Hamada Hiroki, Oyanagi Eri, Watanabe Chihiro, Aoki Takafumi, Kawashima Masato, Yajima Hiroki, Yoda Takeshi, Kremenik Michael J, Takao Toshihiro, Yano Hiromi
Department of Health and Sports Science, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, Kurashiki, JPN.
Department of Health Check-up Center, Kawasaki Medical School Hospital, Kurashiki, JPN.
Cureus. 2025 Aug 14;17(8):e90104. doi: 10.7759/cureus.90104. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Although there is much evidence for the influence of physical activity on mental illness, there is a lack of analysis of the relationship between physical activity and depression via gut microbiota. This study aimed to examine whether physical activity is associated with reduced mild depression and altered gut microbiota composition in Japanese adult women.
The participants answered the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to assess physical activity and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) to assess symptoms of depression. The inclusion criteria were as follows: age 50 to 80 years, non-smokers, and not taking antibiotics at the time of study entry. The items measured were the gut microbiota, dietary questionnaire (Brief-Type Self-Administered Diet History Questionnaire (BDHQ)), body weight, body fat percentage, blood pressure, and blood test results (glucose, HbA1c, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol). Comparison of means between groups was analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and then, the Dunn test was conducted as a post hoc test.
Alpha- and beta-diversities showed no significant differences among all groups. In the comparison between the Dep (-) group and the Dep (+) group, six bacteria were identified, whereas in the comparison between the Sed group and the Act group, five bacteria were extracted (p < 0.05). In particular, showed a positive correlation with triglycerides and HbA1c, and , which acts to suppress depression, was common in the Act and Dep (-) groups.
Our findings support the concept that physical activity influences brain functions in women with mild depression via the gut microbiota. This suggests that promoting physical activity that induces changes in the gut microbiota may be a protective approach to depression in women.
尽管有大量证据表明体育活动对精神疾病有影响，但缺乏关于体育活动与通过肠道微生物群介导的抑郁症之间关系的分析。本研究旨在探讨体育活动是否与日本成年女性轻度抑郁症的减轻及肠道微生物群组成的改变有关。
参与者回答国际体育活动问卷（IPAQ）以评估体育活动情况，并回答贝克抑郁量表第二版（BDI-II）以评估抑郁症状。纳入标准如下：年龄50至80岁、非吸烟者，且在研究入组时未服用抗生素。测量的项目包括肠道微生物群、饮食问卷（简略型自填式饮食史问卷（BDHQ））、体重、体脂百分比、血压和血液检测结果（葡萄糖、糖化血红蛋白（HbA1c）、甘油三酯、高密度脂蛋白（HDL）胆固醇和低密度脂蛋白（LDL）胆固醇）。使用双向方差分析（ANOVA）分析组间均值的比较，然后进行邓恩检验作为事后检验。
所有组之间的α-多样性和β-多样性均无显著差异。在抑郁（-）组和抑郁（+）组的比较中，鉴定出六种细菌，而在久坐组和运动组的比较中，提取出五种细菌（p<0.05）。特别是，[具体细菌名称1]与甘油三酯和糖化血红蛋白呈正相关，而具有抑制抑郁作用的[具体细菌名称2]在运动组和抑郁（-）组中较为常见。
我们的研究结果支持这样一种观点，即体育活动通过肠道微生物群影响轻度抑郁症女性的大脑功能。这表明促进能引起肠道微生物群变化的体育活动可能是预防女性抑郁症的一种保护措施。
