Probiotics Found To Get Rid Of ‘Flabby Tums’ After Pregnancy

May 8, 2009 by tanya
Filed under: News, Pregnancy

Probiotics have been found to help get rid of ‘baby bellies’ after pregnancy. The new research from the University of Turku in Finland was released at the 17th European Congress on Obesity in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The study followed 256 pregnant women to find out more about weight gain during and after pregnancy.

All of the women, who were in their first trimester of pregnancy, were divided into three groups for the study. Two of the groups received dietary counseling on which food they should eat for a healthy weight gain and for optimum development of their unborn child. They were provided with foods high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and fiber-enriched foods such as pasta and cereals.

One of the group, in addition to this support, were supplied with probiotic capsules containing lactobacillus and bifidobacterium. Probiotics have become popular over the last decade with their ability to improve digestion. They contain “friendly” bacteria which improves the health of the gut. The second group was provided with ‘dummy’ capsules.

The final group received ‘dummy’ capsules and no dietary counseling.

Researchers weighed the women at the start of the study, and again one year after they had given birth. Waist circumference and skin fold thickness were also recorded.

From the data collected, 25 percent of the women who had been adviced on what food to eat and given probiotics had a body mass index of 30 or more, and defined as centrally obese.

The group which was not provided with probiotics, 43 percent of the women were described to have central obesity.

For the third group which did not take probiotics or receive dietary advice, 40 percent had central obesity.

Central obesity, when combined with more fat around the belly, is considered to be particularly unhealthy.
The study also showed that there was a lower average in body fat percentage in the group which took probiotics.

Nutritionalist Kirsi Laitinen said “The women who got the probiotics fared best,”

“One year after childbirth, they had the lowest levels of central obesity as well as the lowest body fat percentage.”

Laitinen said that more research is needed to learn more about the effects of taking a probiotic to reduce a ‘flabby tum’ and on the health of the children.