Gut bacteria could impact your weight: new findings

If you’re struggling with your weight, you may be surprised to learn there’s something else you can do to supplement your healthy diet and exercise program. New research shows a little-known gut bacterium named B420™ does some heavy lifting to help you keep in shape.

Trillions of microscopic bacteria live inside your tightly coiled intestines. Your microbiome, a tiny army of gut microbiota and their host (that’s you!), has a hidden but huge effect on your health, supporting your digestive function and communicating with your immune system.

A healthy gut contains a delicate balance of many different microbial strains. But in the age of desk jobs and processed foods, we often lack this microbiota diversity. And this affects many aspects of overall health, including weight.

In 2006, University of Washington scientists demonstrated a link between obesity and gut microbiota in mice. When mice were given microbiota from obese animals they developed an imbalanced gut microbiome with more of one type of bacteria and less of another. But mice from the same litter given lean microbiota maintained gut balance. Crucially, the obese mice’s changed microbiome extracted more calories from food, feeding their weight gain.

Since research was beginning to suggest that gut microbiota might influence obesity, the scientists wondered whether probiotics might be used as a weight management tool.

Bifidobacterium lactis 420™ (or B420™ for short) seemed an especially promising probiotic strain based on the studies already conducted in mice. In 2016, the DuPont researchers published the results of a randomised controlled trial, the gold standard research tool for measuring the safety and effectiveness of nutritional treatments.

Results from this six-month trial indicated that subjects in the group receiving the B420™ probiotic, with or without a fibre supplement, maintained body fat mass, waist measurements and body weight, in contrast to the placebo group, where subjects instead gained body fat mass and waist measurements.

‘It was an important study,’ says Dr Anders Henriksson, researcher and senior scientist at DuPont working on dairy and dietary supplement products.

‘This study’s results show that the daily intake of a particular strain of bifidobacteria can assist in weight management and help us maintain a healthy body weight.’

During the trial, participants kept food diaries. Everyone’s calorie intake was roughly the same at the beginning, but it changed as the trial went on. The researchers noticed that people taking the probiotic were eating less than those taking the placebo. B420™ somehow helped people regulate their food intake.

Those taking B420™ also achieved 4.0 percent less total body fat mass than those in the placebo group; 6.3 percent less trunk fat versus placebo and smaller waist circumference by 2.4cm as compared to placebo.

‘People taking the B420™ consumed less energy, which suggests that B420™ reduced hunger sensations and the desire to over-eat,’ Dr Henriksson explains. ‘Results suggest that they were full and felt full for longer, so their calorie intake was reduced by 11-15 percent compared to the people who weren’t taking B420™.’

We’ve long known the benefits of healthy weight. It lowers the risk of heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers and gives us more energy and better sleep.

Of course, balancing our energy intake by maintaining a whole-foods diet of grains, fruits and vegetables; avoiding processed and sugary foods and building exercise into our day are important for maintaining a healthy weight. But our new understanding of how gut microbiota helps regulate calorie absorption and appetite offers fresh hope to those who would like to amplify their diet and exercise efforts.

Hosting a wide variety of microorganisms (microbiota) in your gut may help you achieve or maintain a healthy weight. ‘Eating and exercising well should always be your priority. But you can boost your gut health by eating foods that stimulate a desirable microbiome, or you can help support a healthy microbiome by taking desirable microbes as dietary supplements or certain fermented foods,’ says Dr Henriksson.

When it comes to gut bacteria, variety and the most desirable microbes really are the spice of life.

This article is sponsored by DuPont

B420™ is a trademark of DuPont. B420™ for weight management is among latest innovation in the premium line of HOWARU™ DuPont™ Danisco™ probiotics. Each of the probiotics are designed to help users live their best lives. As with all DuPont Nutrition and Health products, probiotics and fibers are manufactured to the highest quality standards, and are tested rigorously. DuPont is a world leader in applying market-driven science and innovation to solutions for the food, beverage, and dietary supplement industries.

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