Every year I find myself wanting to write another blog about probiotics, but you can’t blame me. There is a huge amount of research going on right now about the microbiome, a term referring to the complex community of abundant microorganisms that live in and on our bodies. Several recent studies are showing connections between these beneficial bacteria and maintaining a healthy body weight.
One study demonstrated a possible link between antibiotic use in children and a tendency toward weight gain. The study showed that especially boys tended to gain excess weight if given antibiotics in the first year of life. The authors suggested that doctors be more selective about giving antibiotics to infants and toddlers. Many parents push the doctors for antibiotics even for viral infection like colds that will not be helped by the antibiotics. Other times it is appropriate or even critical for antibiotics to be used. For these instances, it would be appropriate to take probiotics afterward even though studies have not been done yet to show if can help prevent weight gain after antibiotic use.
Previous studies have shown that obese people tend to have less diversity of bacteria living it the gut. To explore whether this was a cause of obesity or the effect of it, another research team gave mice the bacteria from sets of twins where one was obese and the other was lean. The mice that got the bacteria from the obese people gained weight, while mice that received bacteria from the lean people didn’t. The mice that gained weight didn’t eat more than their leaner companions. Later, those obese mice were given the bacteria from the lean people and lost weight. This benefit only occurred when the mice were also given a low-fat, high fiber diet. Without the fiber and other nutrients, the bacteria that support healthy weight seem to not flourish.
Lactobacillus gasseri is one probiotic that is of particular interest for weight loss. A 2013 study had 210 overweight participants consume fermented milk that either contained no Lactobacillus gasseri, a moderate amount of Lactobacillus gasseri, or a large amount of it. After 12 weeks, both groups getting the Lactobacillus gasseri lost belly fat while the control group saw no change. Lactobacillus gasseri is available in probiotic capsules such as Kyo-Dophilus.
There are numerous health benefits from having a healthy population of bacteria living in our digestive tracts and helping us to maintain healthy weight is just one of them. Likewise, taking probiotics is just one component of maintaining healthy weight. Eating high fiber and nutrient rich foods helps the good bacteria thrives and provides our bodies with balanced nutrition to help us thrive too.
Dr. Laurell Matthews, ND 
Reblogged this on sondasmcschatter.
Just saw a program about this…Brenda Watson Skinny Gut. I think its so interesting about the fiber needing to be added for the bacteria’s support. I’m buying her book today!
Yes, exactly. It is just like the study that I mentioned where if the mice didn’t get a healthy high fiber diet, they didn’t lose weight. Many bacteria digest the fiber that we can’t.
Do you suggest a fiber supplement?
I like getting fiber from our fruits and veggies as well as beans and lentils and whole grains. For a fiber supplement, one of my favorites is acacia fiber.