus, along with a notable reduction in the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio.
Dr Dwan concluded, “These findings provide further insight into the potential benefits of fucoidans in exercise performance and suggest a very promising future for these compounds in the field of sports nutrition.”
The full paper, ‘Fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida Enhances Exercise Performance and Increases the Abundance of Beneficial Gut Bacteria in Mice’ was published in the journal Marine Drugs.