Kefir Modifies Gut Microbiota Composition, Reduces Physical Fatigue, and Improves Exercise Performance
We all know physical exercise is so important for our wellbeing. But it can get very disheartening when we spend countless hours in the gym, not see the benefits proportional to the effort nor reflected on the scales or in the mirror. I struggled for years with this exact phenomenon and it was only when I discovered the importance of gut health that I saw the scales and my appearance significantly improved. The funny thing is that I went from doing five days of intense weight training (2 hours sessions) per week to just one day of training (40 mins session) per week. These are my personal observations but some of the things I've learned might be the missing piece of the puzzle for you.
My success can be put down to 2 things:
1) I adopted a Ketogenic Diet
You can learn more about the Ketogenic diet and its beneficial impacts on the microbiome:
Keto Diet & Gut Bacteria w/ Dr David Perlmutter, MD
And the impact of the Ketogenic Diet for those with metabolic issue (this includes me):
Dr Peter Attia - An Advantaged Metabolic State: Human Performance, Resilience & Health
2) I consume home made Kefir especially post workout
Kefir has been a daily staple for me for the past 8 years. I usually consume around 600g per day. And the benefits have ranged from improved body composition i.e. more muscle/ less adipose tissue to feeling far less anxious compared to pre kefir consumption.
I pay close attention to my kefir consumption post work out when my body is screaming out for nutrients and kefir certainly delivers lots of bioavailable protein, essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals and off course probiotics for recovery. Here is a typical nutritional analysis of home made milk kefir.
It wasn't until recently that I found a study about the performance enhancing ability of kefir which confirms my observational data.
Kefir Supplementation Modifies Gut Microbiota Composition, Reduces Physical Fatigue, and Improves Exercise Performance in Mice.
The study shows that kefir consumption demonstrates significant benefits including fatigue reduction, a lower Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes Ratio (F/B ratio) and improves exercise performance.
Based on the study, a dosage rate of ~2 to 11g per g/kg body weight/ day was enough to illicit a positive physiological response. Dosage of ~4 to 11 g/kg body weight/ day to lower F/B ratio (may promote weight loss in people with an over abundance of Firmicutes).
This study was based on mice, and I hope this will open the door for human studies but this is very promising indeed.
If you looking for a natural edge in your exercise regime, kefir consumption might be something worth considering. And remember you can also make kefir with coconut milk if dairy is an issue for you.
Learn how to make kefir here:
https://www.nourishmeorganics.com.au/collections/organic-kefir-starter-cultures
Discover your Microbiome here:
