Benefits Of Probiotics: Why Eating Yogurt Can Help You lose Weight
A new study claims that the regular consumption of probiotics could help accelerate weight loss in women.
Published jointly out of food and yogurt giant Nestlé and Université Laval in Quebec, the research suggests that obese women who add probiotics to their diet plan — most commonly found in yogurt — could lose twice as much weight as those who don’t.
Based on the premise that the intestinal flora of obese people differs from thin people — likely due to a diet high in fat and low in fibre — scientists set out to see if the consumption of “good bacteria” could help reset the balance of gut microbiota.
To test out their theory, researchers recruited 125 overweight men and women who were put on a 12-week weight loss diet, followed by another 12-week maintenance program. During the 24-week period, half the participants were instructed to take two pills of probiotics daily, while the other half received a placebo.
After the first period, women who took probiotics lost an average of 4.4 kg (about 10 lbs) while their placebo counterparts lost 2.6 kg (about 6 lbs).
By the end of the 24-week period, women in the probiotic group had continued to lose weight for a total of 5.2 kg per person (about 11 lbs), while the placebo group remained stable.