Many people experience rapid weight gain due to the course of treatment they are forced to undergo. In this case, probiotics and dietary fiber can help them lose weight.
Researchers at Nantong University in China found that a combination of probiotics and dietary fiber reduced excess weight associated with antipsychotic drugs. The authors of this study emphasize that most of these drugs, such as olanzapine for the treatment of schizophrenia, can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance and metabolic disorders. That is why a four-stage study was conducted to answer the question of whether probiotics and dietary fiber can help with this problem.
The first phase used probiotics and dietary fiber, the second used only probiotics, the third used only dietary fiber, and the fourth used placebo. There were 34 volunteers in each group, and more than 83% of them made it to the end of the study. Probiotics were given in the form of capsules containing live lactobacilli, bifidobacteria and enterococci, which are commercially available.
As for dietary fibers, they were given in the form of an extract for dilution in water. Both weight and body mass index decreased significantly in the probiotics and dietary fiber group, but nothing happened in the placebo group. There were no noticeable changes in weight in the groups that took probiotics or dietary fiber alone. In general, the first group on probiotics and dietary fibers managed to lose 2.36 kg in 12 weeks. And in the placebo group over the same period, the weight increased, on average, by 2.6 kg. (READ MORE) 
Nantong University
Medicine
an institution of higher education in China. The history of NTU dates back to 1912. The main campus of the university is located in Nantong.