Trying to Become and Stay Lean

Who knew? Recent research suggests your “gut” could play a role in helping you lose that stubborn belly fat.   Ironic, I know.

How’s this possible? Well, it’s all thanks to the “inner ecosystem” that lives in your body.   We’ve known about the “good” and “bad” bacteria that can thrive in our digestive systems. But here’s what we didn’t know.

“Good bacteria,” also known as probiotics, can help burn off abdominal fat. This is as close to “spot reducing” as you can get! The study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, studied the effects of probiotics on eighty-seven overweight participants.

One group drank 200 grams of milk with a probiotic supplement.   The second group drank 200 grams of milk with nothing else.   This was done daily, over the course of twelve weeks.

The results? The milk-with-probiotics group lost nearly five percent of their abdominal fat.   But it doesn’t stop there - they also lost over three percent of their subcutaneous fat (the fat that’s just underneath the skin).

The control group that did not supplement with probiotics had no significant change in bodyweight or fat loss. Pretty amazing, right!?

This supports another very recent study that suggests probiotics can be helpful in fighting obesity overall.   Researchers from Lund University in Sweden explored the effects of lactic acid bacteria on rats given a high-calorie diet.

One group of rats were given the lactic acid bacterium from the uterus and into adulthood.   The second group did not receive the bacterium.   Both groups ate the same amount of food.

Those that got the bacterium weighed significantly less than those that didn’t. So how can you get some “good” fat-fighting bacteria into your gut?

Here are a few tips:

Stay away from Sugar and Fructose

Sugar serves as fuel for the growth of bad bacteria, yeast and fungi. All the kinds of wrong things you don’t want growing inside you.

Pickled Cabbage

Eat more Fermented Foods

Anything pickled is a good bet, like cabbage or cucumbers.

Natto

This is a popular Japanese dish. It’s fermented soy beans and it’s rich in “good” bacteria.

Probiotic Supplement

This is another option if you don’t like eating fermented foods. You can easily find this at your local health food store.

Sources

Kadooka Y, Sato M, Imaizumi K, Ogawa A, Ikuyama K, Akai Y, Okano M, Kagoshima M, Tsuchida T., “Regulation of abdominal adiposity by probiotics (Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055) in adults with obese tendencies in a randomized controlled trial,” Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jun; 64(6):636-43. Epub 2010 Mar 10.

Karlsson CL, Molin G, Fåk F, Johansson Hagslätt ML, Jakesevic M, Håkansson A, Jeppsson B, Weström B, Ahrné S.” Effects on weight gain and gut microbiota in rats given bacterial supplements and a high-energy-dense diet from fetal life through to 6 months of age.” Br J Nutr. 2011 Mar 30:1-9.