If you know a thing or two about probiotics, then you probably know that these “friendly” bacteria assist our bodies to digest properly and keep our gut and immune system healthy. But what you may not know is that probiotics may actually help women lose that unsightly belly fat that builds up during pregnancy.
If you’re a woman who wants to get rid of the post pregnancy belly fat, or you know one who wants to achieve this, then probiotics may help.
How do we know probiotics may help women say goodbye to post pregnancy belly fat?
A study conducted by Finland’s University of Turku focused on 256 pregnant women. The group was divided into three, during the first trimester of pregnancy, and of these three groups:
- One group received daily probiotics capsules with dietary counselling;
- One group received dietary counselling alone; and
- One group received dummy capsules and no dietary counselling.
At the commencement of the study, all women were weighed and then twelve months after having their babies, the women were measured for waist circumference and skin fold thickness.
Of the three groups, the group receiving daily probiotics combined with dietary counselling had the best results – only 25% of those women had a body mass index of 30 or more, and waist circumference in excess of 80cm or 31.5 inches, compared with 43% of the women who got dietary counselling alone and 40% who received the dummy capsules and no dietary counselling.
The group receiving the probiotics, also faired best when it came to average body fat percentage – 28% in the probiotics group, 29% in the dietary counselling only group and 30% in the group receiving no probiotics and no counselling.
Probiotics definitely played a role in the favourable outcome, providing some real food for thought to all women keen on ditching the post pregnancy belly fat!
