When consumed, probiotics are live bacteria that provide health advantages. Supplements and fermented foods both contain them. Probiotics can help with your immune system, digestion, and heart health, among other things.

Probiotics have also been linked to weight loss and belly fat reduction in several studies.

Gut Bacteria May Have an Impact On Body Weight Management

In your digestive tract, there are hundreds of microorganisms. The bulk of them is beneficial bacteria that create essential nutrients such as vitamin K and B vitamins. They also aid in the wreck of fiber that your body is unable to digest, converting it to useful short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate.

The gut bacteria are divided into two groups: Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. The stability of these two bacteria groups seems to be linked to body weight.

Moderate-weight persons have different gut microbes than those who are overweight or obese, according to both human and animal studies.

Obese people had fewer Bacteroidetes and more firmicutes than moderate-weight people in the majority of the investigations.

Several studies, however, have found no link between obesity and the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio.

Obese persons have a smaller variety of gut flora than thin people. Furthermore, obese patients with less diverse gut bacteria tend to gain more weight than obese people with more diverse gut bacteria.

According to certain animal experiments, when obese mice’s gut microbes were transplanted into the stomachs of lean mice, the lean mice developed obesity.

What Effect Do Probiotics Have on Body Weight?

The methods through which probiotics influence body weight and belly fat are unknown.

Probiotics appear to alter hunger and energy expenditure by producing short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate.

Certain probiotics are thought to prevent dietary fat from being absorbed, resulting in more fat being expelled into the stool.

They make your body “harvest” fewer calories from the foods you eat, in other words.

Bacteria from the Lactobacillus family, for example, have been discovered to function in this way. Probiotics may also help people lose weight in other ways, such as:

• Probiotics may aid in the release of the appetite-suppressing hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY). Increased levels of these hormones may aid calorie and fat burning.
• Probiotics may raise levels of the fat-regulating protein angiopoietin-like 4 (Angiopoietin-like 4). (ANGPTL4). This may result in less fat storage.

Obesity is linked to inflammation all across the body, according to a lot of data. Probiotics may reduce systemic inflammation and protect against obesity and other disorders by increasing the condition of your gut lining.

To completely comprehend these systems, more research is required.

Probiotics May Aid Weight Loss and Belly Fat Reduction

Probiotics can help you lose weight and lower your body fat percentage, according to a recent review of well-designed studies on probiotics and weight loss in people with overweight and obesity.

Certain Lactobacillus strains, for instance, have been shown in tests to aid weight loss and belly fat reduction.

In one study, eating Lactobacillus fermentum or Lactobacillus Amylovorus yogurt for 6 weeks lowered body fat by 3–4%. (29).

Another study looked at the impact of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus supplements on weight reduction and maintenance in 125 overweight dieters.

Over the course of three months, women who took the probiotics dropped 50% more weight than those who took a dummy pill. During the study’s weight maintenance phase, they continued to lose weight.

For 12 weeks, 114 obese people were given either the probiotic Lactobacillus Sakei or a placebo in a well-designed trial. Both body fat mass and waist circumference decreased significantly in those who took the probiotic.

Lactobacillus Gasseri

Lactobacillus Gasseri, of all the probiotic bacteria examined so far, has shown to have some of the most promising weight-loss effects. It has been conferred to have anti-obesity properties in a number of animal experiments.

Adult studies have also yielded encouraging outcomes.

One study indicated that consuming Lactobacillus gasseri for 12 weeks lowered body weight, fat around organs, BMI, waist size, and hip circumference in 210 patients with significant quantities of belly fat.

Furthermore, the amount of belly fat was reduced by 8.5 percent. When the subjects stopped taking the probiotic, they quickly regained all of their abdominal fat.

Other Strains

Other probiotic strains may also aid in weight loss and belly fat reduction.

Women with overweight or obesity were given either a probiotic containing both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains or a placebo, along with dietary intervention, in 8-week research.

Those who took the probiotic dropped more abdominal fat than those who took a placebo.

Another study of 135 adults with considerable belly fat indicated that those who took Bifidobacterium Animalis Subsp. Lactis daily for three months shed considerably more belly fat, had lower BMI and waist circumference than those who took a placebo.

These findings were more noticeable in women.

Some Probiotics May Prevent Weight Gain

Obesity can be combated in a variety of ways, including weight loss. Preventing undesirable weight gain in the first place may be more important than avoiding obesity later on.

Taking a probiotic mixture called VSL#3 for four weeks lowered weight growth and fat gain in persons who were eating 1,000 calories more per day than they needed.

Although there were no significant changes in insulin sensitivity or metabolism in the probiotic group, they acquired less fat.

This suggests that some probiotic strains may help people lose weight when they eat a high-calorie diet. This, however, requires further investigation.

Weight Gain and Obesity May Be Aggravated by Some Probiotic Strains

Probiotics are yet to be proven to help people lose weight in all research.

Certain probiotic strains have been connected to weight increase rather than weight decrease in several trials.

According to a new study, the benefits of probiotics on body weight vary depending on the species and strains employed. One strain of Lactobacillus gasseri, for example, inhibited weight gain when compared to a control, whereas another strain boosted weight gain.

Health Benefits of Probiotics

Probiotics Aid in The Balance of Beneficial Bacteria in The Digestive System

“Good” bacteria are found in probiotics. These are live microorganisms that, when taken, can provide health advantages. The capacity of probiotics to restore the normal balance of gut bacteria is assumed to be the source of these advantages.

Diarrhea Can Be Prevented and Treated with Probiotics

Probiotics are well-known for their ability to prevent or lessen the severity of diarrhea. Antibiotics can cause diarrhea, which is a typical adverse effect. Antibiotics can upset the equilibrium of good and bad bacteria in the gut, causing this to happen.

Supplementing with Probiotics Can Help with A Variety of Mental Health Issues

A growing number of research link gut health to mental and emotional well-being.

Probiotic supplements have been shown to help with a variety of mental health issues in both animal and human research. Supplementing with Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains for 1–2 months can help anxiety, sadness, autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and memory, according to an analysis of 15 human trials.

Certain Probiotic Strains Can Help You Maintain a Healthy Heart

By decreasing LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and blood pressure, probiotics may help keep your heart healthy.

By breaking down bile in the intestines, certain lactic acid-producing bacteria may lower cholesterol. Bile is a commonly occurring fluid that aids digestion and is primarily composed of cholesterol.

Probiotics May Help to Lessen the Severity of Allergies and Eczema

Certain probiotic strains have been shown to help children and newborns with eczema. In one study, infants who were given probiotic-supplemented milk had fewer eczema symptoms than those who were given milk without probiotics.

Probiotics Can Aid in the Reduction of Symptoms of Digestive Disorders

In persons with moderate ulcerative colitis, probiotics from the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains have improved symptoms. Surprisingly, one study discovered that supplementing with the probiotic E. coli Nissle was just as efficient as medications in keeping ulcerative colitis patients in remission. Probiotics, on the other hand, appear to have minimal influence on Crohn’s disease symptoms.

Probiotics Could Aid in Immune System Boosting

Probiotics may aid in the strengthening of your immune system and the inhibition of the growth of dangerous gut bacteria. Additionally, several probiotics have been proven to boost the body’s natural antibody production. Immune cells such as IgA-producing cells, T lymphocytes, and natural killer cells may be boosted as well.

Probiotics were found to lessen the risk and duration of respiratory infections in a major study. However, the evidence was of poor quality.

Probiotics Could Aid Weight Loss and Belly Fat Loss

Weight loss may be aided by probiotics through a variety of processes. Some probiotics, for example, hinder the absorption of dietary fat in the intestine. Instead of being stored in the body, the fat is expelled through feces.

Conclusion

Probiotics are beneficial to one’s health in a variety of ways.

However, their weight-loss effects are varied and appear to vary depending on the type of probiotic used.

Lactobacillus gasseri has been shown to assist patients with obesity reduce weight and abdominal fat. In addition, a probiotic supplement combination called VSL#3 may help people on a high-calorie diet lose weight.

Finally, certain varieties of probiotics may have minor weight-loss effects, particularly when paired with a healthy, whole-food diet.

However, there are numerous more benefits to taking a probiotic pill.

They can aid with gut health and cardiovascular risk factors, as well as inflammation and depression.