Probiotics Definition Probiotics are harmless live microorganisms that will theoretically confer beneficial characteristics to the host

when ingested. Usually, probiotics are delivered orally through the intake of milk fermented with viable strains of bacteria. (1) The basic underlying mechanism behind the use of probiotics is that specific strains of bacteria have different roles in modulating metabolic activities in the gut. Therefore, by increasing the concentration of the specific strains of bacteria it is hypothesised that this will increase the output of the processes it modulates and thus has the potential to induce anti-obesity effects. Types of probiotics investigated There is a focus in the use of lactobacilli for research in finding links between obesity and the gut microbiota. (1,7) Lactobacilli are a genus within the Firmicutes phylum, which together with bacteroidetes make up more than 98% of the human gut microbiota. (2) Analysis of research findings A randomized, multicenter, double blind, placebo controlled trial was conducted to examine the anti-obesity effect of Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 (LG2055). (3) The LG2055 was cultured in milk and assigned randomly to 87 human subjects. All subjects have obese tendencies, with body mass indexes (BMI) between 24.2 and 30.7kg/m2. The placebo was prepared the same way but without the LG2055. They concluded that the probiotic LG2055 had a significant effect in decreasing abdominal visceral and subcutaneous fat areas. No significant changes were observed in the placebo group. Prior to this, there has been no human intervention trials designed to examine the effects of probiotics on the accumulation of fats in the abdominal visceral and subcutaneous areas. (3) These results are consistent with the findings of similar studies done in animal models. (4,5) This is significant, as it has been reported that some studies that have shown positive results in animal models failed to produce similar findings in human models. (6) A comparative meta analysis by Million et al showed that Lactobacilli gasseri probiotics have significant anti-obesity effects, also indicating that the studies reviewed have medium to low levels of bias. (7) The study has a few weaknesses. Changes in the gut microbiota were not investigated. Hence, the correlation between a specific strain of bacteria and metabolic changes in the body cannot be established. (8) All subjects have obese tendencies. There is no indication that the same results would be achieved in normal healthy adults. Overall, the results are encouraging and indicate much potential for further research.

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