Bacteria: It Does a Body Good?
Written by Jacob Gomez
Edited by Emily Moran
Jan 18, 2021
Edited by Emily Moran
Jan 18, 2021
Bacteria gets a bad rep, right? It seems like anytime bacteria is discussed, it is usually because it is harmful and scientists are racing to find an appropriate antibiotic to eliminate it. Any hand sanitizer brand you see is proud to say that their product kills 99.99% of bacteria, and they even put it on the front of their bottles. In spite of this apparent anti-bacterial sentiment, certain strains of bacteria actually serve several important purposes in preserving our health, such as potentially being used to treat and prevent obesity (“Is It Time”).
Don’t be mistaken. Consuming large amounts of healthy bacteria, known as probiotics, will not magically give you rock hard abs and bulging biceps! However, according to research conducted by the Technology and Research Institute of Japan, there does seem to be a correlation between weight loss and consumption of bacteria-enriched foods. In one of their studies, one group was given fermented milk containing a probiotic called Lactobacillus gasseri every day, while another was given a placebo of only fermented milk for twelve weeks. What they concluded was that subjects given probiotic-filled fermented milk showed a greater likelihood of reducing their overall body fat percentage than subjects given the placebo. Subjects consuming Lactobacillus gasseri daily saw a 4.6% decrease in abdominal fat on average and 1.5% decrease in BMI, whereas the group given the placebo did not see a significant decrease in fat percentage or BMI (“Is It Time”).
Possible explanations for this phenomena are still relatively unknown, but a leading hypothesis states that bacterial strains, like those in the Lactobacillus genus, produce a compound called propionate. Propionate is special because it increases levels of a hunger-inhibiting hormone called leptin in our bodies. Because of this feeling of fullness brought on by propionate, consuming probiotics regularly may have a close link to preventing binge eating and increasing weight loss in general. However, because clinical trials are still progressing, other studies have contradictions to these positive results. In a similar study, both the experimental group treated with probiotics and the placebo group demonstrated no significant difference in fat loss or BMI, which led to early conclusions that probiotics were actually ineffective. Despite this, it’s worth noting that each trial utilizes different dosages and time intervals, so further research is necessary to uncover the true potential of probiotics (“Is It Time”).
The idea of what is healthy living varies, and nothing beats old fashioned eating well and exercising regularly in order to achieve that. Nevertheless, according to the World Health Organization, over 650 million people globally are obese, and this number is rising each year. Although it’s still in its early stages of clinical study, the potential that probiotics have shown thus far in managing weight shouldn’t be wasted, and you don’t even need to wait for a probiotic prescription from your doctor! Foods such as yogurt, soy products, pickles, and fermented dishes contain significant amounts of Lactobacillus gasseri and other species of good bacteria. So, the next time you want to eat something, give bacteria a chance.
Works Cited
Brusaferro, Andrea, et al. “Is It Time to Use Probiotics to Prevent or Treat Obesity?” Nutrients, MDPI, 1 Nov. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266556/.
Mary Ellen Sanders. “Scientists Re-Classify the Lactobacillus Genus into 25 Genera.” Gut Microbiota for Health, 4 May 2020, www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/scientists-re-classify-the-lactobacillus-genus-into-25-genera-including-groups-of-closely-related-species/.
Image Source: “lactobacillus acidophilus” by Doc. RNDr. Josef Reischig, CSc. licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.