Football and Nutrition for Health: Multidisciplinary approach in gut microbiota modulation, nutrition, and physical fitness in school-age children

Abstract

The relationship between childhood obesity, composition of the intestinal microbiota and physical activity is a topic of growing interest and investigation. The present thesis aimed to investigate the effect of a school intervention program, "Football and Nutrition for Health", for 12 weeks, in gut microbiota modulation of overweight and obese children and in parameters related to body composition, physical fitness, eating habits and children's well-being. Children aged between 7 and 10 years were subdivided into three groups that underwent different interventions: a group that performed 2 weekly sessions of 60 minutes of recreational football, a group that performed 2 weekly sessions of 60 minutes of recreational football and 60 minutes nutritional education, and a control group that maintained their usual school curriculum. To achieve this objective, three studies were carried out. The first was a systematic review to investigate the profiles of the gut microbiota in obese and non-obese children, as well as the impact of physical activity on the modulation of the gut microbiota in overweight and obese children and adolescents. It was verified that there seems to be a dysbiotic profile associated with body weight and that interventions with physical activity result in a microbial profile similar to that of healthy children. Given the observed results, we recognised the need to investigate the effect of an intervention program with physical activity on the gut microbiota modulation. Thus, in the second study, the program "Football and Nutrition for Health" was implemented in children with overweight and obesity, between 7 and 10 years old. Performing 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, a relationship between the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio with BMI and a reduction in the genera Bifidobacterium and Roseburia after the intervention was observed. Finally, to assess the effect of the program on body composition, blood pressure, resting heart rate, physical fitness, physical activity levels, nutritional intake, nutrition knowledge and well-being, the program was extended to normal weight children. Improvements in the several parameters were clear in the intervention groups, except for nutritional knowledge which only increased in the group that received both approaches. The results of these studies highlight the importance of including physical activity and nutritional education in schools, to prevent childhood obesity, its comorbidities, and other non communicable diseases. Also, to the physical-motor development, the knowledge acquisition that allows conscious food choices, and the promotion of quality of life related to the emotional, social, and school dimension, thus contributing to healthy and happy children.