One of the keys to performing like an elite athlete — or at least having the metabolism of one — may be pooping like one. Transplanting feces from certain top-level cyclists and soccer players into mice boosted levels of a molecule that fuels intense workouts, researchers report March 27 in Cell Reports.
Our gut microbiota — the collection of bacteria and other microorganisms living in our digestive tract — play a crucial role in helping us digest food. When digestion goes terribly awry, a refresh of these gut bacteria may provide relief. Fecal microbiota transplants, in which a donor’s poop is transplanted into another person’s gut, have been used