New research shows that probiotics - Seen broadly as bacteria “friendly” to improve digestion and bowel health – can help women maintain abdominal fat under control after pregnancy.
Researchers from the University of Turku in Finland, 256 pregnant women enrolled in the study of weight gain, and divide them into three groups during their first trimesters.
Women in both groups received dietary counseling in accordance with what doctors recommend for a healthy weight and optimal fetal development.
They also have been sent back home with large eat foods such as salad dressings with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as pasta and breakfast cereals rich in fiber.
Women in one of the two groups also received a daily capsule containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, probiotics are most often used – the bacteria that help maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut. Another group received dummy capsules along with counseling.
The third group received dummy capsules and do not get diet counseling.
All women are weighed at the beginning of the study weight. They were weighed again ke12 month after birth; researchers then measured the waist circumference and skinfold thickness of each woman. (more…)
