It's time to add probiotic-packed yogurt to your grocery list: The dairy product may help boost your weight loss results, per new research in theJournal of the American College of Nutrition. "Probiotics are 'beneficial bacteria' that promote a healthy gut environment and obstruct the growth of 'bad bacteria,'" says Rania Batayneh, M.P.H., author of The One One One Diet. "Various studies show they help lower chronic inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity in both diabetic and healthy individuals, and lower cortisol levels, which are key players in belly fat," says Batayneh.
For the study, researchers assigned 75 overweight and obese participants to different eight-week diet groups: regular yogurt/low-calorie diet, probiotic yogurt/low-calorie diet, and probiotic yogurt with a diet that wasn't low-calorie. The participants who ate probiotic yogurt were instructed to eat 200 grams (the equivalent of one cup) per day of a yogurt enhanced with the probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus casei.
At the end of the eight weeks, researchers discovered that the group that combined the probiotic yogurt and the low-calorie diet saw the largest reduction in both body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage. They also had lower levels of leptin in their systems. "Leptin is the 'satiety hormone,' and when our levels aren't depleted we are able to better sense satiety and therefore not overeat," says Batayneh. Higher leptin is a common marker of being overweight, write the study authors.
Although the study found a correlation and doesn't prove causation, there's reason to think probiotics had something to do with the results, says Batayneh. "Those who ate regular yogurt were also on a low-calorie diet, but the ones who saw the desired effect were consuming probiotics," she says. "It's reasonable to suggest the probiotics were responsible for the results." A big factor is likely the probiotics' reduction of chronic low-grade inflammation, which is closely associated with obesity, write the researchers. Another reason? You're pairing probiotics with yogurt, which "has protein that can improve insulin sensitivity and increase satiety," says Batayneh.
The specific types of probiotics used in the study are found in most yogurts with the label "live and active cultures," says Batayneh—so double-check your yogurt container, and get snacking!
