Probiotics Can Help You Slim Down

December 17, 2009

Posted by Carey Rossi

We know that as we gain and lose weight, our bodies transform. But who would have guessed that the bacteria in our gut would change. So much so that it can make a difference between whether we are thin or obese. But why?

Published in the journal, Nature, in 2006, a groundbreaking study reported that gut microbial populations are different in obese and lean people. When obese people lost weight these microflora changed to closely resemble that which is found in a lean person. And now, scientist may have found that our flora changes rapidly and dramatically when we change our diet.

A new study in Science Translational Medicine shows that switching from a plant-rich, low-fat diet to a high-fat, high-sugar Western diet alters the microbiota in the gut. Researchers transplanted microbes from human faeces into mice that didn’t have any microorganisms in their gut (essentially they were germ-free). They then fed them a typical Western diet — high-fat, high-sugar — and watched the gut bacteria multiply rapidly compared to the mice fed a low-fat diet. Not surprisingly, the Western-diet fed mice also experienced an increase in body fat.

In another phase of this research, when microbiota from high-fat fed mice was transplanted into germ-free mice, it caused the new mice to accumulate more body fat despite their low-fat diet.

What does all of this mean for you and your waist line? Probiotics are known to alter the growth of microbial species in the gut. Recently, Finnish researchers found that consuming probiotics daily could help decrease belly fat by altering the way we use and store calories.

The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: Studies like those mentioned above will allow more research into how these nutritional aids can work. In the meantime, you may want to get your daily dose of bacteria to help keep your digestive system humming.