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Anecdotally, certain probiotics – usually beneficial bacteria – can help with weight loss, but what does the science say? In this honest nutrition feature we are investigating.
Probiotics are among the most popular nutritional supplements on the market. They have links to an array of health benefits, including better gut health and improved immune function.
Some research also suggests that probiotics may affect weight loss.
However, there are also safety concerns with the widespread use of probiotic supplements.
This special feature deals with recent scientific findings related to probiotics and body weight.
The journal Frontiers in Microbiology cites the definition of probiotics as “living microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”.
Some foods naturally contain probiotics, while some manufacturers add concentrated doses to other foods. However, this article focuses only on probiotic supplements.
Probiotic supplements contain high doses of live bacteria, usually Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, which can help improve the composition of gut bacteria in the colon and promote health.
Research into the health effects of probiotics has grown significantly over the past 20 years, as has sales of probiotic supplements.
Some estimates predict that sales of probiotics will exceed $ 64 billion by 2023. This is due to the many links between probiotics and various health benefits.
Although scientists are still studying how probiotics work in the body, research has shown that they play a role in improving immune function, decreasing inflammation, and positively impacting the functioning of the nervous system.
What’s more, a 2020 article suggests probiotics could be a potential treatment for overweight and obesity.
Highlights of the article:
Researchers have identified a relationship between the gut microbiome – a term that refers to the entire habitat of the gut, including microorganisms, such as bacteria, their genomes (genes), and their surrounding environment – and the body weight.
Over 1000 types of bacteria, including Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Proteobacteria, and Cyanobacteria, inhabit the intestines.
These bacteria perform functions that impact overall health. The disruption of the bacterial composition can lead to health problems, including disease.
For example, researchers postulate that changes in the makeup of gut bacteria may contribute to overweight and obesity in several ways, including increasing insulin resistance, inflammation, and fat storage.
It is important to note that research in this area is ongoing and scientists still do not know how altered gut bacteria contribute to obesity.
However, studies have shown that people who are overweight and obese have a different bacterial composition of the gut than people who are not overweight.
Some studies have shown that obese people have a higher ratio of Firmicutes at Bacteroidetes bacteria in their gut.
According to two articles, alterations in gut bacteria caused by antibiotic use are also linked to weight gain.
While research is ongoing, studies have shown that probiotic supplementation can promote weight loss and prevent weight gain in humans.
A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis comprising 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 of BMI than control groups.
Participants who received higher doses of probiotics and those who received a single strain rather than multiple strains of probiotics saw greater loss of body fat.
A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis that included 105 articles and 6,826 participants also found that probiotic treatment resulted in reduced body fat, waistline, and BMI.
The review found that most of these improvements were the result of treatments containing bifidobacteria (B. short, B. long), Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus and lactobacilli (L. acidophilus, L. casei, and L. delbrueckii).
Plus, some research suggests probiotics may help protect against weight gain.
A small 2015 study that included 20 men without obesity found that men who took a VSL # 3 multi-strain probiotic supplement gained less weight (3.12 vs. 5.06 pounds) and body fat (1 , 39 vs. 2.83 pounds) when following a high calorie, high fat diet for 4 weeks compared to men who took a placebo.
Researchers believe that probiotics can promote weight loss by:
- increase in the amount of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria (SCFA), which increase fatty acid oxidation and decrease fat storage
- decrease in inflammation by reducing the abundance of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) producers
- influence appetite and metabolism
- reduce fat accumulation
- regulating pro-inflammatory genes
- improved insulin sensitivity
Still, it’s important to keep in mind that research into the potential effects of probiotics on weight loss is ongoing. Although scientists have narrowed down several ways probiotics influence weight, they still don’t 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.
Researchers have suggested that since probiotic supplements often contain large amounts of probiotics of the same species, taking the supplements may result in the transfer of resistant genes to infectious pathogens.
This can lead to resistance to antibiotics and other adverse health consequences.
Scientists have also warned that there are few reports on the safety of probiotics and that probiotic studies are often undernourished, poorly designed, and funded by probiotic companies, which can skew the results.
The use of probiotics can also lead to bacterial overgrowth in the gut, an increased risk of opportunistic infections, and can cause life-threatening infections in people with weakened immune systems.
It’s critical to understand that although probiotic supplements are widely used and prescribed by healthcare providers, 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 they have been instructed by a qualified healthcare practitioner.
Research suggests that the microbiome influences body weight, and some studies have linked probiotic supplementation to decreased body fat, waistline, and BMI.
However, even though probiotics are widely used and prescribed by healthcare professionals, there are questions about their safety. Researchers don’t fully understand how probiotics can negatively and positively impact health.
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