Research has now revealed that probiotics --bacteria that help maintain a
healthy digestive tract by blocking the growth of harmful bacteria--may decrease new mothers' likelihood of
becoming obese one year after giving birth. The study suggests that such success is seen if the women start
eating the beneficial organisms from the first trimester of pregancy on.
These findings, presented recently at the European Congress on Obesity, are believed to be the first to reveal
the impact of probiotics supplementation on fat deposition and body fat. Those women in the study who took
probiotics during and after pregnancy had the lowest levels of central (trunk-area) obesity one year
after giving birth, as well as the lowest percentage of body fat.
Central obesity, which is considered to be the body fat most hazardous to health, was found in only 25
percent of the group that received probiotics before and after childbirth along with counseling about diet,
compared to 43 percent of the group that received only dietary counseling.
Researchers have further discovered that probiotics play a role in managing inflammation, a condition believed
to be involved in obesity and other diseases, such as diabetes. Based on this and other promising research,
I believe may be a great addition to
most people's diets, but check with your doctor to make sure you have no reason to avoid
them.
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