Probiotics have surged into the mainstream in recent years as a potential approach to maintain a healthy digestive tract and boost immunity. But it isn't the only thing these pills can do. Probiotics may also help you lose weight, according to a growing body of evidence. We spoke with nutritionists to discover more about how these powerful vitamins and probiotics for weight loss can potentially help you lose weight.
What's the link between probiotics and losing weight?
First and foremost, some background information on probiotics and weight loss from the experts:
Probiotics can help with weight loss in various ways, but what we're really talking about here is gut health and how gut health influences weight and inflammation.
Dysbiosis, or an imbalance of healthy and harmful microbes, causes systemic and intestinal inflammation. Dysbiosis is a relatively frequent condition that can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
- Using antibiotics
- Lengthy periods of stress
- Lack of sleep
- Use of NSAIDs
- An imbalanced diet
Consuming too much sugar and processed food, too much meat, not enough vegetables, plant fiber, and not eating fermented foods are examples of an imbalanced diet.
Excessive inflammation in the body makes losing weight extremely difficult. An unbalanced microbiota adds to inflammation that supports weight gain and fluid retention, making weight reduction extremely difficult.
Probiotics can help balance inflammation in the digestive tract and make weight loss efforts you're already doing more effective because they help to rebalance gut microorganisms.
What is the best way to consume probiotics for weight loss?
You must still do all of the good things that are essential to obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight, in addition to taking a probiotic supplement for weight loss, such as:
- Consume a balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits, high-fiber whole grains, legumes, and healthy fats
- Freely employ herbs and spices
- Eliminate excess sugar and refined carbohydrates
- Learn to manage stress
- Get enough restorative sleep
- Build healthy intestinal function
With that in mind, who's up for learning how these weight management supplements might be able to assist you in losing weight?
There are six reasons why you should take probiotics to lose weight.
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Improved energy and glucose metabolism may be aided by probiotics.
Certain strains have been linked to enhanced energy and glucose metabolism in various studies. While some researchers have focused on specific bacterial strains, insufficient diversity appears to be a crucial factor in obesity and inflammation. So, in addition to maintaining the practices that encourage bacterial variety, any high-quality probiotic could be beneficial. Lactobacillus acidophilus, gasseri, reuteri, and fermentum, as well as Bifidobacterium longum, bifidum, and infantis, are among the strains of interest.
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Probiotics can help to improve your gut health.
By boosting your gut health, probiotics can help you lose weight. According to studies, a dysfunctional digestive tract leads to an imbalance of gut microorganisms, which may contribute to obesity. Always speak with your doctor or dietitian before beginning a new probiotics regimen.
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When combined with a high-calorie, high-fat diet, probiotics may help prevent weight gain.
There is preliminary evidence that suggests a link between probiotics and weight loss. According to a study published in the journal obesity, taking the probiotic VSL#3 regularly can help prevent weight gain when combined with a high-calorie, high-fat diet.
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When combined with a low-calorie diet, they may aid in weight loss.
Women with obesity who ate a lower-calorie diet and supplemented with a specific strain of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus lost more weight than women who took a placebo, according to another study published in The British Journal of Nutrition.
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Probiotics can help maintain balance in your gut's two main groups of beneficial bacteria.
Other research suggests that when the two prominent families of beneficial bacteria in the gut—bacteroidetes and firmicutes—are balanced, probiotics can aid in the fight against obesity. The balance of these two bacteria groups appears to be linked to body weight.
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They make you feel full, which can lead to you eating less.
Probiotic-rich foods, as well as those high in protein and fiber, can help you feel full, allowing you to eat less and lose weight. Protein and probiotics can be found in foods like kefir and yogurt, while probiotics and fiber can be found in kimchi and pickled vegetables.
Do you want to read more about how probiotics for weight loss can benefit you with things other than weight loss? Make sure to visit Aclivia Nutrition!