Horsetalk.co.nz Gut bacteria signal horse’s cells to improve athletic performance, study finds
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A fresh study that links gut bacteria to more efficient energy generation in the cells of horses could pave the way for dietary supplements that enhance equine performance.
Researchers, reporting in the journal
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, found that a horse’s gut microbiome communicates with its host by sending chemical signals to its cells, which has the effect of helping the horse to extend its energy output.
“We are one of the first to demonstrate that certain types of equine gut bacteria produce chemical signals that communicate with the mitochondria in the horse’s cells that regulate and generate energy,” says Eric Barrey, author of this study and the Integrative Biology and Equine Genetics team leader at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment in France.