Probiotics May Reduce Postpartum Obesity

Most moms know the difficulty of returning to their pre-pregnancy weight after giving birth. A new study indicates that simply adding a probiotics supplement containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium starting in the first trimester could help. Probiotics are beneficial live bacteria and yeasts that assist our bodies in converting sugars and carbohydrates into lactic acid as well as lower the overall pH making it difficult for "bad" microorganisms to survive. In other words, they're the super heros in our guts fighting off the microorganism villains that can make us sick and unwell. In the study, researchers found moms taking probiotics starting in the first trimester were able to reduce central obesity after giving birth more so than those not taking probiotics. The researchers defined central obesity as a body mass index of 30 or greater or a waist measurement of greater than 31.5 inches.