Faecal microbiome, gastrointestinal integrity, inflammation and thermoregulation in recent exertional heat illness patients and matched controls

Alex A M Gould; Neil P Walsh; Michael J Tipton; Michael J Zurawlew; Omar Tayari; Carol House; Simon K Delves; Samuel C Robson; Janis J Shute; Joy E M Watts; Andrew J Roberts; Alex J Rawcliffe; Megan R Robinson; Jo Corbett

doi:10.1113/EP092849

Faecal microbiome, gastrointestinal integrity, inflammation and thermoregulation in recent exertional heat illness patients and matched controls

Exp Physiol. 2025 Jun 23. doi: 10.1113/EP092849. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Extreme Environments Laboratory, School of Psychology, Sport, and Health Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
² School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
³ Environmental Medicine and Science Division, Institute of Naval Medicine, Alverstoke, UK.
⁴ Institute of Life Sciences and Healthcare & Centre for Enzyme Innovation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
⁵ School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
⁶ School of the Environment and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
⁷ Army Recruit Health and Performance Research, Medical Branch, HQ Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command, Ministry of Defence, Upavon, UK.

PMID: 40551374
DOI: 10.1113/EP092849

Abstract

The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota and GI barrier integrity are hypothesised to contribute to exertional heat illness (EHI) aetiology. We compared the faecal microbiome, GI barrier integrity, inflammation and thermoregulation of 29 recent (∼4 months) EHI patients (a group with elevated EHI risk) and 29 control individuals without prior EHI history, matched for variables influencing thermoregulation and GI microbiota. Participants completed an exercise heat tolerance assessment (HTA), with faecal microbiome assessed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of stool samples and blood biomarkers of GI barrier integrity and inflammation measured pre- and post-HTA. With the exception of the Simpson index (patient = 0.97 ± 0.01 vs. control = 0.98 ± 0.00, P = 0.030), there were no between-groups differences in faecal microbiome composition (α-diversity, β-diversity, relative abundance, differential abundance), GI barrier integrity, inflammation or terminal thermoregulatory indices. Individuals were subsequently classified as heat tolerant (n = 46) or intolerant (n = 12) on the basis of the HTA. Heat intolerant individuals demonstrated lower sudomotor response (intolerant = 0.53 (0.17) vs. tolerant = 0.62 (0.20) L m^-2 h^-1, P = 0.011) despite greater thermoregulatory strain (e.g., terminal T_rec: intolerant = 39.20 ± 0.31 vs. tolerant = 38.80 ± 0.31°C, P < 0.001), lower Firmicutes:Bacteroidota ratio (intolerant = 3.7 (0.6) vs. tolerant = 4.5 (2.0), P = 0.019) and higher plasma [sCD14] (P = 0.014), but other aspects of faecal microbiome, GI integrity or inflammation did not differ from heat tolerant individuals. In conclusion, the faecal microbiome composition and the GI barrier integrity and inflammatory responses to exercise heat-stress showed limited differences between recent EHI patients and matched controls, or between individuals classified as heat intolerant or heat tolerant and are unlikely to explain elevated EHI risk in recent EHI patients, or heat intolerance.

Keywords: exercise induced gastrointestinal syndrome; gastrointestinal paradigm; heat stroke; intestinal epithelial hyperpermeability; military.

Grants and funding

Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command