I recommend probiotics to nearly all of my patients. They are the healthy flora that live in your large intestines and help you to fight off bugs while keeping things regular. A recent study presented at the 2009 European Congress on Obesity found that taking probiotic supplements which contained Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, starting in the first trimester and continuing for at least a year post-partum were less likely to develop that central abdominal fat.
They compared 256 pregnant women who took the probiotic and received dietary advice, only received the dietary advice, or didn’t receive anything and found that probiotics plus the counseling led to only 25% of the group keeping their apple shaped abdomens. The rest lost it! Advice alone (no supplement) left 43% with the fat and 40% of the control group (no supplement or advice) had still had central belly weight.
When looking for a good probiotic, make sure it is dairy-free, refrigerated, and has a quantity in the billions! Do your research first as not all probiotics are created equal. Sometimes probiotics actually cause a little gas at first as it’s moving out the old and unhealthy to make way for the fresh and clean. If this happens to you, consider switching brands or take your supplement at night before bed.
Add a Comment4 Comments
What do you think of probiotic vaginal suppositories?
August 12, 2009 - 11:06amI wrote about my experience in this article: https://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2009/08/12/probiotic-vaginal-suppositories
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Why do you say Dairy-free? Probiotics were first discovered from dairy sources.
June 18, 2009 - 9:05amThis Comment
Really? I think it was not first discovered from dairy source.Well one thing is for sure lactobacili are very good for our health.
Scott,
June 25, 2009 - 4:45ammaxgxl australia
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I've been reading all about probiotics and baby belly fat lately too, it's very interesting research! I'm a huge probiotic fan, but I also truly appreciate the nutritional counseling aspect to this study and to weight management in general. So many of us do not really know what to eat, and what may be hidden in foods labeled "healthy" "natural" or "whole foods." Education truly helps!
May 13, 2009 - 7:46am- Anna M
http://blog.nutri-health.com/
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