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Weight loss injections like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have been hitting the headlines recently for their astonishing benefits for weight loss, but they don’t come without side effects. Could a combination of prebiotics and probiotics, i.e. synbiotic, be a natural, more tolerable and effective solution to slash the pounds?
Hailed as a breakthrough drug for weight loss, glucagon-like receptor-1 (GLP-1) agonists such as Ozempic and Wegovy have become a popular treatment option for obese and overweight people. Around 1 in 8 Americans have used a GLP-1 agonist, with approximately half currently using it[i].
The results are promising. After 68 weeks, semaglutide, a weekly injected dose of 2.4 mg of the active ingredient in Ozempic (or Wegovy if you are in the UK) resulted in an average weight loss of 15kg[ii]. Impressive. However, there are some limitations. Weight loss injections are expensive, more effective when used alongside a diet and exercise plan, and come with a whole range of side effects that can lead to their discontinuation of use[iii].
Imagine if there was a cheaper, effective alternative available. Well, according to an article in the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom, there is - Synbiotics. In this article, we’ll explore the results of the featured study in this news article conducted by researchers at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, investigating the effects of synbiotics on weight loss.
First, let’s start by clarifying what synbiotics are. Synbiotics, according to the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) are:
“a mixture comprising live microorganisms and substrate(s) selectively utilized by host microorganisms that confers a health benefit on the host.”[iv]
In simple terms, synbiotics are a mixture of prebiotics and probiotics that work together to positively benefit your health, like our SuperHMO® Synbiotic. Our formula combines the prebiotic power of 5 human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) with 10 strains of health-promoting probiotics.
Probiotic research has shown that these powerful bugs can have a potent impact on our health and wellbeing, modulating the gut microbiome and improving digestion, heart health, and immunity. Gut bacteria have also been explored for their ability to regulate body weight.
Research suggests that probiotics can regulate your appetite and energy through the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), like acetate, propionate, and butyrate. SCFA can function as signalling molecules which can be particularly important in appetite regulation.
Interestingly, probiotics and GLP-1 injections, like Ozempic, work in similar ways to regulate appetite and induce weight loss. That’s because GLP-1 drugs mimic the effects of the naturally produced hormone, GLP-1, to reduce appetite and curb hunger[v].
Similarly, SCFAs have been shown to increase the production of GLP-1. In a mouse study, SCFAs activated the G-protein coupled receptor FFAR2 pathway to increase the production of GLP-1[vi].
A further study by Bayer Christian et al (2018), demonstrated that in rats, SCFAs are used as the main energy source for colonocytes which trigger GLP-1 secretion independent of FFAR2 or FFAR3 pathways[vii].
The study published in Nutrients investigated the anti-obesity effects of synbiotics via their ability to modulate the human gut microbiome.
Lauw, Susana, et al. "Effects of Synbiotic Supplementation on Metabolic Syndrome Traits and Gut Microbial Profile among Overweight and Obese Hong Kong Chinese Individuals: A Randomized Trial." Nutrients 15.19 (2023): 4248.
The study was conducted over 8 weeks and 55 overweight or obese individuals took part. They were randomly assigned to a synbiotic group (SG), a dietary intervention group (DG), or a combination of both (DSG). Metabolic traits were measured, and their fecal microbiota was analysed before and after the intervention.
|
SG |
Synbiotic Only |
|
DG |
Fruit and Vegetable diet plan |
|
DSG |
Synbiotic + 2 Fruit Servings and 3 Vegetable Servings |
The study found that a synbiotic supplement containing 2 probiotics, Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, and the prebiotic, polydextrose positively influence body weight and composition, but when taken in combination with a dietary intervention.
The results suggest that although the synbiotic alone had no significant effects on body weight and metabolic biomarkers in overweight or obese individuals, in combination with a dietary intervention the results were improved.
Figure 1. Percentage of participants in each group who lost at least 5% of their starting body weight.
Almost a quarter of participants in the DG group lost 5% of their starting body weight compared to 50% of the DSG group. This is important because 5% weight loss is used as a clinically meaningful measure[ix]. It also suggests that the addition of the synbiotic supplement to the increased dietary fibre intake enhances the effects of boosting your fruit and vegetable consumption. Importantly, no one in the synbiotic group alone achieved 5% weight loss.
In comparison, after 8 weeks of semaglutide injections, the average body weight loss was around 4% (figure 2).ii
Source: NEJM (2021)
Figure 2. Average body weight change across a 68-week trial comparing once-weekly semaglutide injections with a placebo.
Therefore, the potential weight loss observed in the DG and DSG groups of the current study is similar to those seen in trials involving semaglutide.
The researchers also found that the participants in the combination group (DSG) showed reductions in fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance. This group also had a lower abundance of the genus Megamonas. Some species in the Megamonas genus are associated with obesity[x].
Overall, the study by Lauw and colleagues demonstrates the importance of dietary fiber. When this is accompanied by synbiotic supplementation, the powerful health effects can be boosted. Together, increased dietary fiber intake and synbiotic supplementation resulted in clinically significant weight loss in half of the DSG group, improved blood sugar levels, and reduced the abundance of obesity-promoting bacteria.
These results suggest that synbiotic supplementation alongside a dietary intervention could shorten the time it takes to lose weight compared to weight loss injections like Ozempic. Moreover, unlike weight loss injections, the combination of prebiotics and probiotics helps to nourish the microbes residing in your gut, positively modulating the composition of your gut microbiome which, on its own, is associated with numerous health benefits.
If you’re looking for a way to harness the synbiotic power of pre- and probiotics, explore our PureHMO® range, including our SuperHMO® Synbiotic and Akkermansia muciniphila daily probiotic with PureHMO prebiotic for weight management.
Written by: Leanne Edermaniger, M.Sc. Leanne is a professional science writer who specializes in human health and enjoys writing about all things related to the gut microbiome.
[i] Alex Montero GS, 2024 M. KFF Health Tracking Poll May 2024: The public’s use and views of GLP-1 Drugs [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Sept 12]. Available from: https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-may-2024-the-publics-use-and-views-of-glp-1-drugs/
[ii] Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S, Davies M, Van Gaal LF, Lingvay I, et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021 Mar 18;384(11):989–1002. doi:10.1056/nejmoa2032183
[iii] Garvey, W.T., Batterham, R.L., Bhatta, M. et al. Two-year effects of semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity: the STEP 5 trial. Nat Med 28, 2083–2091 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-02026-4
[iv] Swanson, K.S. et al. (2020) ‘The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of synbiotics’, Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 17(11), pp. 687–701. doi:10.1038/s41575-020-0344-2.
[v] Ard J, Fitch A, Fruh S, Herman L. Weight Loss and Maintenance Related to the Mechanism of Action of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists. Adv Ther. 2021 Jun;38(6):2821-2839. doi: 10.1007/s12325-021-01710-0. Epub 2021 May 11. PMID: 33977495; PMCID: PMC8189979.
[vi] Tolhurst G, Heffron H, Lam YS, Parker HE, Habib AM, Diakogiannaki E, Cameron J, Grosse J, Reimann F, Gribble FM. Short-chain fatty acids stimulate glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion via the G-protein-coupled receptor FFAR2. Diabetes. 2012 Feb;61(2):364-71. doi: 10.2337/db11-1019. Epub 2011 Dec 21. PMID: 22190648; PMCID: PMC3266401.
[vii] Christiansen CB, Gabe MBN, Svendsen B, Dragsted LO, Rosenkilde MM, Holst JJ. The impact of short-chain fatty acids on GLP-1 and PYY secretion from the isolated perfused rat colon. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2018 Jul 1;315(1):G53-G65. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00346.2017. Epub 2018 Mar 1. PMID: 29494208.
[viii] Holst JJ. The physiology of glucagon-like peptide 1. Physiol Rev. 2007 Oct;87(4):1409-39. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00034.2006. PMID: 17928588.
[ix] Williamson DA, Bray GA, Ryan DH. Is 5% weight loss a satisfactory criterion to define clinically significant weight loss? Obesity. 2015 Nov 2;23(12):2319–20. doi:10.1002/oby.21358
[x] Wu C, Yang F, Zhong H, Hong J, Lin H, Zong M, et al. Obesity-enriched gut microbe degrades myo-inositol and promotes lipid absorption. Cell Host & Microbe. 2024 Aug;32(8). doi:10.1016/j.chom.2024.06.012
