Do Probiotics Work For Weight Loss?

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Today’s 30-Second Summary

If you don’t have time to read the whole email today, here are some key takeaways:

• Probiotics have many well-established health benefits, but whether or not weight loss is amongst them, remains unclear

  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have found opposing results, and an interesting randomized controlled trial found results differing per probiotic strain

  • More solidly evidence-based weight loss strategies include certain dietary interventions to tweak metabolic base rate, and high-intensity impact training

• Regular screenings are a critical part of maintaining good health, especially as we get older.

  • Today’s sponsor, Life Line Screening, will check your personal risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and more.

Read on to learn about these things and more…

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❓ MAIN FEATURE

It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!

In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

So, no question/request too big or small 😎

❝Can you talk about using probiotics for weight loss? Thanks❞

Great question! First, a quick catch-up:

How Much Difference Do Probiotic Supplements Make, Really?

Our above-linked article covers a number of important benefits of probiotic supplements, but we didn’t talk about weight loss at all. So let’s examine whether probiotics are useful for weight loss.

Up-front summary: the science is unclear

This 2021 systematic review found that they are indeed very effective:

Source: Effects of Probiotics and Synbiotics on Weight Loss in Subjects with Overweight or Obesity: A Systematic Review

This slightly older (2015) systematic review and meta-analysis found the opposite:

Source: Probiotics for weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis

And in case that’s not balanced enough, this 2020 randomized controlled trial got mixed results:

Source: Effects of Synbiotic Supplement on Human Gut Microbiota, Body Composition and Weight Loss in Obesity

Summary

Probiotics may or may not work for weight loss.

In all likelihood, it depends on the blend of cultures contained in the supplement. It’s possible that Lactobacillus is more beneficial for weight loss than Bifidobacterium, which latter may actually reduce weight loss.

Or it might not, because that was just one study and correlation ≠ causation!

We’d love to give you a hard-and-fast answer, but if the data doesn’t support a hard-and-fast answer, we’re not going to lie to you.

What we can say for sure though is that probiotics come with very many health benefits, so whether or not weight loss is one of them, they’re a good thing to have for most people.

Some further articles that may interest you:

• How Much Difference Do Probiotic Supplements Make, Really? ← the aforementioned article

• Making Friends With Your Gut (You Can Thank Us Later) ← gut health 101

• Burn! How To Boost Your Metabolism ← these things can help change your metabolic base rate, which is highly relevant to weight loss

• How To Do HIIT (Without Wrecking Your Body) ←unlike most forms of exercise, which cause the body to slow the metabolism afterwards to compensate, high-intensity interval training results in an increased metabolic rate (so generally: fat-burning) for several hours after training.

Take care!

📊 POLL

We turn the tables and ask you a question…

We’ll then talk about this tomorrow:

❤️ OUR SPONSORS MAKE THIS PUBLICATION POSSIBLE

You Don’t Want To Find Out Later That Your CVD/Stroke Was Preventable!

Regular screenings are a critical part of maintaining good health, especially as we get older. But, isn’t it a pain to get all the appointments?

Life Line Screening is offering a deal on a stack of screenings as a single package:

• Carotid Artery Screening (Plaque)

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(The screening methods involve a combination of EKG readings and a variety of ultrasound scans)

If you want, they can also screen for most other chronic diseases; that’s on a “per item” basis. But the above is a special package deal!

Please do visit our sponsors—they help keep 10almonds free

🌍 AROUND THE WEB

What’s happening in the health world…

• Scientists link growth hormone to anxiety and fear memory through specific neuron group

• Perceived time has an actual effect on physical healing, study finds

• Staying up to date with adult vaccinations for the new year

• Overactive bladder not tied to sleep disturbance, fatigue or depression

• Living with a depressed loved one can take mental, financial toll

• COVID, flu, allergies, or something else? Tips for virus season

• Resistance (exercise) is far from futile: The unheralded benefits of weight training

More to come tomorrow!

📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW

Own Your Past Change Your Future: A Not-So-Complicated Approach to Relationships, Mental Health & Wellness – by Dr. John Delony

This one is exactly what it says on the cover. It's reminiscent in its premise of the more clinically-presented Tell Yourself A Better Lie (an excellent book, which we reviewed previously) but this time presented in a much more casual fashion.

Dr. Delony favors focusing on telling stories, and indeed this book contains many anecdotes. But also he bids the reader to examine our own stories—those we tell ourselves about ourselves, our past, people around us, and so forth.

To call those things "stories" may create a knee-jerk response of feeling like it is an accusation of dishonesty, but rather, it is acknowledging that experiences are subjective, and our framing of narratives can vary.

As for reframing things and taking control, his five-step-plan for doing such is:

1. Acknowledge reality

2. Get connected

3. Change your thoughts

4. Change your actions

5. Seek redemption

...which each get a chapter devoted to them in the book.

You may notice that these are very similar to some of the steps in 12-step programs, and also some religious groups and/or self-improvement groups. In other words, this may not be the most original approach, but it is a tried-and-tested one.

Bottom line: if you feel like your life needs an overhaul, but don't want to wade through a bunch of psychology to do it, then this book could be it for you.

Click here to check out Own Your Past To Change Your Future, and do just that!

May you reach all your healthy goals,

The 10almonds Team