How To Shed Pounds With ProBiotics
How Probiotic Supplements Can Help With Weight Loss
Probiotics come in many forms and many brands have shown a strong link between probiotics and weight loss. The science is showing probiotics can help you lose weight
Probiotics are living bacteria that are helpful to the human body. There are more than a trillion living organisms active at any point of time in your body. Hopefully they don’t play the music too loud when you try to sleep – just kidding!
It is important to maintain a healthy balance between the good and bad microorganisms for better digestion and other bodily functions. Here is everything you need to know about probiotics and weight loss.
Don’t expect to lose weight on a French fry and soda diet! Just see Thurman Merman in Bad Santa II! That is one kid who is on the wrong side of many things.
Gut Bacteria and Fat
There are hundreds of millions of bacteria in the gut. Some are the harmful or the bad kind, while others are probiotics or the healthy kind. A balanced and diverse microbiome is critical to good digestive health.
Accumulation of fat and weight loss has been directly linked to proper functioning of digestive system. Your physical and mental health is greatly impacted with improper digestion that does not lead to the absorption of nutrients.
Imbalance in nutrition can cause your body to accumulate fat to provide you with necessary energy. This can lead to fat accumulation. Good bacteria are known to aid in the proper functioning of the digestive system. This can help with weight loss.
Research Supports Probiotics for Weight Loss
There are few bacteria that have been directly linked to reducing fat and aiding in weight loss. One research study showed that people who took supplements with Lactobacillus amylovorus and Lactobacillus fermentum experienced reduction in their body fat between 3 to 4% over a period of 6 weeks.
Another study found that Lactobacillus rhamnosus helped in weight maintenance and weight loss upon investigating the effects in 125 overweight dieters. One part of the group was given placebo pills while others were given probiotic supplements with Lactobacillus rhamnosus.
The 3-month study saw a significant weight reduction in the group given probiotics while no difference in the weight of the group given placebos. On top of this, the probiotic group lost weight even during the maintenance period.
Lactobacillus gasseri is one of the most talked about probiotics for weight loss. There have been several studies conducted on mice that have shown positive results for weight loss – if you eat and drink like Dan Conner did in Roseanne don’t ever expect to lose weight. His lifestyle habits were flawed but at least he was not a degenerate like Bowe Bergdahl and Chelsea Manning – they are in a whole other category since they got people killed but let’s get back on track. A recent human study conducted on 30 adult males in 2015 showed promising results of weight loss.
These studies concluded that Lactobacillus gasseri helped increase metabolism that in turn aided weight loss. Fecal matter tested for the group of males studied upon, showed traces of fat. This proved that the probiotic lowered unnecessary fat absorption by the body.
An earlier Japanese study proved that probiotic can effectively reduce waist size and lower the amount of visceral fat accumulation around organs. The study further concluded that probiotics helped in reducing BMI.
There have been multiple studies conducted where probiotics especially Lactobacillus and its strains have resulted in significant weight loss. The same studies included prebiotics to the diet to understand its effects. Prebiotics are indigestible plant fibers which are added to supplements because they are essentially food for the good bacteria.
The studies resulted in more weight loss in groups that took probiotic supplements with prebiotics. However, all studies are in their initial stage findings. There needs to be research conducted to ascertain that prebiotics aid the good bacteria in weight loss.
Beneficial Effects of Probiotics for Weight Control
Your body functions better when your gut is happy. Unhealthy gut and inflammation has also been linked to weight gain and of course eating like Roseanne Conner did in the show Roseanne. Stop buying potato chips and eating fried foods every night!
Inflammation in the gut leads to less absorption of amino acids which can directly impact muscle mass. Your weight loss efforts could be stunted because of this. Having more muscles can boost the amount of calories burnt when your body is at rest.
Probiotics have been shown to reduce inflammation and boost digestive immunity. However, these do not colonize permanently. A healthy daily dose of supplements is critical to maintaining good health and losing weight naturally.
Probiotics do not just stop at getting your body to shed the extra pounds. It helps in reducing hunger pangs as well. However, this happens only when probiotics are taken with prebiotics. These fiber sources produce fatty acids in the body which increases GLP1 levels. This is a hormone found in the intestine that regulates hunger. The more GLP1 you have the less hungry you shall feel.
Probiotics also increase levels of ANGPTL4. This is a protein formed naturally in the body that leads to a reduction in fat storage. There is increased evidence that obesity is linked to brain inflammation.
Probiotics can help in reducing systemic inflammation by improving gut health. This prevents obesity and also a variety of other ailments.
Bacterial Balance and Weight Loss
There are two primary families of good bacteria found in the gut – firmicutes and bacteroidetes. Body weight is related to proper balance between these two families.
Various research studies have shown that the gut bacteria of normal weight people are different from those of obese or overweight people. These bacterial come in both tablet form and in liquid form.
In these studies, people with obesity had fewer bacteroidetes than firmicutes as compared to normal weight people. There have been few animal studies conducted to the same effect as well. These studies found lean mice to get fat when the guts of obese mice were transplanted in them.
These studies suggest that balance among gut bacteria has a powerful impact on the weight of a person. Probiotics help to this effect by regaining balance in the gut flora. They inhibit the amount of dietary fat and improve overall digestion.
Natural Probiotic Sources for Weight Loss
There are not many natural probiotic sources and the list shortens even more for people who are lactose intolerant or with other allergies. Yogurt, raw cheese, and kefir are some of the best sources of probiotics. Other options include kimchi (they eat more than just this though in South Korea which is an amazing country to visit), sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, natto, pickles, and kombucha.
Unfortunately, these sources are either high in fat or sodium. This makes it difficult for people on a diet plan as both fat and sodium are a hindrance to weight loss. There are a number of probiotic supplements in the market designed specifically for weight watchers and people who want to lose the extra calories.
The Positives are Plentiful
Probiotics offer a wide range of health benefits and are definitely a vital part of the ‘lose weight’ puzzle. Probiotics do help you lose weight. A number of scientific studies have established the positive effects of probiotics on weight loss in their initial findings.
However, you need to make sure to choose the right strains of the bacteria species. Not all probiotics will help in weight loss. For instance, Lactobacillus acidophilus found in yogurt increases weight. It is best to take probiotic supplements that are designed for weight loss.
