Probiotics — positive bacteria that are good for your gut — have been popular for a long time. A healthy gut can provide many benefits for your digestive system and the rest of your body, including relief from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), better sleep quality, less anxiety and heart health.
Probiotics such as Lactobacillus are back in the news again, but this time for a different reason: weight loss. Could these good microbes be the key to a thinner waistline?
Probiotics May Make You Lose Weight … Or At Least Help You Gain Less
Several promising studies suggest a link between positive gut bacteria and a healthy weight. It wouldn’t be surprising if gut health increases overall fat burning because many of these microorganisms are related to helping the metabolism function properly. Your metabolism controls how much fat gets turned into energy, so it’s very important for losing weight.
It’s going to take a while to find out for sure if probiotics increase fat burning. In the meantime, what plenty of evidence does point to is that an unhealthy gut makes you gain weight. People who are overweight tend to have an unbalanced gut with too many harmful microbes and not enough variety of good bacteria.
A Healthy Gut May Make It Easier To Drop Those Pounds
Whether you decide to get more probiotics with the help of a daily supplement or tasty foods such as kimchi, keep an eye out for these positive effects.
Reduced appetite: A healthy balance of probiotics may help you get full faster at mealtimes. This can help you eat smaller meals and still feel satisfied. Not overdoing it in the calorie department can definitely help with weight loss.
Fewer cravings: In addition to helping with portion control, certain probiotics also suppress your appetite, keeping you full longer. This is important because cravings for sugary snacks and junk food are a major reason people gain weight. Probiotics with lots of protein, such as Greek yogurt, are great for keeping the munchies away.
More energy and motivation: When you feel invigorated and happy in the morning, there’s a good chance that your positive gut bacteria is responsible for it.
Lower waist size: Several types of probiotics help your body produce special molecules called short-chain fatty acids. These compounds increase the amount of fat you burn normally, giving you bigger and better numbers when you work out. On the other hand, not having enough probiotics can make you run low on short-chain fatty acids for fat burning.
Less fat storage: Some scientists think that short-chain fatty acids can also reduce the amount of fat you absorb from what you eat. If this is true, it would help you keep off the weight when you follow a healthy diet instead of gaining it all back in a few months.
Probiotics and Your Personal Weight Loss Plan
At the moment, there isn't enough evidence to definitely say that probiotics are going to melt those pounds away. Scientists have been studying probiotics for a long time, but mainly for their benefits to digestive health, not weight loss.
There’s an easy way to find out whether these tiny superstars help you lose weight personally: try them! Look for a supplement that contains plenty of Lactobacillus or add foods such as miso to your menu. You may find that they're just what you need to keep the pounds off and have more energy again.