Consuming Probiotics May Aid Weight Loss Surgery Patients
Thursday, 28 January 2010 13:15
Studies at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California have reported that taking probiotics may help bariatric patients lose more weight by improving bacterial overgrowth, according to MedicineNet.
As reported by MedicineNet and John M. Morton, MD, from the Surgery Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, the test group that consumed probiotics "attained a significantly greater percent of excess weight loss than that of [the] control group."
The study took over 40 patients who were about to have Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery in 2006-2007. These patients were divided into 2 groups. One group was given almost 2.5 billion colonies of Lactobacillus, a probiotic, every day. Both the control group and the probiotic group received the same levels of post-operative care, nutritional counseling, and support groups. Participants were also told that they were allowed to consume yogurt, which contains probiotics.
At the 3 and 6 month points after surgery, researchers measured participants H2 levels that signify
bacterial overgrowth. They determined that at the 6 month mark, bacterial overgrowth in the probiotic support group had decreased significantly. "Part of the obesity puzzle may be due to the kind of bacteria you have in your intestine," Dr. Morton said. "Bacterial overgrowth can be bad in that it changes your motility, how you empty.... I thought, 'Well, if we give these patients probiotics, then maybe we can improve these symptoms.' "
Dr. Morton and the Stanford University also reported that, "compared with the control group, the probiotic group had significantly greater percent excess weight loss at 6 weeks (control group, 25.5%; probiotic group, 29.9%) and 3 months (38.55% vs 47.68%). At 6 months, the difference between groups still favored the probiotic group but was no longer statistically significant (60.78% vs 67.15%)."
Besides decreasing bacterial overgrowth in the probiotic group, researchers also saw in increase in the availability of the vitamin B12, which can help with metabolism and immune system support. While this study was novel in nature, there are statistical issues that many experts argue may affect the conclusions the weight loss surgery community can draw from it. These issues include the size of the test group, a lack of placebo present, not enough testing, and the age and health issues present in the probiotic group that may have affected the study's findings.
However, this study's findings shouldn't be forgotten. The researcher's news release states that "this data may provide further evidence that altering the [gastrointestinal] microbiota can influence weight loss."
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