Research
Hormonal
Probiotic supplementation improves insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, and liver health (reducing NAFLD/NASH markers) in obese individuals, independent of significant weight loss in some cases.
If you have NAFLD, NASH, or Type 2 Diabetes, specific probiotic strains (like L. rhamnosus GG or B. longum with prebiotics) may help improve your liver health and insulin sensitivity. This can happen even without major weight loss. Consult your doctor to see if a specific strain is appropriate for your condition.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Preclinical evidence seems to indicate that [probiotics] translate the benefits on body weight into favourable metabolic effects, i.e. improvements in insulin resistance/glycemic control... Several clinical trials revealed promising effects of probiotics in improving liver function, fat metabolism and insulin resistance in patients with obesity related non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Why this rating
Strong animal data; mixed clinical data with some positive trials (NAFLD) and some null results for general obesity.
Source
Probiotics in prevention and treatment of obesity: a critical view
Nazarii Kobyliak et al. · Nutrition & Metabolism · 2016
DOI 10.1186/s12986-016-0067-0
narrative_reviewCited 343×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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