Gut Reaction: Does Intense Training Affect Olympic Athletes’ Poop?

How do Olympic athletes’ diets and exercise regimens affect their performance … in the bathroom?

Olympians-in-training undergo intense and prolonged exercise routines, often accompanied by specific dietary requirements. But studies have shown that these practices — especially in endurance sports, such as marathon running — can have adverse effects on the body and, in particular, on the gastrointestinal (GI) system.

Researchers have found that rigorous training can not only lead to nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, among other physical symptoms, but also affect the bacterial communities living in the gut, which can carry additional implications for an individual’s health, experts told Live Science.