How can intestinal bacteria affect your weight?

You have trillions of bacteria living in your intestines. Most of them are beneficial bugs, breaking down food and helping you absorb nutrients. Michael Roizen, MD, explains the wrong mix of gut bacteria could be making you fat.

Transcript

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They break down food, help you absorb nutrients, boost your immune system, and fight bad germs. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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I'm Dr. Mike Roizen with a surprising tip about belly fat that can help you be younger.

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Your body has trillions of critters that live inside your intestines. Most of them are beneficial.

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They break down food, help you absorb nutrients, boost your immune system, and fight bad germs.

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But there's some evidence that good bugs, called probiotics, can help you slim down.

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For some extremely overweight people who had weight loss surgery, a probiotic supplement

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helped them to lose weight faster. It's easy to cultivate good bacteria in your gut. Eat fruits and foods with prebiotic fibers,

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such as bananas, asparagus, onions, garlic. Other great sources-- apples, barley, berries,

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flaxseed, even beans. You can also get probiotics by eating low-fat yogurt

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with [INAUDIBLE] that survive your stomach acid. Most live cultures don't. Or if you're confused, take a probiotic supplement.