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Is Gut Health Connected to Healthy Weight Management?

By Ethan Boldt

December 11, 2024

We know that healthy weight management is a critical factor for overall health and well-being. Managing or, in some cases, losing weight can also improve one’s quality of life and health.

Of course, healthy weight management is a complex topic and involves a healthy diet and lifestyle, including regular exercise, genetics, environment and much more, so there is no one answer for everyone. Likewise, you should always consult your healthcare professional prior to beginning any new dietary or lifestyle regimen aimed at healthy weight management.

But achieving healthy weight management success can be fleeting for many, with new diets and exercise routines frequently abandoned. What else is on the horizon that could perhaps impact your ability to manage a healthy weight or lose some weight? Could it be your own gut bacteria?

Indeed, while more studies need to be conducted, some recent research indicates that your gut microbiome plays a role in healthy weight management and that there are ways to harness its potential for a leaner you. While this seemed far-fetched previously, your gut microbiome may boost or resist weight management efforts, depending on its state.

For example, your gut bacteria — including the type and ratio of bacteria in your gut microbiome — can impact how different foods are digested and produce chemicals that help make you feel full.

Learn how to build healthy gut bacteria, along with other helpful changes, to assist you on your healthy weight management journey. It can give new meaning to “trusting your gut.”

What are gut bacteria?

Your gut microbiome is the community of gut bacteria (or microbes) living inside your gut. There are actually trillions of these microbes populating your gastrointestinal tract as we speak, including various types of bacteria and yeast.

These microorganisms help promote a healthy immune system, to absorb and produce nutrients, and to eliminate waste. And yes, they even help to manage your appetite, a healthy weight and your overall outlook or mindset.

Not only does our body contain more bacterial cells than human cells, our gut bacteria also features many more genes than we have human genes. These bacterial genes create substances that enter the bloodstream and affect our blood chemistry and perhaps our health.

How gut bacteria may affect healthy weight management

1. Increases in gut microbiome diversity may help

In addition to a healthy reduced-calorie diet and healthy lifestyle, it turns out that increases in one's gut microbiome diversity may promote healthy weight management.

In a January 2022 study published in Gut Microbes, healthy weight management was positively associated with increases in gut bacterial diversity and a healthy intestinal lining.

This systematic review and meta-analysis looked at 47 trials, which demonstrated that healthy weight management was directly related with a healthy response to inflammation as well as healthy microbiota diversity and intestinal lining integrity. Healthy weight management and even some weight loss occurred as gut microbiota became more diverse and intestinal integrity was maintained.

A 2009 study published in the journal Nature researched the gut bacteria in 77 pairs of twins where one struggled with healthy weight management and the other did not. It turned out that the weight-struggling individuals had different gut bacteria compared to their non-struggling twins. Moreover, the weight-struggling individuals had lower gut bacteria diversity.

In a 2021 study published in the American Society for Microbiology (ASM)'s journal Systems, participants enrolled in a diet or exercise program to lose some weight. For those who lost weight, they appeared to have genes that helped beneficial gut bacteria grow at a more rapid rate compared to those who didn’t lose any weight.

2. Probiotics may help modulate the gut microbiota and assist in some weight loss

A June 2023 study which explored the impact of the gut microbiome on healthy weight management, showed how a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet induced a decrease in beneficial bacteria and an increase in non-beneficial bacteria.

Probiotics, prebiotics and symbiotic approaches may help regulate the gut microbiota so that healthy weight management can be maintained. In particular, authors discussed how probiotics may even aid in healthy weight management by promoting satiety, a healthy response to inflammation and gut lining integrity.

3. Gut bacteria helps produce energy

Some research now indicates that specific gut bacteria play a role in energy extraction from the food we consume. These bacteria will break down complex carbohydrates and then produce short-chain fatty acids, which the body then absorbs and uses for energy.

4. Gut bacteria helps regulate the appetite

Those short-chain fatty acts that are produced by our gut bacteria also stimulate the release of appetite-suppressing hormones, which can also signal satiety.

As shown above, your gut bacteria may impact how different foods are digested but also produce chemicals that help make you feel full. One such chemical is called propionate. In a 2015 study that involved 60 individuals seeking healthy weight management discovered that propionate significantly increased levels of the hunger hormones peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). These subjects lowered their food intake, and it significantly impacted their healthy weight management.

A 2017 study published in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology discussed the idea that our gut bacteria help regulate appetite, including alternating between hunger and satiety. Several bacterial components and metabolites were shown to prompt satiety, for example.

5. Gut bacteria can help digest fiber

While human beings can’t digest fiber, certain gut bacteria can. A 2016 study published in Cell showed how gut bacteria can produce chemicals that help gut health and potentially promote healthy weight management.

Multiple studies indicate that those who consume higher amounts of fiber often have lower weight, which may be partly explained by the role of gut bacteria helping to digest fiber.

A 2017 study showed that gut microbiome diversity and high-fiber intake was correlated with reduced long-term weight gain (and healthy weight management), independent of some other related variables.

The ratio of two types of bacteria in your gut may also impact your ability to lose weight. A 2015 study indicated that these two bacteria are Prevotella, which digests fiber and carbohydrates, and Bacteroidetes, which is more common among people who eat more animal protein and fat.

A 2018 study examined 62 people who went on a high-fiber, whole grain diet for half a year. Those with more Prevotella in their gut lost more body fat (5.1 pounds) than those with more Bacteroidetes bacteria. (Of course, overall diet and lifestyle choices factor into that as well.)

How to build better gut bacteria

So now that you know how your gut bacteria can impact your ability to help manage a healthy weight, let’s learn how to help build gut bacteria so they can do their job.

1. Get more probiotics into your diet

Probiotics like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are the good bacteria you want in your gut microbiome and that can help balance out other bacteria. They also help to maintain the integrity of the gut lining. They are found in probiotics foods like sauerkraut, kefir, tempeh and yogurt.

Meanwhile, probiotic supplements serve as a convenient way to obtain strains of microbes that are known to benefit overall gut health.

Ancient Nutrition’s SBO Probiotics provide not only special types of soil-based organism (SBO) probiotics, but also prebiotics and postbiotics for even more positive effects on your microbiome. Together, these three — which we call the “trifecta” for gut health — support your digestive system and help keep gut function on track.

Ancient Nutrition offers several types of SBO Probiotics based on individual goals, including SBO Probiotics Gut Restore (provides 25 billion CFUs per serving at time of manufacture) and SBO Probiotics Ultimate (provides 50 billion CFUs per serving at time of manufacture). There are also SBO probiotics formulated for women and men.

Certain types of probiotics can help play into healthy weight management through several different mechanisms. For example, some strains of probiotics can promote regular bowel function, support healthy elimination and relieve occasional bloating.

2. Obtain prebiotics and fiber as well

Your gut bacteria also benefits from prebiotics to not just survive but thrive. By nourishing the beneficial bacteria in the gut, prebiotics contribute to a healthy and balanced gut microbiota.

Prebiotic foods include raw versions of chicory root, Jerusalem artichokes, onions, garlic, leeks and asparagus, plus underripe bananas. Also, foods rich in soluble fiber, such as fruits (apples, berries, citrus fruits), whole grains and legumes can serve as prebiotics.

Ancient Nutrition’s soil-based organism (SBO) probiotics combine beneficial microbial strains with prebiotic compounds found naturally in organic seeds and mushrooms, which can help to support proper absorption and utilization of healthy microbes. Additionally, postbiotics including polysaccharides, enzymes and organic acids are added to maintain gut homeostasis.

Also, prebiotics such as acacia gum help your gut microbiota (tiny organisms living inside your gastrointestinal tract) to thrive, since they act as fuel for friendly bacteria. Also consuming more fiber, including both insoluble and soluble fiber, often leads to greater feelings of fullness and satiety, which can help with appetite control and managing your calorie intake.

Ancient Nutrition’s Organic Fiber supplement (available in pineapple mango and raspberry lemonade flavors) is a gentle-acting, easy-to-mix fiber powder that features the prebiotics acacia fiber and konjac root, both of which are also full of soluble fiber.

3. Introduce bone broth to your diet

Introduce traditional gut-friendly foods into your diet, like bone broth, to help maintain a healthy gut lining and its integrity. Bone broth contains collagen, gelatin and other beneficial compounds and is valued for its ability to support the health of the gut.

You can use Bone Broth Protein products to almost instantly mix up a cup of nourishing broth, or to easily add protein and nutrients to both sweet and savory recipes.

4. Add in polyphenol-rich foods

Polyphenols are a group of naturally occurring compounds that are found in many plants that are rich in antioxidants. Because polyphenols have antioxidant properties and help promote a healthy response to inflammation,, they can help support a healthy gut lining as well as a healthy immune system.

Common food sources of polyphenols to fill up on include: fruits (such as berries, grapes, apples and citrus fruits), vegetables (such as artichokes, broccoli and spinach), tea, coffee and red wine.

5. Reduce ultra-processed foods

Ultra-processed foods, which contribute a shockingly high percentage of calories to modern-day diets, are probiotic disruptors, difficult to digest and lack nutrients. This makes them some of the worst foods for gut health, considering they can contribute to occasional constipation, growth of non-beneficial bacteria in the gut, and impact the body’s normal inflammation response.

Your gut microbiome does much better with whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and nuts. These foods provide essential nutrients and are generally lower in added sugars, unhealthy fats and sodium. When you go with convenience foods, go with options that are less processed like whole grain bread, canned tomatoes and veggie burgers.

6. Vary your protein intake

An excess of animal products and very high-protein diets may contribute to metabolites forming in the microbiota that can impact the immune system. Too much conventionally raised, processed red meat high in saturated fat may also contribute to a higher percentage of”“bad guy” gut bacteria.

Consider focusing on variety and eating more plant foods for protein, like soaked beans, nuts, seeds and legumes.

7. Lower your intake of sugar

When you have sugar too often, the growth of less-than-healthy bacteria in the gut may grow. This can contribute to weight gain and other health impacts.

8. Exercise regularly

Regular exercise can also help maintain a healthy gut as it helps to support a normal response to inflammation and increases blood flow to the digestive system. It can even change the gut microbiome composition and help promote the growth of beneficial bacteria.

It’s also a natural way to manage stress, regulate your appetite and sleep more soundly.

9. Lower stress levels

Stress takes a toll on the gut microbiome, due to the brain-gut connection, and is known to impact immune system function. Adopt stress relieving techniques like meditation, yoga, deep breathing and more.

10. Get enough sleep

Sleep plays a vital role in healthy immune system function and gut health due to the effects of the gut-brain connection. Additionally, being well-rested can positively affect digestion (not to mention help to curb cravings for unhealthy foods) and support how the gut absorbs nutrients. Ideally, aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.

11. Limit alcohol consumption

Alcohol consumption can have several negative effects on the gut, including areas such as the gut lining, disrupting the gut microbiome (the balance of bacteria in the gut), contributing to an overgrowth of non-beneficial bacteria and decreasing beneficial bacteria. Alcohol can also negatively impact digestion.

12. Brush and floss your teeth regularly

The mouth and gut microbiomes are closely related, and maintaining a healthy balance of microorganisms in both areas is important for overall health. For example, dysbiosis (imbalance of microbes) in the gut microbiome can lead to an overgrowth of non-beneficial bacteria in the mouth, which can impact gum and tooth health.

Practicing good oral hygiene by brushing and flushing, while also consuming a balanced diet that supports the growth of beneficial bacteria, can help to support both the mouth and gut microbiomes.