Feeling like you’ve reached a plateau trying to lose weight? These best probiotics for weight loss may be just what you need to blast through the plateau and flatten your stomach!
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Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, once said “All disease begins in the gut”.
80% of your immune system is in your gut. Take good care of your gut, and it’ll take good care of your body.
What Are Probiotics?
The famed Mayo Clinic defines probiotics as ‘good’ bacteria that are either the same as or very similar to the bacteria that are already in your body.
There are trillions of live bacteria that inhabit your digestive tract, or gut. They are collectively known as your gut microbiome or gut flora.
Some of these bacteria are beneficial to your health and wellbeing, while others are not.
As such, your physical health can be greatly affected by the number and composition of your gut bacteria.
Prebiotics vs Probiotics
Prebiotics are healthy fibers that serve as a food source for the probiotics living in your colon.
They act like fertilizers to stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut.
Prebiotics are found in many fruits and vegetables that contain complex carbohydrates.
These carbs are not easily digestible by your body, so they pass through the digestive system to become food for the bacteria and other microbes.
Consume prebiotics along with probiotics to optimize your gut flora and maximize the health benefits of probiotics for your body.
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How Probiotics Help You Lose Weight
There is growing clinical evidence that the balance of bacteria in your gut flora can affect your body weight.
There are two dominant groups of beneficial bacteria in the human gut: the Bacteriodetes and the Firmicutes.
A study found that the relative proportion of Bacteriodetes is decreased in obese people when compared with lean people.
Furthermore, the proportion of Bacteriodetes increases with weight loss when the obese subjects went on low-calorie diets (1).
Another study done on the gut microbiome of twins, one thin and one obese, found that the thin twin had healthier gut flora than their obese counterparts (2).
These studies demonstrate that there is a strong correlation between your gut flora and your body weight.
Probiotics work in many ways to help you lose weight:
Reduced Appetite
Leptin is a hormone in your body that regulates your hunger signal.
It is produced by fat cells to let your brain know that there is enough fat stored for energy. The brain can then signal the body to reduce its appetite.
People that are obese are more likely to have developed leptin resistance, where the brain can no longer properly read the signals when leptin levels get too high.
A study showed that probiotic supplementation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus helped leptin signals to reach the brain, especially in female subjects, so that they feel more satisfied after eating (3).
This, in turn, helps these women to eat fewer calories to better help with weight loss.
Reduced Fat Storage
Taking probiotics supplements appears to help reduce the additional fat storage in the body, even when there is increased food consumption.
Research found that human subjects that were given certain probiotics gained less weight while eating high-fat, high-calorie diets compared to the group given the placebo (4).
Increased Fat Elimination
Not only can probiotics help your body reduce fat storage, but it may also help you eliminate more fat!
A research group in Japan found that fat consumed by subjects taking Lactobacillus gasseri probiotic supplements was not as easily digested or stored as fat by the body.
This resulted in excess fat being eliminated by the body through the digestive system (5).
Taking the appropriate probiotic supplements for weight loss could help those who want to lose weight and prevent the accumulation of excess fat to maintain their healthy weight over time.
Which Probiotic Strains Help With Weight Loss?
A 2014 literature study of clinical trials conducted on the effect of probiotics on body weight management identified several probiotics strains that seem to be effective for fat loss: Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and the combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium lactis (6).
Studies have also found that bacteria belonging to the Lactobacillus family, including Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus fermentum, may reduce belly fat and flatten your stomach.
In one study, subjects taking supplements with Lactobacillus fermentum or Lactobacillus amylovorus had total body fat loss of 3–4% over a 6-week period (7).
Another study of 210 people with high belly fat found that taking Lactobacillus gasseri for 12 weeks reduced body weight, body fat mass, BMI, waist size and hip circumference.
Overall, participants reduced belly fat by 8.5%. And when they stopped taking the probiotic, they gained back all of the belly fat within a month (8).
Another study of 125 overweight subjects investigated the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus supplements on weight loss and weight maintenance (9).
During the 3-month study period, women who took the probiotic supplement lost significantly more weight during the study than women who took a placebo.
They also continued to lose more weight in the weight-maintenance stage, after they had finished dieting.
How can I Add More Probiotics to My Diet?
There are a number of good food sources of probiotics you can add to your diet:
- Kefir
- Yogurts
- Kombucha
- Some cheeses (Gouda, mozzarella, cheddar, cottage cheese…)
- Kimchi
- Sauerkraut
- Pickles
- Tempeh
- Miso
- Natto
Additionally, you’ll want to add prebiotic foods to feed your good bacteria and help them flourish:
- Oats
- Apple
- Seaweed
- Flaxseeds
- Cocoa
- Beans
- Asparagus
- Garlic
- Onion
- Leeks
- Dandelion greens
- Green banana
While regularly consuming these food probiotic sources can optimize your overall health, there are many outstanding probiotics supplements that are made with bacterial strains to specifically help you lose weight and belly fat.
How to Choose the Best Probiotic Supplement
One of the first things to consider when choosing a probiotic supplement is the reason you are taking it, given that different bacteria strains provide different health benefits.
We have identified the specific bacteria strains that can aid in weight loss. Below are some of the other key factors to consider.
Quantity
How much probiotics you should take can vary by the bacteria type and the reason you’re taking the product. The general recommendation is to start at a minimum of 1 billion colony-forming units (CFUs).
Diversity
Your gut flora is diverse, so your probiotic should be too.
A good starting point is a combination that contains strains from the Lactobacillus family and Bifidobacterium family, as these strains are naturally found in our gastrointestinal tract.
Survivability
Probiotics are delicate living microorganisms that need to overcome many obstacles: manufacturing process, shelf life, your acidic stomach environment before finally reaching your intestines where they work their magic.
Higher quality probiotic supplements use bioshield capsules that are able to withstand stomach acid and release their contents within the more alkaline environment of the small intestine for better bacteria survival.
5 Best Probiotics For Weight Loss For Women
5. Garden of Life Probiotic SupplementDr. Formulated Fitbiotic Probiotics Powder
These doctor-formulated probiotics powder packets contain 50 billion CFU once daily probiotic supplement with 14 diverse strains of bacteria.
The probiotic bacteria include strains clinically studied to provide weight loss and belly fat loss support.
This supplement also comes complete with an organic plant-based prebiotic fiber to help the good bacteria thrive and support satiety.
The powder packets are shelf-stable and no refrigeration is needed.
This probiotics supplement is dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, certified organic, vegetarian and sugar-free.
4. iFlora
Iflora Multi-Probiotic FormulaThe iFlora Multi-Probiotic Capsules contains 16 probiotic strains, many of which reflect the natural groups of probiotics found in our human body.
Each serving comes with 32 billion active probiotic cells along with a non-gas forming prebiotic fiber for support.
It also comes with a clinically researched probiotic strain to support optimal large intestine health and promote a healthy immune system.
The iFlora also includes most of the aforementioned bacterial strains that reduce belly fat.
3. Renew Life Ultimate Flora Probiotic
Ultimate Flora Women’s CareThe Ultimate Flora Probiotic from RenewLife is formulated with 25 billion live cultures of 10 specifically selected bacterial strains that reflect the natural diversity of your gut. This helps to restore your body’s digestive health and harmony.
Not only does this probiotic formula support both digestive and immune health to help you feel lighter, brighter and more energized, but it also uses a potent Lactobacillus formula to help support vaginal health.
Vaginal yeast infections can cause weight gain and belly bloat, and over 75% of women will develop this problem at least once in their life (10).
Taking healthy doses of good bacteria can combat yeast growth and belly bloat.
The probiotics are delivered in delayed-release capsules to ensure that they reach your intestinal tract where they can thrive and unleash health benefits.
This probiotic is shelf-stable, made in the USA and are free of gluten, dairy, and soy.
2. Hyperbiotic Pro-15 Probiotics
15-Strain Time-Release Probiotic PearlsThe Hyperbiotic Pro-15 Probiotics comes with a diversity of 15 bacterial strains, many of which have been proven to help you lose weight and belly fat.
Their patented delivery method provides 15 times more survivability than with veggie capsules.
Its probiotics are time-released over an 8-10 hour period so they bypass your stomach acid to reach your intestines to provide optimal benefits to your body.
These probiotic pearls are tiny and easy to swallow. Each pearl also contains naturally derived prebiotics to help feed the probiotics for increased potency.
1. DrFormulas Nexabiotic Probiotics for Women
DrFormulas Probiotics for Women for Weight Loss, Vaginal & Urinary Health
This probiotic supplements for women contain a whopping 23-strains of probiotics strains, including most of the aforementioned probiotics to lose weight and belly fat.
Not only does it come with patented prebiotics to support the growth of healthy probiotics, but it also comes with a cranberry extract to support healthy urinary tract bacterial levels.
This probiotics for women features a proprietary delayed-release mechanism to make sure you get most out of the 17+ billion CFUs per capsule.
Nexabiotic Probiotics for Women is made in the USA, in an FDA inspected facility.
Tips For Taking Probiotics Daily
Manufacturers of probiotics have suggested that they can be taken before meals, during meals or after meals or even without meals.
This has caused confusion for the industry and consumers.
One study found that Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium survive best when taken up to 30 minutes before a meal, ideally a meal containing some fat source (12).
However, it seems that consistency is more important than whether you take your probiotic with or without food.
Another month-long study found that subjects that took probiotics consistently during the study improved their gut microbiome regardless of whether they were taken with a meal (13).
Therefore, the best time to take probiotics is regularly. Both prebiotics and probiotics can be taken at the same time each day.
Take them at the same time daily to establish a healthy routine.
I take mine in the morning before breakfast.
Your gut microbiome will thank you for it!
While these probiotics for weight loss may help you on your journey to a healthier weight, you still need to eat a healthy diet filled with whole foods.
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