Probiotics for weight loss are a hot topic these days. The benefits of probiotics are widely discussed and their uses as far as weight loss goes are now well-known. But before we get into the benefits of probiotics, let’s take a look at what they are.
The word “probiotics” comes from the Greek roots meaning “for life” and it refers to a group of microorganisms that can help maintain your health.
In western medicine, Probiotics have been used for centuries as medical treatment. It is estimated that over 40% of Microbiome research is performed on probiotic fermentation products with yeast being at the forefront of this research.
Perhaps, one of the most famous probiotic cultures is Saccharomyces boulardii or Salbenwurzel for short which was first discovered more than 100 years ago.
It’s commonly used as a treatment against respiratory infections caused by Staphylococcus Aureus and Streptococci Beta-hemolytic group A bacteria that are often found in stored product fermentation tanks just like hydrolyzed protein products.
Its biotechnology helps it maintain a stable state in the body and its potential benefits have been utilized by many for years, even before industry made use of genetic technology to produce strains more cheaply than ever before.
Strains such as Sacc which are almost 200 times less expensive can be another valuable source of probiotics due mainly to their typically higher uptake rate from the digestive tract compared with other strains found in fermented food or supplements respectively.
What exactly is a probiotic?
Probiotics, first and foremost, are live microorganisms (similar to yeast) that occur naturally in the body.
First coined by Hinrich Henschel in 1879, the way we now know them was not determined until 1982 when Elisabeth Ulrich and colleagues at the University of Idaho helped create their current laboratory identification techniques. By now, there are over 15 different species of “probiotics”.
To top it all off, probiotics can be found living on humans and within our diet!
That’s right – these organisms also lurk inside products like dairy or kombucha, which makes it possible to get them through foods! These bacteria are also found in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, and kimchi.
They may be present in our body naturally or they can influence the number of helpful gut bacteria that we excrete.
When this happens, the effects are similar to when they are found in foods. Most importantly, probiotics have their own set of benefits!
Probiotics have been definitively shown in previous studies conducted by undergraduate researchers under the direction of co-authors Professor Drs. Veejer and Chu at NYU Langone Medical Center to help maintain your healthy gastrointestinal system – specifically Elisabeth Ulrich’s research is what has proven that these bacteria can even help prevent obesity, strengthen your immune system, and build immunity up to 23% better than people who didn’t take probiotics.
Do probiotics really help with weight loss?
Probiotics help to maintain a healthy digestive system and relieve symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and ulcerative colitis.
Probiotics also act as prebiotics meaning that they feed our existing population of beneficial microbes (called “good” bacteria) in the gut. Prebiotic foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir may be consumed for their probiotic benefits or to increase short-chain fatty acid production which is formed by multiple fermented foods.
Probiotics have been found to increase the number of good bacteria in the gut, which helps to flush out bad bacteria and toxins. They can also help regulate appetite by stimulating satiety hormones that tell a person they are full. It has also been found to help with weight loss by suppressing appetite.
Probiotics are microbes that provide health benefits for the host organism by living within the digestive tract. They contain bacterial genera such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which are found both in fermented foods, as well as across cultures in differing products like yogurt drinks or probiotics supplements.
Purposely taking bacteria is one way people introduce new organisms into their bodies.
Probiotic pills that contain live cultures of troublesome or non-beneficial gastrointestinal microorganisms have been used for treatment since the 1960s by naturopathic physicians and others who belong to holistic medicine systems worldwide. Taking or ingesting probiotics is a more indirect way of introducing exogenous bacteria.
Their effects are even more apparent in lean adults under conditions where the body still produces gases that could potentially increase fat storage, which can be because someone has a “metabolic abnormality” known as rapid carbohydrate metabolism (RCM).
With RCM, meals are digested quicker than normal because there aren’t any delays in the biotin journey. Instead of concentration, there is oxidative damage due to impaired metabolism, and fermentation byproducts can also promote fat storage.
While this means energy expenditure isn’t performed as efficiently; it does NOT mean people should be starving themselves because it decreases satiety signals or stimulation to eat less (especially during times when caloric intake exceeds caloric output).
If you are looking for ways to help lose weight without the risk of putting on more fat, you can include probiotics in your diet.
How to use probiotics for weight loss?
Probiotics are usually used to help with digestive issues, but they can also be beneficial for weight loss. When people have a healthy gut, it is easier for them to digest their food and fewer calories are consumed.
Probiotics should be taken in supplement form or as part of a diet that includes probiotic foods high in fiber.
A great probiotic supplement is called BioFit probiotic. It’s made from a proprietary blend of 12 different strains of probiotic bacteria.
The custom-blended formula provides more than 130 billion CFUs on average per capsule, and the first 30 million viable organisms can be consumed with each dose for maximum effectiveness. BioFit probiotic supplement is available for purchase through the official website, where you can take advantage of the great discounts they offer.
Click here to read my full BioFit review.
Probiotics Benefits
There are many people who swear by the benefits of probiotics. The human digestive system contains millions of probiotic bacteria.
These good bacteria are essential for maintaining a healthy digestive balance because they help to break down food. The more diverse the gut probiotics are, the healthier you will be…regardless of whether or not you continue taking them after weight loss occurs!
The use of probiotics for weight loss is followed by the below health benefits:
- Probiotics are good for your digestive system.
- They can help you with diarrhea, constipation, and other digestive problems.
- They can help you maintain a healthy immune system.
- They can also help you to lose weight.
- They can help you feel better.
- They can help with bloating and gas.
- They can help with allergies and colds.
The science behind probiotics for weight loss
Several strains of probiotics from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families have been shown to reduce weight and reduce belly fat. Lactobacillus gasseri of all probiotic bacteria studied until now has some of the most promising weight loss effects. (Sources 1, 3)
The most promising data on probiotics and weight loss come from a study published in 2013 in the British Journal of Nutrition which examined the effects of a probiotic strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG), and in 2020 researchers provided study participants with probiotics for an RCT to explore the benefits of weight loss. (Sources 2)
Probiotics that were included in the study helped test subjects achieve greater weight loss, healthier BMI, and less belly fat. Many studies support a good link between immunity, weight loss, gut health, and probiotics, due to the many links between probiotics and various health benefits.
There is strong scientific evidence to support probiotics and their uses; research has shown that probiotics and good gut bacteria help prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, but there is new research linking probiotic supplementation to improved body weight, reduced waistline, and decreased body weight.
Probiotics can help you lose weight and reduce belly fat! A recent review of well-designed probiotic and weight-loss studies in overweight and obese people shows that probiotics can help you lose weight and reduce your body fat percentage. (Sources 3)
In fact, more and more studies have shown that introducing suitable probiotics into your body has a huge impact on your weight… and whether your body can burn fat, but according to research, the strains included in your diet can really affect weight loss and fat burning.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of twelve randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 821 participants in 2018 found that those who received the probiotic supplement experienced greater reductions in body weight, waist circumference, body fat, and BMI than controls in groups. (Sources 3)
This study found that the probiotic group lost weight by 47.6%, while the control group lost a 38.5% weight loss. The probiotic group showed a statistically significant decrease in bacterial overgrowth compared to the control group.
This study also found that the probiotic group had higher levels of vitamin B12 than the control group (who did not take probiotics).
In a 2015 study by the Stanford University School of Medicine, researchers found that patients who took probiotics after gastric bypass gained more weight than those who did not take probiotic supplements.
A small study from 2015 found that men who took VSL # 3 probiotics with multiple exercises gained less weight (3.12 versus 5.06 pounds) and fat (1.39 versus 2.83 pounds) when adhered to high-fat diets for 4 weeks compared to men taking placebo.
However, in these studies, not all probiotics contribute to weight loss and body fat reduction, although the same strains were used.
Although these studies do not necessarily show the benefits of probiotics for weight loss, they do show that the use of probiotics can help control weight by reducing the number of excess calories stored in the form of fat.
Another positive effect of probiotics on body weight is that they can reduce the amount of fat currently stored in the body.
Although some probiotics have been shown to eliminate some of the excess fat the body consumes before causing problems, it seems that probiotics can help reduce the amount of excess fat stored in the body.
The same study showed that probiotics can reduce the amount of fat already stored in the body, which has aroused people’s interest in the ability of these probiotics to promote metabolism. (Sources 2)
While there is still no clarity as to how probiotics impact our body weight, two recent studies suggest that a link exists.
Researchers concluded that probiotics can manipulate the gut microbiota to prevent or potentially cure obesity; these studies have shown that selective mixtures of probiotic strains may be more effective in improving metabolic parameters associated with obesity than individual strains. (Sources 1)
In a well-designed study, 114 obese adults received lactobacillus sakei probiotic or placebo for 12 weeks and the probiotic group continued to lose weight.
Plantarum KY1032 in combination with L. curvatus showed reductions in body weight gain, plasma fat and insulin accumulation, leptin, total cholesterol, and liver toxicity biomarkers… (Sources 3)
According to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Functional Foods, a link between fat loss and the probiotic strains Lactobacillus fermentum and Lactobacillus amylovorus (3% and 4%, respectively) was found but only 28 participants were tested.
Taking a probiotic with the Lactobacillus gasseri strain may help reduce body weight, body fat, body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumference. (Sources 2)
Probiotics side effects
The side effects of probiotics are not well researched. Some research has shown that people with lactose intolerance or inflammatory bowel disease may experience diarrhea, gas, bloating, and abdominal pain after taking probiotics. However, these side effects are also common in many people without IBS.
Additionally, some research has shown inconsistent results when looking at the effect of probiotics on blood sugar levels or glycemic index.
In general, the intake of probiotics by the general population is not linked to negative side effects, but high doses (above eight billion units daily) can lead people with diabetes to develop low blood sugar levels.
High doses of probiotics have been linked to increased risk for bacterial vaginosis and changes in vaginal flora.
Additionally, there have been few reports of allergic reactions to probiotics, so always before taking any supplement consult with your doctor first.
The best types of probiotics for weight loss
The best types of probiotics for weight loss are those that can help to regulate your appetite. Lactobacillus Plantarum, which is an indigenous strain to the human microbiome, has been shown to decrease appetite and increase satiety in rats.
Another beneficial strain is Bifidobacterium longum, which regulates the production of serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitters that influence feelings of satiety. Bifidobacteria longum also helps to improve digestion.
Bifidobacterium longum strains have been studied more often than other “beneficial” strains due to their health benefits, so it is recommended you take a probiotic containing this genus if weight loss is your goal.
Of course, your gut bacteria may be beneficial to you in terms of weight loss for other reasons besides regulating appetite; if so, selecting the right probiotic is paramount!
Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) has recently been shown to be an effective treatment for obese mice.
The bacteria counteract the biological changes that result in obesity by activating satiety hormones. Ultimately, it is your genes and genetics that determine if probiotic supplements will help you lose weight.
You can’t trust all of what you read about probiotics any more than you can trust all of what you read on the latest macronutrient HIIT or intermittent fasting fad diet.
Only a carefully selected type of probiotic will work for your weight loss goals and that’s provided they have been scientifically validated as being effective before being introduced to supplements.
To wrap things up
The best way to lose weight is by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Probiotics can help you with your weight loss goals, but only if they are carefully selected for your needs. As always, work with a qualified health care provider for any dietary supplements or other treatments before introducing them to your daily diet.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Q: Do probiotics really help with weight loss?
A: Yes, several studies have been completed showing that using probiotics for weight loss was effective. In one study published by Harvard researchers in the journal Gastroenterology, 60% of obese women who took a probiotic supplement showed an average reduction in body mass index (BMI) compared to those without supplementation.
Q: Are probiotics safe?
A: Probiotics are considered very safe products by the manufacturing companies themselves. There have not been any major reported side effects or complications, even with people who suffer from autoimmune diseases, which many suspects are linked to frequent antibiotic use in our guts due to digestive disease “gut flora imbalance.”
Q: When should I take probiotics for weight loss?
A: These days, there are many types of probiotic dietary supplements for weight loss. Some people prefer to take their probiotics before meals, some with meal-time snacks, and others with post-workout or pre/post-workout snack packages that mix up the dosage throughout the day.
The big difference is not when you take your supplements – it’s how long you can wait between servings in each strand of bacteria! If you have never tried probiotics before, it is best to take them first thing in the morning, so your body can build up a reserve in the healthy bacteria throughout the day.
Q: Do probiotics slim your stomach?
A: Yes, studies have shown this. The probiotics in the gut exert a number of beneficial effects on your digestive system and body overall! They do not just slim your stomach but they also improve digestion so you feel less bloated, which causes weight loss because fewer calories are stored in adipose (fat) cells when calories are digested poorly due to bloating.
REFERENCES
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6412733/
- https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/a19940475/probiotics/
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/probiotics-and-weight-loss
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