If you’ve been trying to lose weight and feel like you’re eating all the right foods but still not seeing results, your gut health might be the issue. These five top probiotics for weight loss can help heal your leaky gut and help you overcome that plateau!
Your stomach plays a crucial role in digestion. Every time you eat, trillions of tiny microbes feast on your food, breaking it down so your body can absorb nutrients and energy more effectively.
Most of the microbes in your gut are beneficial bacteria, known as probiotics, that work in your favor. A healthy gut should consist of at least 90% probiotics, but factors like stress, poor diet, illness, and medications can disrupt this balance.
When your gut health is off, harmful bacteria can take over, leading to immune system problems, inflammation, diarrhea, constipation, weight gain, and various illnesses.
Introducing new probiotics into your gut can restore balance, allowing digestion to function properly, which benefits both your health and your waistline.
While we naturally have probiotics in our digestive system, we can boost their numbers by consuming them through food or supplements. However, not all probiotics are the same, and finding the right one for your body can be tricky.
In a recent study, women who took probiotics lost 50% more weight than those who didn’t. Your gut health and nutrient absorption are important, so don’t skip your daily probiotic.
A study involving twins—one thin and one obese—showed that gut health does affect weight. The thinner twin had healthier gut flora compared to the obese one.
If your body struggles to break down nutrients, you’ll find it hard to process or store fats and carbohydrates. Digesting fiber will also be a challenge.
Some harmful bacteria produce lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which can lead to inflammation and weight gain. In a study, mice fed LPS with a healthy diet gained as much weight as those on a high-fat diet.
Beneficial bacteria counteract these harmful chemicals, helping to keep you healthy.
Gut bacteria also influence your hunger levels. Good bacteria help break down fiber, which reduces the hormones that signal hunger.
An excess of yeast can lead to weight gain and bloating, affecting over 75% of women at least once in their lives. A healthy amount of good gut bacteria can help eliminate yeast.
Eating probiotic-rich foods will support your digestive health, but if your gut is already struggling, supplements can help restore balance. It’s essential to take probiotics and maintain a diet that promotes gut health, not just one focused on weight loss.
Here are some foods rich in probiotics:
Many probiotic brands boast about the number of bacteria in their products, but the types of strains are just as important. Multiple strains work together to enhance digestive health.
The three key strains are L. acidophilus, which aids nutrient absorption; B. longum, which helps maintain the intestinal lining; and B. bifidum, which breaks down complex carbs, fats, and proteins.
The best probiotics for weight loss contain at least five billion CFUs (colony-forming units) and a minimum of seven strains.
Living microbes can die quickly if they’re processed or not stored properly. Ensure the packaging is high quality and refrigerate or store it in a cool, dark place right away.
A common myth about probiotics is that the “good ones” must be refrigerated. While they should never be exposed to sunlight, many brands are shelf-stable and don’t require refrigeration. This doesn’t indicate whether a brand is more effective than others.
If the label states, “viable at time of manufacture,” don’t buy it unless they specify how many bacteria are guaranteed at the expiration date. This means they only confirm the bacteria were alive during manufacturing.
Don’t choose a product just because it’s cheap. The FDA doesn’t regulate probiotic supplements, so opt for one certified by an independent third party.
Here are the five best probiotics for weight loss!
Most bacteria die when exposed to oxygen or left out of the fridge for too long. That’s why it’s crucial to choose a shelf-stable brand if refrigeration isn’t an option.
Dr. Tobias brand added two spore-forming strains to their probiotics, eliminating the need for refrigeration.
This is great news for those who struggle to remember to take refrigerated probiotics. Out of sight, out of mind.
Clinical tests show that, unlike other probiotics, there’s virtually no loss of colony-forming units when stored at 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
The only downside is that the pills are made in a facility that may also process dairy, wheat, peanuts, and other allergens. If you have severe sensitivities, consider another brand.
Yes, these are our probiotics!
At least we were modest enough not to place them at the top (though we genuinely believe they deserve it!).
Since weight loss and gut health are closely linked, we developed our own probiotic supplement specifically for our 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge clients.
Our fast weight loss program helps clients lose an average of 10-21 pounds in just 21 days with a healthy diet full of whole foods.
However, if your gut is unhealthy, your body can’t process even healthy foods effectively. A detox from carbohydrates can help reset your hormones and improve gut health, and adding a premium probiotic supplement can speed up this process.
We named our probiotics Gut-13 because they contain 13 different gut-healing strains of bacteria.
While our probiotics aren’t available on Amazon right now, we offer free shipping to our U.S. customers!
Restore your digestive health, immune function, weight loss ability, and gut flora balance with Avocadu’s premium probiotic, Gut-13!
Hyperbiotics capsules contain 15 billion CFUs per pill, but they claim it’s equivalent to 225 billion in other brands due to their patented LiveBac manufacturing process.
Most probiotics come in capsules that break down too quickly in stomach acid, killing the bacteria, or are enteric-coated, which leads to self-destruction. Hyperbiotics claims to have the only patented delivery system that protects beneficial flora as it travels to the intestines.
It “consistently delivers as many as 15 times, or more, the number of live, viable probiotic organisms past simulated stomach acids than standard capsules, as shown through in vitro lab testing.”
Vitamin Bounty uses a special time-release capsule that’s strong enough to deliver probiotics to the gut, where they’re needed.
This well-researched and popular probiotic contains 50 billion live CFUs and 13 strains. They don’t use fillers, so you don’t need to take multiple capsules for optimal results.
They also include fermented greens like wheatgrass, barley grass, and alfalfa, which are beneficial for weight loss. It’s gluten-free, but avoid it if you’re allergic to any of these greens.
If you want a gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free probiotic with no other ingredients, this is the product for you.
It contains over 50 billion live cultures per capsule and 12 probiotic strains, providing plenty of variety. The selected strains help balance digestive issues and support immune health.
A great feature of this product is that it’s time-released and highly potent, so you only need to take one capsule daily. With many brands, it feels like you’re constantly taking pills.
They also guarantee potency until the expiration date.
If you enjoyed this article on the best probiotics for weight loss or have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below!