Doctor Reviews: Bioma

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Bioma markets itself as a symbiotic supplement, blending prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. But what do these buzzwords really mean, and can this supplement actually help with weight loss?

Can Probiotics Really Help You Shed Pounds?

While some probiotics might play a small role in weight management, don’t expect them to work like magic. Unlike medications or major dietary changes that can deliver noticeable results quickly, the effects of probiotics are typically subtle and take time. Certain strains may influence how your body processes nutrients, potentially reducing the risk of obesity over time—but they won’t directly melt away fat.

For example, some research suggests probiotics can reduce inflammation or improve how your body metabolizes food, both of which are indirectly tied to weight control. However, these benefits often occur quietly in the background, and it could take months—or even years—for noticeable results to show.

Are Probiotics Worth It for Weight Loss?

If you’re hoping probiotics will be your secret weapon for weight loss, it’s important to manage expectations. Certain strains, like Lactobacillus gasseri, have shown slightly stronger connections to weight reduction, but overall, the impact is minimal. At best, probiotics might help you maintain your weight, slightly enhance your progress, or address obesity-related issues like high cholesterol or inflammation. They can complement an existing weight loss plan, but they won’t do the heavy lifting on their own.

Ingredients of Bioma

Let’s take a closer look at the probiotics in Bioma and whether they live up to the weight-loss hype.

Bifidobacterium lactis

This probiotic has been studied for weight-related benefits, but the results are underwhelming. A specific strain, CECT 8145, was shown to slightly reduce waist circumference in women over three months, but the change was minimal and didn’t result in actual weight loss. In obese adults, taking Bifidobacterium lactis for six months had no effect on weight or fat reduction compared to a placebo. Similar studies with young, healthy participants showed no difference in body weight or fat levels after six weeks. Even a heat-treated version of this probiotic didn’t outperform something as ordinary as seafood sticks when it came to weight or fat reduction.

That said, Bifidobacterium lactis does have some notable benefits for digestive health, particularly in easing constipation and managing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Bifidobacterium longum

If you’re looking for a metabolism booster, Bifidobacterium longum probably isn’t it. Human studies don’t show any significant impact on weight loss or metabolism.

However, like its probiotic cousin, it has been studied for digestive health. While it may help with IBS and constipation, the results are mixed and far from conclusive.

Bifidobacterium breve

Finally, there’s Bifidobacterium breve. In children with obesity, this strain showed a small improvement in insulin sensitivity when paired with diet and exercise over eight weeks. But here’s the catch—it didn’t lead to any measurable changes in BMI compared to diet and exercise alone. In adults, a specific strain called Bifidobacterium breve B-3 showed a slight reduction in total body fat after 12 weeks of daily supplementation.

As for digestive health, Bifidobacterium breve has been explored for its effects on IBS and constipation, but the findings, once again, are inconsistent.

What Are Postbiotics?

Postbiotics can be a bit confusing to pin down because there’s no universally agreed-upon definition. According to the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), postbiotics are preparations of inactive microorganisms—or fragments of them—along with the beneficial byproducts they produce. In simpler terms, they’re made from dead probiotic bacteria or pieces of them.

Bioma claims its ingredient, tributyrin, is a postbiotic. Tributyrin is a naturally occurring compound found in butter, but it’s not derived from probiotic bacteria. In fact, ISAPP explicitly states that purified organic acids like tributyrin don’t meet the definition of a postbiotic. By those standards, Bioma doesn’t contain a true postbiotic.

That said, tributyrin itself isn’t without potential benefits. It’s a short-chain fatty acid that gut bacteria can produce when they ferment fiber. Preliminary research on cells suggests tributyrin might help strengthen the gut barrier and reduce inflammation. However, human studies are still lacking, so there’s no concrete evidence that it improves digestive health.

What Are Prebiotics?

Prebiotics, on the other hand, are much easier to understand. These are specific types of fiber that serve as food for the good bacteria in your gut, helping them thrive. Bioma’s prebiotic is corn-derived and works similarly to other common prebiotics like inulin or fructooligosaccharides. If you’re eating foods like chia seeds or flaxseeds, you’re already getting excellent sources of natural prebiotics.

Including a prebiotic in a supplement like Bioma might seem like a great idea—it’s meant to give probiotics a head start by providing instant nourishment. However, this isn’t typically necessary. When you take probiotics with a meal, the fiber in your food naturally acts as a prebiotic, feeding the good bacteria.

Some argue that prebiotics in a supplement are helpful if you’re taking probiotics on an empty stomach. But realistically, food takes time to move through your digestive system, so there’s usually enough leftover material for the probiotics to use unless you’re fasting.

While prebiotics are undeniably good for gut health, adding a small amount to a supplement doesn’t significantly boost its effectiveness if you’re already eating a fiber-rich diet.

Is Bioma Worth It?

Bioma does include some probiotic strains with mixed evidence for digestive health benefits, especially for issues like constipation, IBS, and possibly even ulcerative colitis. There’s also some weak evidence suggesting it could slightly reduce the risk of common colds or the flu.

When it comes to weight loss, though, Bioma likely won’t move the needle. While strains like Bifidobacterium lactis and Bifidobacterium breve might support a healthy weight management plan, they’re not going to cause weight loss on their own. Studies show that only specific strains—like B. lactis CECT 8145 and B. breve B-3—offer potential weight-related benefits. The generic versions used in Bioma likely don’t deliver the same effects.

Where Bioma Falls Short

Unfortunately, Bioma doesn’t really stand out in the crowded probiotic market. Its strains are fairly common and not particularly specialized for specific digestive concerns. Plenty of other generic probiotic supplements offer similar benefits without any unique advantage.

One major drawback is how Bioma measures its probiotics. Most supplements use Colony Forming Units (CFUs) to indicate the number of live, active organisms, but Bioma lists its probiotics by weight in milligrams. This can be misleading, as it doesn’t tell you how many live cells are actually included. A higher weight could simply mean a lot of inactive or dead cells, which don’t provide any benefit.

Overall rating

When it comes to improving digestive issues, I would rate Bioma a C. There is some decent evidence that it may help with conditions like IBS and constipation.

However, if we’re looking at Bioma’s effectiveness for weight loss, I’d give it a D. It’s unlikely to lead to significant weight loss, and the generic strains it contains don’t have strong evidence to support even minimal weight management benefits.

Rating it by cost, I’m giving it a D. There’s nothing special about this generic probiotic yet it’s much more expensive than the others.

Rating it for safety, I’m giving it a B. The strains used are unlikely to be of much cause for concern.

Overall rating, I’m giving a D. I would not recommend it at all.

Top alternatives to Bioma

• Chia seed – 1 to 3 tsp w/ meals
• Flaxseed (ground) – 1 to 3 tsp w/ meals
• Flaxseed (whole) – 1 to 3 tsp w/ meals
• Probiotic (Align) – 1 cap / day
• Probiotic (Culturelle) – 1 cap / day
• Probiotic (generic) – 1 cap / day

Learn more about

• Which Probiotics are BEST for Weight Loss?
• Akkermansia Muciniphila for Weight Loss
• Chia Seeds for Weight Loss
• What Causes Bloating and Gas on a Diet?
• Dealing With Constipation On A Diet
• Supplement reviews

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