Probiotics and Weight Loss: How and Why They Work

People often ask if taking probiotics can help them lose weight. The gut microbiome is unique to each person and is made up of the trillions of microbes that live within the digestive system.

It includes live bacteria, fungi, parasites, and other microbes. Some microbes are good for your health and some are bad for your health.

Weight gain and obesity have been linked to an unhealthy gut microbiome. People who are overweight have different microbiomes than people who are not overweight.

To increase the number of “good” microbes in your gut, you can consume probiotics. Live microbes that scientists believe may provide health benefits.

Some fermented foods contain strains of microbes that are probiotic.

Probiotics are available as supplements in tablet or capsule form, but it is unclear whether those currently on the market are effective at boosting the levels of “good” bacteria.

You may have also heard of prebiotics . Microbes in your gut feed off of prebiotics. Eating prebiotics can help improve your gut health by making it a more welcoming environment for “good” bacteria.

Eating the right foods for your body and gut microbiome can improve your overall health, which may lead to weight loss.

How do gut bacteria influence body weight?

The reason why gut bacteria influence body weight is not fully understood yet, but people who are overweight or obese tend to have microbiomes that are significantly different than people who have moderate weight.

Scientists have found that after transplanting gut microbes from people with obesity into mice, the mice then developed obesity.

It’s possible that the microbiome affects weight gain indirectly, by affecting the communication between the gut and the brain. The gut releases hormones in response to signals from the brain. These signals can cause responses such as hunger.

The possible explanation for this is that you may feel hungrier when you’re stressed.

The microbes in your gut could be affecting your weight, so changing them might help you lose weight.

How do probiotics help with weight loss?

Scientists have identified links between the microbiome and weight. Changing the balance of the microbes in the gut to favor good bugs may help with weight loss.

At this point, it is unclear how or whether this actually works. There are other theories about how probiotics might affect weight, including that they reduce the amount of fat that is absorbed , but more research is needed.

At present, there is a lack of convincing evidence to suggest that probiotic supplements are effective in helping people to lose weight.

An analysis of recent studies on probiotic supplements has concluded that they are not effective for weight loss. More research is needed to confirm the findings.

The vast majority of the studies analyzed did not meet the criteria for well-conducted clinical trials, so they were not included in the final report.

Good gut bacteria

There are 15 different types of bugs that are associated with a better overall health. These bugs are linked with a favorable metabolism, lower levels of dietary inflammation, lower blood pressure, and better blood sugar control.

People with more of these microbes tend to have better blood fat control and less belly fat.

Some “good” microbes are also linked to having higher amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3 and omega-6.

Our bodies can’t produce fatty acids, so we need to obtain them from sources like seeds, nut oils, olive oil, and oily fish.

15 “good” gut bugs:

A bacterium known as Freddy is associated with better insulin sensitivity and lower insulin levels.

Hannah is associated with higher insulin sensitivity and lower levels of insulin.

Oscar is a type of bacteria that is associated with higher insulin sensitivity and lower levels of insulin.

Finn ( Firmicutes bacterium CAG:170) is known to be associated with having better insulin sensitivity and a decreased chance of cardiovascular disease.

The Roseburia species of gut bacteria is linked to higher levels of polyunsaturated fats and lower levels of insulin.

The bacterium Claude (Clostridium sp. CAG:167) is associated with lower levels of insulin and higher insulin sensitivity.

Otis sp. PC13 is linked to higher levels of polyunsaturated fat and lower levels of insulin.

Those who have Ellie tend to have higher levels of polyunsaturated fats and lower levels of insulin.

The microbe Patrick (Prevotella copri) is associated with increased insulin sensitivity and lower insulin levels.

Veronica, or Veillonella dispar, is linked with higher insulin sensitivity and lower inflammation levels.

Felicia (Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) is associated with higher levels of polyunsaturated fat and lower levels of insulin.

Valentina (Veillonella infantium) is associated with higher polyunsaturated fat levels and lower inflammation levels.

Mice that were given the probiotic Billy had increased insulin sensitivity and lower levels of insulin.

The microbe Rumi is linked with having higher levels of polyunsaturated fats, and lower levels of inflammation.

Violet (Veillonella atypica): This bacteria is associated with having higher insulin sensitivity and lower insulin levels after eating.

There is fierce competition among microbes for resources in the gut. Increasing the amount of good bacteria in your gut will lead to a decrease in bad bacteria.

People who are obese and have a less diverse gut microbiome find it easier to gain weight than those who are obese but have a more diverse and beneficial gut microbiome.

Probiotic foods contain trillions of microbes. You can improve the health of your gut by eating certain foods that promote the growth of good bacteria. These bacteria help to keep bad bacteria in check, creating a healthy environment in your gut.

Skip pills, eat food

Many probiotic products on the market today contain microbes that are easy to grow. We don’t believe that focusing on a single microbe is important for health. We believe that boosting all 15 “good” gut bugs is important for health.

It is essential to comprehend your own microbes and how you can impact them.

Probiotic foods include fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, miso (a traditional Japanese seasoning made from soybeans, rice, and salt), and tempeh (a fermented soybean cake with a chewy texture).

You don’t need to include fancy fermented foods to get more microbes into your diet. Even plain yogurt contains strains of live bacteria.

Some cheeses are also probiotics, such as aged cheddar, parmesan, Swiss cheeses like gouda, and cottage cheese that contains live cultures.

Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that function as fuel for gut bacteria. Produce such as onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, and legumes, as well as whole grains, are some of the most prevalent prebiotic foods.

Eating more plant-based foods is a great way to introduce extra prebiotics into your diet and improve the health of your gut microbes.

Try to eat 30 different plants every week. This includes nuts, seeds, and all the different vegetables you eat.

Probiotics and Weight Management

Probiotics improve gut health by helping to digest food and keeping the intestines healthy.

Gut-living bacteria can help fight fatigue and improve immune function. This means that most of the immune system is located in the gut. [2]

The benefits of probiotic bacteria have already been well studied and research is ongoing. Scientists continue to gain insights and discoveries.

In this article, we will mainly focus on the relationship between probiotic bacteria and weight loss. Information about probiotic species, as well as links to studies, will be provided so that you can research the science yourself.

This article suggests that probiotic supplements can help with burning belly fat, improving digestive health, and losing weight.

If this is so, you are not alone. There are many people who are trying to lose weight with probiotic supplements, but it can be difficult to find the right ones that work best.

Don’t worry. You don’t need to try and do everything by yourself. We will now introduce you to three probiotic strains that are most effective.

Top 3 Probiotics for Weight Loss and Belly Fat

After evaluating the probiotic content of dozens of products and reading the customer reviews for each one of them, these are the three probiotic supplements that came out on top:

The next step is to tell you more about the top three probiotics for belly fat. We will explain the science behind the benefits of each activity to help you understand why they are good for you.

#1 – Probiology Gut + – Best Probiotic Supplement to Lose Weight

Probiology Gut + is a probiotic supplement that contains strains of bacteria from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families. The best probiotic supplements contain Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium because these two families of bacteria have been shown to be beneficial in many ways.

Why should you use a daily supplement like Probiology Gut+ instead of eating probiotic yogurts and fermented foods? This is a good question, and you may be surprised by the answer.

Live bacteria in yogurts are killed by stomach acids.

None of the bacteria in Probiology Gut + is killed by stomach acid because it is encased in a capsule with a special coating called Maktrek that protects the gut bacteria from harm. It only breaks down once it has safely delivered its cargo to the gut.

This product also provides prebiotic fiber to nourish your new and existing probiotic bacteria and help them to flourish.

There are other forms of prebiotic fiber, but fructooligosaccharide (FOS) is one of the best options. This is the type Probiology Gut + provides.

#2 – Biotics 8

Don’t be fooled by the marketing of Biotics 8 as a product for men – it works just as well for women. This probiotic supplement not only aids digestion and enhances immunity, but also helps eliminate gas and bloating; Biotics 8 is also one of the best probiotic supplements for weight loss.

Biotics 8 provides a mixture of probiotic bacteria and prebiotic fiber, which are both great for burning fat. While this product is similar to other top options, it provides digestive enzymes with each dose.

Although supplements that have digestive enzymes in them can offer benefits such as increased energy, it is unlikely that these same digestive enzymes will directly support weight loss.

However, the Biotics 8 formulation also provides Vitamin D. The inclusion of this product is unconventional for a probiotic, but it is still a useful addition.

Vitamin D is a great nutrient that can help improve your immune system. In this formulation, the relationship between Vitamin D and obesity is more important.

Studies have found that obese individuals are more likely to be lacking in Vitamin D. The reason for this debate is unknown. The reason for the deficiency is uncertain.

Vitamin D is beneficial regardless of the dynamics.

Taking Biotics 8 can help improve gut health by affecting the gut microbiome through Vitamin D.

#3 – 1MD Complete Probiotics Platinum

1MD Nutrition’s Complete Probiotics Platinum is one of the most popular probiotic supplements on the market. This company is known for its gut health products, so it’s no surprise that this one is effective.

The other two top options don’t provide as broad of a range of benefits as Complete Probiotics Platinum does. Although it may not be surprising, the yogurt with the most probiotic bacteria provides the most species.

Although Complete Probiotics Platinum is advertised as helping with weight loss, customers have found that it is not as effective as Probiology Gut + or Biotics 8.

There is no knocking this product’s potency though. This is still one of the best probiotic supplements for reducing belly fat, compared to all the others we looked at.

The manufacturer’s experience in this field suggests that Complete Probiotics Platinum has a special protective coating. The reason this option is more potent than most others is because it is able to protect the probiotics from stomach acid.

But does Complete Probiotics Platinum provide any prebiotic bacteria? You bet! While 1MD is a great company, we would not expect anything less than FOS from them.

Many customers who take this supplement see quick improvements in their gut health. If you have a lot of gut problems and need to lose weight, Complete Probiotics Platinum may be the best probiotic for you.

It could take up to three months before you attain any noticeable weight loss and a reduction in body fat. It will take time and perseverance to achieve success.