All about gut flora and weight loss

What if the key to a healthy weight lies partly in your stomach?

Research into gut flora – the millions of microorganisms that live in our digestive system – is developing rapidly and giving us new insights into how these tiny bacteria can affect our weight.

But how important are they really? Let’s take a look at what science has to say!

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Your gut is home to a myriad of bacteria that actually help you in several ways. These microorganisms aid digestion, strengthen the immune system, and produce important nutrients. Researchers are constantly discovering new links between gut bacteria and our health, including their impact on body weight.

Diversity is the key

An interesting aspect of the link between gut flora and weight is the importance of bacterial diversity. According to the Karolinska Institute, “diversity rather than uniformity” is a good motto when it comes to gut flora. People who are overweight often have less diverse gut flora than people of normal weight. The good news? Gut flora is malleable!

What does research say about gut flora and weight?

In a study published in 2024 in Frontiers in Nutrition, 103 people were followed during a personalized diet and lifestyle program. The results showed that improvements in the composition of the gut flora actually coincided with weight loss. This is an exciting result that suggests that gut health and weight control can go hand in hand.

But there are also specific bacteria that are getting a lot of attention. Akkermansia muciniphila is one such bacterium that research has linked to both gut health and weight control. This bacterium has shown promising results in studies on metabolic health.

Gut health is one of the major areas of research right now – but how does it affect our ability to control our weight? 

Everyday tips – without exaggerating

So how can you promote a healthy gut? Here are some research-based tips:

1. Eat a varied and fiber-rich diet

Diet is an important factor that affects the flora. “A balanced diet that includes fiber-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut,” confirm dietitians.

2. Get moving

Exercise helps increase the diversity of the flora.

3. Think long term

Short-term diets often produce temporary results. Eating healthy and nutritious foods is the guideline for promoting healthy gut flora through long-term eating habits.

Gut flora – one piece of the puzzle, not the whole puzzle

It is important to remember that the gut flora is part of a larger context when it comes to weight control. The University of Gothenburg is conducting research on gut bacteria to understand how they can interact with diet and thus affect our metabolism – which shows the complex interaction between gut flora, diet, genetics and lifestyle.

A balanced approach is best

Interestingly, researchers at Uppsala University have recently made surprising discoveries about how drugs for type 2 diabetes affect the gut flora, illustrating how complex the interaction between the body, medications, and gut flora actually is.

So what is the conclusion? The gut flora definitely plays a role in weight regulation, but it is neither a miracle cure nor unimportant. A balanced approach where you take care of your gut bacteria through a varied diet, regular exercise, and an overall healthy lifestyle is probably the most sensible.

*Weight loss is individual, so we cannot guarantee how much/how quickly you will reach your goal. The important thing is all the health benefits. We distance ourselves from unhealthy ideals and crash diets, and do not recommend calorie counting if you are underweight, ill, or pregnant. Read more in our terms of use.