Probiotic Reduces Pounds

Drinking a probiotic fermented milk reduced abdominal adiposity, body weight and other measures, suggesting its beneficial influence on metabolic disorders in a recent study by the Technology and Research Institute at Snow Brand Milk Products Co. Ltd. (Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jun;64(6):636-43).

Researchers evaluated the effects of the probiotic Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 (LG2055) on abdominal adiposity, body weight and other body measures in adults with obese tendencies in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled intervention trial. Subjects (n=87) with a high body mass index (BMI) (24.2-30.7 kg/m2) and abdominal visceral fat area (81.2-178.5 cm2) were randomly assigned to receive either fermented milk containing LG2055 (n=43) or fermented milk without LG2055 (n=44), and were asked to consume 200 g/day for 12 weeks. Abdominal fat area was determined by computed tomography.

In the group that received the probiotic in its milk, abdominal visceral and subcutaneous fat areas significantly (P<0.01) decreased from baseline by an average of 4.6 percent. Body weight and other measures also decreased significantly (P<0.001) as follows: body weight, 1.4 percent; and waist, 1.8 percent. In the control group, by contrast, none of these parameters decreased significantly.