Impact of sport disciplines on gut microbiota in elite athletes: evidence from Taekwondo and diving athletes

Objective Gut microbiota is closely associated with athletic performance, but differences between sport disciplines have rarely been reported. This study collected gut microbiota samples from athletes across different sport disciplines to further elucidate sport-specific effects on gut microbiota, thereby providing empirical evidence for the “exercise-gut microbiota” relationship within specialized athletic domains. Methods Gut microbiota from 27 professional Taekwondo athletes and 11 diving athletes underwent high-throughput sequencing analysis. Results (1) No significant difference existed in gut microbiota α-diversity between Taekwondo and diving athletes; (2) No significant differences were observed in gut microbiota structure (β-diversity) between Taekwondo athletes and diving athletes; (3) Intergroup differences existed in the gut microbiota of Taekwondo athletes vs. diving athletes; (4) Regarding KEGG pathways of gut microbiota between Taekwondo and diving athletes, 12 metabolic pathways showed significant differences. Specifically, lipid IVA biosynthesis and Kdo transfer to lipid IVA III pathways were lower in Taekwondo athletes than in diving athletes, whereas pathways including glycine biosynthesis of tetrapyrrole II, and inositol, chiro-inositol, and scyllo-inositol degradation were higher. Conclusion Taekwondo athletes and diving athletes exhibit distinct differences in gut microbiota composition and multiple metabolic pathways, but show no significant difference in diversity.