Autor(es): Morgado, Micaela C. ; Sousa, Mónica ; Marques, Cláudia ; Coelho, André B. ; Costa, Júlio A. ; Seabra, André
Data: 2023
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/158269
Origem: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Assunto(s): Bifidobacterium; childhood obesity; Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio; football; gut microbiota; nutrition; physical activity; Prevotella; Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health; SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Funding Information: This research was funding by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT/UIDB/00617/2020) and by the Portuguese Football Federation, Portugal Football School. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
Childhood obesity continues to represent a growing challenge, and it has been associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. This study examines the gut microbiota composition in overweight and obese school children and assesses whether a 12-week multidisciplinary intervention can induce changes in the gut microbiota. The intervention, which combined recreational football and nutritional education, was implemented among 15 school children, aged 7–10 years, with a Body Mass Index ≥ 85th percentile. The children were assigned into two groups: Football Group (n = 9) and Nutrition and Football Group (n = 6). Faecal samples were collected at the beginning and end of the program and analysed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. Over the intervention, a significant decrease was found collectively for Bifidobacterium genera (p = 0.011) and for Roseburia genera in the Football Group (p = 0.021). The relative abundance of Roseburia (p = 0.002) and Roseburia faecis (p = 0.009) was negatively correlated with moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), while Prevotella copri was positively correlated with MVPA (p = 0.010) and with the daily intake of protein (p = 0.008). Our findings suggest that a multidisciplinary intervention was capable of inducing limited but significant positive changes in the gut microbiota composition in overweight and obese school children.
