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Sports/Performance Nutrition (Poster Session)

(P29-013-25) High Dietary Fiber Supplementation Enhances the Gut Microbiota Health and Athletic Performance of College Basketball Players

Monday, June 2, 2025
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board B-22

    Presenting Author(s)

  • QW

    Qirong Wang, PhD (he/him/his)

    Director of Key Lab of Sports Nutrition, General Administration of Sport of China
    National Institute of Sports Medicine
    Beijing, Beijing, China (People's Republic)

    • Co-Author(s)

  • YC

    Yashan Chang, Master of Bioinformatics

    National Institute of Sports Medicine
    Beijing, Beijing, China (People's Republic)

  • MX

    Mai Xiang

    Beijing Sports University, Beijing, China (People's Republic)

  • DL

    Dansong Liu, Ph.D.

    Hubei University of Technology
    Wuhan, Hubei, China (People's Republic)

  • YZ

    Yu Zha

    Shanghai University of Sport
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

  • Tieying Li, PhD in Sport Science

    Side Gate, A2 Gymnasium Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing
    National Institute of Sports Nutrition
    Beijing, Beijing, China (People's Republic)

Disclosure(s):
Qirong Wang, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: Intense exercise can impair gastrointestinal function and gut microbiota, negatively affecting athletic performance. Dietary fiber is known to enhance gut microbiota diversity and promote recovery. This study aimed to investigate the effects of 8 weeks of dietary fiber supplementation in college basketball players.

Methods: Twenty male players (17–25 years) were randomly assigned to a high-dose group (HDG; 6.84 g/day fiber) or low-dose group (LDG; 3.24 g/day fiber). Participants consumed fiber-enriched meals daily while maintaining their regular training. Outcomes included gut microbiota diversity (metagenomic sequencing), body composition, blood biochemical parameters, and performance metrics.

Results: Nineteen participants completed the study. Both groups showed significant improvements (p < 0.05) in body weight, body fat, fatigue recovery markers, aerobic/anaerobic capacity (VO₂Max, Maximum Power, Average Power), and basketball-specific performance (Single-Leg Jump, Half-Court Triangle Run). In the HDG, fasting glucose significantly decreased (p=0.001). Gut microbiota analysis revealed that the HDG had lower Firmicutes (p=0.022) and higher Bacteroidetes (p=0.043) abundances compared to the LDG, while the LDG showed an increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. The LDG also exhibited a significant post-intervention rise in the Chao1 index, and beta diversity analysis indicated significant microbiota shifts (p=0.0065, R=0.272). Species-level analysis showed more stable and concentrated species in the HDG, while the LDG had increased abundances of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Lachnospiraceae bacterium, Eubacterium rectale, and Eubacterium hallii (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis indicated negative associations between cortisol changes and the abundances of key gut bacteria, including Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Roseburia species.

Conclusions: Dietary fiber supplementation improved gut microbiota composition, body composition, fatigue recovery, and athletic performance in college basketball players, regardless of dose. These findings suggest potential benefits of dietary fiber for athletes, warranting further research into higher doses and specific fiber types.

Funding Sources: Funded by the National Key R&D Program of China