On a mission to shed some pounds?
Anyone will tell you that the key to losing weight is a consistent calorie-deficit diet. Even so, some people have a harder time losing weight than others. If you have a gut feeling something is preventing you from losing as much weight as you would like to, you could be right.
A study published in May 2021 in the Gastroenterology journal “The Baseline Gut Microbiota Directs Dieting-Induced Weight Loss Trajectories” suggests that the composition of our gut microbiome could predict how successful we are at achieving our weight loss goals. Friendly gut bacteria FTW (yet again!)!
What is the gut-weight connection?
- Weight loss is impacted by gut hormones that help regulate our metabolism & appetite. The levels of these hormones depend upon the food we eat as well as the compounds produced by our gut bacteria.
⁃ Studies show that the gut microbiota of obese people is less diverse and contains less of the beneficial bacterial strains. This relationship is bi-directional. Losing weight in itself also leads to an increase in the diversity of your gut bugs.
⁃ Exercise, too, changes the composition of your gut bacteria and decreases obesity-related bacteria.
It takes guts to start off on a weight loss journey 💪🏼 More specifically, it takes the right gut bacteria to make the journey a successful one. If you are looking to improve your gut health consider including more foods that are rich in dietary fibre: fruits, veggies, wholegrain, beans & legumes. Prebiotic foods like garlic, onions, chickpeas, almonds, etc. can also help keeping your good gut bugs happy and fed. Also, choose natural sources of probiotics (like yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut and our all-time favourite - water kefir) to keep your gut populated by the good guys.