Lauren Petersen, a scientist at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut, is one of an elite group of scientists looking at the gut microbiology of athletes. Petersen, who founded the Athlete Microbiome Project, is specifically researching cyclists.
Her connection to the topic is intimate. Petersen contracted Lyme Disease at 11 years old. She was on and off antibiotics and generally sick for more than a decade. Then, as she was finishing her PhD,
she gave herself a fecal transplant from a competitive cyclist.
“I couldn’t find a doctor who could help me,” remembers Petersen.
But a few months after her transplant, Petersen was training five days a week (up from her usual two). She started enduro racing, and was soon placing and even winning in the pro field.
As for actual poop doping…. fecal transplants are available, but not in the U.S. And if you do find a clinic willing to do it, Petersen warns that "you can’t choose your donor, and it’s a risky procedure. As with any transplant, your immune system could reject what you get. It’s not something you should take lightly.
