Interestingly, some probiotics – usually beneficial bacteria – can help with weight loss, but what does science say? In this honest Nutrition article, we investigate.
Probiotics are among the most popular nutritional supplements on the market. They have links to a number of health benefits, including improved intestinal health and improved immune function.
Some research also suggests that probiotics can affect weight loss.
However, there are safety issues related to the widespread use of probiotic supplements as well.
This special article discusses recent scientific findings related to probiotics and body weight.
The journal Frontiers in Microbiology cites the definition of probiotics as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate quantities, confer a benefit to the health of the host”.
Certain foods naturally contain probiotics, while some manufacturers add concentrated doses to other foods. However, this article focuses only on probiotic supplements.
Probiotic supplements contain large doses of live bacteria, usually Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, which can help to improve the composition of the intestinal bacteria in the colon and promote health.
Research on the health effects of probiotics has grown tremendously in the past 20 years, as have sales of probiotic supplements.
Some estimates predict that sales of probiotics will exceed $ 64 billion in 2023. This is due to the many links between probiotics and various health benefits.
Although scientists are still investigating how probiotics work in the body, research has shown that they play a role in boosting immune function, decreasing inflammation and positively impacting nervous system function.
In addition, a 2020 article suggests that probiotics may be a potential treatment for overweight and obesity.
Article Highlights:
The researchers identified a relationship between the gut microbiome – a term that refers to the entire gut habitat, including microorganisms, such as bacteria, their genomes (genes) and their surrounding environment – and body weight.
Over 1,000 types of bacteria, including Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Proteobacteria, and Cyanobacteria, populate the intestines.
These bacteria perform functions that affect general health. Interruption of bacterial composition can result in adverse health outcomes, including disease.
For example, the researchers postulate that changes in the composition of intestinal bacteria can contribute to overweight and obesity in several ways, including increased insulin resistance, inflammation and fat storage.
It is important to note that research in this area is ongoing and scientists are still unclear about how the altered intestinal bacteria contribute to obesity.
However, studies have shown that overweight and obese people have a different composition of intestinal bacteria from people who are not overweight.
Some studies have shown that people with obesity have a higher proportion of Firmicutes for Bacteroidetes bacteria in your gut.
According to two articles, changes in intestinal bacteria caused by the use of antibiotics are also related to weight gain.
Although research is ongoing, studies have shown that supplementation of probiotics can promote weight loss and prevent weight gain in humans.
A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis that included twelve randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 821 participants found that those who received probiotic supplementation had more significant reductions in body weight, waist circumference, body fat and BMI than groups of control.
Participants who received higher doses of probiotics and those who received a single strain instead of probiotics from multiple strains saw greater loss of body fat.
A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis that included 105 articles and 6,826 participants also found that treatment with probiotics led to reductions in body fat, waist circumference and BMI.
The review found that most of these improvements resulted from treatments containing bifidobacteria (B. brief, B. longum), Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophile and lactobacilli (L. acidophilus, L. casei, and L. delbrueckii)
In addition, some research suggests that probiotics may help protect against weight gain.
A small 2015 study that included 20 men without obesity found that men who supplemented with multi-strain probiotic VSL # 3 gained less weight (3.12 vs. 5.06 pounds) and body fat (1.39 vs. 2.83 pounds) when following a hypercaloric, high-fat diet for 4 weeks compared to men who took placebo.
Researchers think probiotics can promote weight loss by:
- increase the amount of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria (SCFA), which increase fatty acid oxidation and decrease fat storage
- decreasing inflammation, reducing the abundance of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) producers
- influencing appetite and metabolism
- reducing fat accumulation
- regulating pro-inflammatory genes
- improving insulin sensitivity
However, it is important to keep in mind that research that investigates the potential effects of probiotics on weight loss is underway. Although scientists have restricted several ways in which probiotics influence weight, they still do not know the exact mechanisms.
Some scientists have raised concerns about the widespread use of probiotic supplements and warn that they know little about the long-term safety of probiotic supplements.
The researchers suggested that because probiotic supplements often contain large amounts of probiotics of the same species, taking supplements could lead to the transfer of resistant genes to infectious pathogens.
This can lead to resistance to antibiotics and other adverse health consequences.
The scientists also warned that there are few reports on the safety of probiotics and that studies with probiotics are often insufficient, poorly planned and funded by probiotic companies, which can distort the results.
The use of probiotics can also cause bacterial overgrowth in the intestine, increase the risk of opportunistic infections, and can cause potentially fatal infections in people with weakened immune systems.
It is essential to understand that, although probiotic supplements are widely used and prescribed by healthcare professionals, scientists have not determined that probiotics are universally safe or effective.
Some experts argue that probiotics should be regulated and marketed as drugs, rather than dietary supplements to protect consumers.
For this reason, people, especially those who are immunocompromised, should not take probiotics unless instructed by a qualified health professional.
Research suggests that the microbiome influences body weight, and some studies have linked probiotic supplementation to reduced body fat, waist circumference and BMI.
However, although probiotics are widely used and prescribed by healthcare professionals, there are doubts about their safety. Researchers do not fully understand how probiotics can negatively and positively affect health.