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Which Probiotics are BEST for Weight Loss?

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Have you considered the role of your gut bacteria in the battle against the bulge? Recent studies suggest that the trillions of bacteria residing in our gut may play a critical role in regulating our weight.

Enter probiotics, the “good” bacteria that have taken the health world by storm. While the science behind probiotics for weight loss is still evolving, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests certain strains may help in shedding those extra pounds.

In this blog post, we delve into the world of gut bacteria and obesity, explore the link between probiotics and weight loss, and examine the strains that have been best studied for supporting weight loss.

Gut bacteria and obesity

Recent research has shown that there is a complex relationship between gut bacteria and obesity. The gut microbiota, which refers to the trillions of bacteria that live in our intestines, plays an important role in regulating our metabolism and influencing our immune system.

One of the ways in which gut bacteria can affect obesity is through their influence on the production of hormones and other signaling molecules that regulate appetite and satiety. For example, some bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids, which can signal to the brain that we are full and suppress our appetite.

Gut bacteria can also influence the absorption and storage of calories from the food we eat. Some studies have shown that people with obesity have different gut microbiota composition than people with normal weight, with a lower abundance of certain types of bacteria associated with metabolic health.

There is also evidence that changes in the gut microbiota can contribute to the development of insulin resistance, a condition in which the body’s cells become less responsive to the hormone insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Overall, the research suggests that the gut microbiota plays an important role in the regulation of metabolism and body weight, and that interventions aimed at modifying the gut microbiota, such as probiotics or fecal microbiota transplantation, may have potential as a treatment for obesity and related metabolic disorders.

How probiotics help weight loss

Probiotics are a type of good bacteria, and there’s some evidence that certain probiotics strains are related to obesity, and might help with weight loss. Here are some of the ways probiotics may help with weight loss:

  • Reducing calorie absorption: Some probiotics can reduce the absorption of dietary fat and increase the excretion of fat in feces, resulting in a lower calorie intake and weight loss.
  • Improving gut barrier function: Probiotics can strengthen the gut barrier, preventing harmful substances and toxins from entering the bloodstream. This can help reduce inflammation, which is linked to obesity and metabolic disorders.
  • Regulating appetite: Certain probiotics can regulate hormones that control appetite, such as ghrelin and leptin, resulting in reduced hunger and fewer cravings for high-calorie foods.
  • Enhancing metabolism: Probiotics can increase the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the gut, which can enhance metabolism and increase energy expenditure.
  • Decreasing fat absorption: Probiotics can inhibit the absorption of dietary fat, which can reduce calorie intake and aid in weight loss.
  • Decreasing sugar cravings: Probiotics can help decrease sugar cravings and reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance, which can lead to weight gain.
  • Reducing inflammation: Chronic inflammation has been linked to obesity and metabolic disorders. Probiotics can reduce inflammation by modulating the immune response in the gut and other organs.

It’s important to note that many of these mechanisms have only been shown in animal models or in vitro, not directly in humans. So these benefits, despite showing some promise, are mostly theoretical.

How fast they work

It’s not going to be like suppressing your appetite so you eat less and start losing weight right away, kind of help.

It’s more like changing the way you metabolize nutrients so it reduces your risk of developing obesity, kind of help.

To put it in more practical terms, the type of benefits that probiotics typically impart, are beneath the surface and not easy to see right away. They often take effect much slower than most people will be able to notice.

So while a lot of research has associated certain bacteria in our intestines to all kinds of medical issues, from cancer, to dementia, to obesity, these associations are generally made with the understanding that if these bacteria are beneficial, it would likely have to be years of these bacteria acting on the body to possibly provide some benefit.

For example, we know that some probiotic bacteria help us to metabolize certain foods better and reduce inflammation, both things that are related to obesity.

But would taking additional healthy bacteria as a probiotic actually cause any noticeable weight loss?

Or is it just going to support your weight loss, but not really cause you to lose weight itself?

Of course both will be helpful, but just keep in mind that when some people say probiotics are helpful, they often mean the latter, even though some people might expect the former.

So you may be wondering if there are any probiotics that cause noticeable effects on weight loss, and there are, but most of them are going to fall into the “support” weight loss category.

Which probiotics help with weight loss?

Lactobacillus and weight loss

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a well researched group of probiotics known as Lactobacillus.

lactobacillus-strains-that-cause-weight-loss
Comparing the most researched Lactobacillus probiotic strains for weight loss.

The strains found to most consistently cause weight loss was Lactobacillus gasseri. Even though the effect was typically small, and sometimes insignificant, this effect has been shown in humans, making it one of the few probiotics that has demonstrable evidence for weight loss.

The next few are Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus casei, all of which mostly caused improvements in obesity related measures like reducing inflammation or improving fat composition, but also found some weight loss when used with a proper diet.

However, these strains were often combined with other strains, so it can be hard to figure out how much effect the individual strain is having on health. Very likely, these strains only support dietary weight loss efforts, and may not have much effect when used by itself.

Some other less common strains of note were Lactobacillus amylovorus, Lactobacillus sakei, and Lactobacillus curvatus, all of which were studied for their potential to help with obesity. But not a lot of research is available on them and we unfortunately don’t have very clear evidence that it will be useful for humans.

Lactobacillus acidophilus, one of the most common strains of lactobacillus, does not seem to show any noticeable effects on weight by itself.

In fact, some research suggests it might cause weight gain, however a lot of the research mixes acidophilus with so many other probiotic strains it can be hard to suss out what effect, if any, it’s having on the body. If it is having beneficial effects on weight, it likely only supports a healthy metabolism.

Bifidobacterium and weight loss

Another highly researched group of probiotics is known as Bifidobacterium. No strain really stands out amongst the Bifidobacterium, and many of them likely only support healthy weight loss, rather than cause it.

bifidobacterium-strains-that-cause-weight-loss
Comparing the most researched Bifidobacterium probiotic strains for weight loss.

Bifidobacterium breve and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis, or simply Bifidobacterium lactis seem to show up quite a lot in research. A lot of it is combined with other probiotics, and much of the research is only in mice, but some strains may be able to help improve fat composition and support weight loss.

Other strains like Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium longum also seem to support weight loss by improving obesity related measures like high cholesterol or inflammation, but likely don’t show any actual weight loss by themselves.

They’re also almost always used in combination with many other probiotics, making it difficult to determine if these particular strains are actually useful.

Other probiotics and weight loss

Other than probiotics in the lactobacillus and bifidobacterium groups, information about other probiotics are not quite as plentiful.

other-probiotic-strains-that-cause-weight-loss
Comparing other researched probiotic strains for weight loss.

Some other probiotics of note are Akkermansia muciniphila, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Saccharomyces boulardii, and Bacteroides uniformis, all of which have interesting effects related to helping reduce obesity and potentially being useful for weight loss, but have yet to show any weight loss effects, especially in humans.

How to use probiotics for weight loss

So the vast majority of probiotic strains are supportive of healthy weight loss, meaning taking them without doing anything else is not likely going to have any effect on your weight.

However, using them while on a proper weight loss diet can help your metabolism and improve your gut health.

Will it increase the amount of weight you lose? It’s really hard to say, and most evidence would suggest that it probably doesn’t, at least not significantly.

However it could make it easier to maintain your weight, help you to lose weight a little faster, or improve other problems related to obesity like improving cholesterol levels or reducing inflammation, great things to have if you’re already following a healthy weight loss protocol.

But don’t expect it to have a significant impact on your actual weight. Even with Lactobacillus gasseri strains, the magnitude of weight lost is not very large, and you might not even notice it. Research studies on this specific probiotic show that people typically lost around 1 kg or about 2 and a half pounds in 12 weeks. That’s not very impressive.

Combining different strains might be more effective, regardless, make sure you have a good dose of any probiotic you plan to take for therapeutic purposes.

Probiotics are measured in Colony Forming Units, or CFU’s. One CFU basically means a single viable bacteria that is able to multiply itself and form a colony. So having 1 billion CFU’s means it has 1 billion bacteria that are able to form colonies.

Probiotics are typically measured in the billions of CFU per dose, and anything less may not even reach your gut, since oral probiotics need to bypass and survive your harsh stomach acid before getting into the intestines.

At the end of the day, make sure you set the proper expectations before you start spending a lot of money on probiotics for weight loss. Understand that probiotics can be a supportive tool for healthy weight loss, but are not likely going to be the “magic pill” that starts helping you to lose weight.

Probiotics in yogurt or kefir?

While many foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, or kombucha contain some probiotics, the quantities and strains of probiotics within them are not likely to be sufficient or effective for weight loss.

First, the number of live and active cultures in commercial yogurts can vary widely, and some brands may not contain enough probiotics to confer significant health benefits. Additionally, as we can see, not all strains of probiotics have been shown to have an impact on weight loss or other health outcomes.

For example, the two strains of bacteria used to produce yogurt are Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. However, there is no evidence to suggest that these strains are effective for weight loss whatsoever.

The other strains, such as Lactobacillus gasseri and Bifidobacterium lactis, have been shown to have potential weight loss benefits in some studies, but these strains are not often present in commercial yogurts or other fermented dairy products.

Furthermore, many commercial yogurts also contain added sugars or flavorings, which can offset any potential health benefits of the probiotics. Excessive sugar intake has been associated with numerous negative health outcomes, including weight gain and increased risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

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Attributions

“Staphylococcus aureus Bacteria” by NIAID is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.

“Staphylococcus epidermidis Bacteria” by NIAID is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.


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