Dysbiosis: The Reason You’re Not Losing Weight
You’ve tried exercise. You’ve tried calorie restriction, fat restriction, high-protein, low-carb, etc. Perhaps you lost some weight, but eventually, you gained it back. One of the most likely reasons that you’re not losing weight and keeping it off is because of something you’ve probably never heard of: dysbiosis.
What is Dysbiosis?
To understand dysbiosis you first need to understand your gut. The lining of the gastrointestinal track is covered in bacteria, both good and bad bacteria. As a group, these bacteria make up your gut microbiome or gut microbiota. Your gut microbiome can be helpful, neutral or harmful to your health, depending on several factors. Through testing, scientists have been able to identify what a normal or healthy gut microbiome should look like. When the gut microbiome is unbalanced or looks different from the norm, the condition is called dysbiosis.
An Example of Dysbiosis in the GI Tract: Antibiotic Dysbiosis
One example of dysbiosis is what occurs after taking certain oral antibiotics. For example, an antibiotic prescribed for a skin infection will kill disease-causing bacteria in the skin. Unfortunately, the antibiotic may also kill helpful bacteria in the gut, leading to dysbiosis. As a result, harmful bacteria can multiply and cause serious disease in the colon.3 This bad bacteria also create twice the amount of calories as healthy bacteria, aiding in weight gain and other problems.
Dysbiosis and Weight Gain: A Lesson From Mice
Dysbiosis in relation to obesity is more difficult to understand because bacteria in the gut have numerous effects on human nutrition, weight gain, and obesity.4 Gut bacteria also has a profound effect on the energy that we harvest, absorb, and store from the contents of the colon.
For example, mice that are born and raised in a completely germ-free environment do not have a microbiome in the GI tract — they live their lives without being exposed to a single microorganism. When the group of germ-free mice are fed a diet that contains microorganisms, their body fat increases by 60% and they develop the equivalent of type 2 diabetes within two weeks.5
This shows us that the bacteria in the gut play a huge role in overall health and that abnormal changes in the gut microbiome – dysbiosis – are related to weight gain and diseases like diabetes.
How Does Prebiotin WM Help Dysbiosis?
Prebiotin WM contains prebiotics, which help support the growth of healthy bacteria In the gut, reversing the dysbiosis and creating a healthy gut microbiome. And if you happen to already have a normal microbiome, Prebiotin WM helps support those healthy bacteria so that the unhealthy bacteria doesn’t take over. Maintenance of the normal microbiome is a critical part of any weight loss plan.
References
- Quigley EM. Gut bacteria in health and disease. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). Sep 2013;9(9):560-569.
- Peterson J, Garges S, Giovanni M, et al. The NIH Human Microbiome Project. Genome Res. Dec 2009;19(12):2317-2323.
- George WL. Antimicrobial agent-associated colitis and diarrhea: historical background and clinical aspects. Rev Infect Dis. Mar-Apr 1984;6 Suppl 1:S208-213.
- DiBaise JK, Frank DN, Mathur R. Impact of the Gut Microbiota on the Development of Obesity: Current Concepts. Am J Gastroenterol Suppl. 2012;1(1):22-27.
- Backhed F, Ding H, Wang T, et al. The gut microbiota as an environmental factor that regulates fat storage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Nov 2 2004;101(44):15718-15723.
- Cani PD, Dewever C, Delzenne NM. Inulin-type fructans modulate gastrointestinal peptides involved in appetite regulation (glucagon-like peptide-1 and ghrelin) in rats. Br J Nutr. Sep 2004;92(3):521-526.
