Research
Adherence
Increasing gut microbial diversity through interventions like probiotics, prebiotics, or dietary changes can reduce cravings and promote weight loss.
Focus on increasing the diversity of your gut bacteria by eating a varied diet rich in fibers and fermented foods. This may help reduce cravings and support weight management, but it is not a substitute for overall healthy lifestyle habits.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Because microbiota are easily manipulatable by prebiotics, probiotics, antibiotics, fecal transplants, and dietary changes, altering our microbiota offers a tractable approach to otherwise intractable problems of obesity and unhealthy eating.
Why this rating
Cites some human trials showing weight loss with probiotics, but notes effects are not universal and mechanisms are complex.
Source
Is eating behavior manipulated by the gastrointestinal microbiota? Evolutionary pressures and potential mechanisms
Joe Alcock et al. · BioEssays · 2014
DOI 10.1002/bies.201400071
narrative_reviewCited 453×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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