Physical activity modifies the gut microbiota, exerting health benefits on the host; however, the specific bacteria associated with exercise are not yet known. In this work, we propose a novel method, based on hierarchical topology, to study the differences between the microbiota of active and sedentary lifestyles, and to identify relevant bacterial taxa. Our results show that the microbiota network found in active people has a significantly higher overall efficiency and higher transmissibility rate. We also identified key bacteria in active and sedentary networks that could be involved in the conversion of an active microbial network to a sedentary microbial network and vice versa.
Keywords: Roseburia; Sutterella; microbial interactions; network flow coefficient; network topology; physical exercise; sedentarism; transition bacteria.