Yogurt and Belly Fat

Q: I heard that eating yogurt will help me lose belly fat. Sounds too good to be true. Is it?

A: The idea is a good one, but it’s the application that fails. The good idea is that yogurt has active cultures that contain microflora probiotics, which can help induce weight loss and reduce visceral fat. The problem is, the active cultures do not provide enough of the most effective microflora probiotics.

That was confirmed in a 12-week study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2010. The researchers used a fermented-milk product containing regular active yogurt cultures to which a specific high-powered lactobacillus strain had been added. The probiotic group took that version, while a control group took the fermented-milk product without any added probiotic. Even though the subjects in the control group ate “naturally” occurring yogurt cultures, they didn’t lose any bodyfat. In comparison, the subjects in the probiotic group decreased visceral belly fat by 4.6 percent and decreased subcutaneous fat by 3.3 percent.

There is a direct connection among belly fat gain, poor insulin health and cortisol production, and probiotics seem to have rather amazing effects on all three. Indeed, there’s ample evidence that taking a probiotic will directly lead to belly fat loss without going on a diet.

Editor’s note: Charles Poliquin is recognized as one of the world’s most suc-cessful strength coaches, having coached Olympic med-alists in 12 different sports, including the U.S. women’s track-and-field team for the 2000 Olympics. He’s spent years researching European journals (he’s fluent in English, French and German) and speaking with other coaches and scientists in his quest to optimize training methods. For more on his books, seminars and methods, visit www.CharlesPoliquin.com. .   IM