Saccharomyces boulardii: Probiotic Shows Promise for Obesity and Diabetes

I chanced upon this information just recently, and I've been doing some further research for friends/family, and thought some here might benefit from this as well:

Probiotic shows promise for obesity and diabetes

Probiotics might be able to help improve your blood sugar and body weight, according to a new study showing that the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii reversed diabetes and obesity by improving gastrointestinal health and reducing inflammation.

Some striking effects of the probiotic were seen. Within weeks, obese and type 2 diabetic mice given S. boulardii exhibited reduced fatty liver, a 10% reduction in fat mass and body weight, and a 40 to 50% reduction in inflammatory markers. Furthermore, these improvements correlated with improvements to gastrointestinal tissue and several important changes in gut bacterial balance.

The clinical study referred to above can be read here:

Saccharomyces boulardii administration changes gut microbiota and reduces hepatic steatosis, low-grade inflammation, and fat mass in obese and type 2 diabetic db/db mice

Interestingly, these beneficial effects of s. boulardii apply to BOTH type 1 and 2 diabetes.

Fortunately, s. boulardii is well-studied, and has few adverse side effects and contraindications. It is not recommended for the immunocompromised, and those taking anti-fungal medications.

I can attest to the weight loss part of it. I was taking a lot of antibiotics last year for various reasons, and I started using this particular probiotic because it is resistant to antibiotics. I kept taking it because why not? Well, I've lost about 25 pounds in the last year. Part of that was due to being ill, but only a small part of it. Even when I was well and trying very hard to gain weight, I was STILL losing weight. I could not figure it out... until I needed more, my regular source was out-of-stock, so I went looking elsewhere, and that's when I saw the first article about weight loss. A little more searching turned up the information on diabetes.

PLEASE -- Anyone with diabetes considering taking this should consult/inform their physicians, so that any prescription meds can be balanced with the s. boulardii. Do your own due diligence and research as well!!! Remember that even a good thing can be too much.

A couple more clinical studies --

Effects of 60-Day Saccharomyces boulardii and Superoxide Dismutase Supplementation on Body Composition, Hunger Sensation, Pro/Antioxidant Ratio, Inflammation and Hormonal Lipo-Metabolic Biomarkers in Obese Adults: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Efficacy and safety of the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii for the prevention and therapy of gastrointestinal disorders

If you think this might be for you, proceed wisely and good luck!

Sounds fabulous , I been also taking s. boulardii...currently with lower dosage as it is part of probiotic which has other too.

One good ,really good thing with it is, it drive away pathogenic bugs ....


I think i will buy again just boulardii , i did not know about the weigh effect

originally posted by: Kenzo

Sounds fabulous , I been also taking s. boulardii...currently with lower dosage as it is part of probiotic which has other too.

One good ,really good thing with it is, it drive away pathogenic bugs ....

Yes -- thank you! I forgot to mention that, but I did see that during my research.

I think i will buy again just boulardii , i did not know about the weigh effect

I've been taking Jarrow brand, which comes with a prebiotic called "MOS". One of my doctors recommended it after I was bitten by a feral cat. Amazon has a 180 count bottle for less than $30. At two-a-day (for the 500 mg dosage used in the studies) that's a 3-month supply.

Good luck!

a reply to: Boadicea

Ok, Jarrow is good i think .


I got stomach pain, bloating from contaminated water.....Boulardii helped clear it gut, thought i used also others too .

originally posted by: Kenzo
a reply to: Boadicea

Ok, Jarrow is good i think .

I got stomach pain, bloating from contaminated water...

Oh bummer! I saw it was beneficial for gastro-intestinal problems, but I think virtually all probiotics are, so I didn't mention that. Maybe I should have.

...Boulardii helped clear it gut, thought i used also others too.

I'm glad it cleared it up for you -- hopefully quickly! After learning so much about it, I'm surprised I'd never heard of it before -- or at least taken noted of it before. There are probably lots of different formulas out there that include s. boulardii that I never realized or thought about.

a reply to: Boadicea

Yeeh quite quickly , probiotics are important .

Might not be bad idea to everyone take probiotics sometimes, even if feels healthy .

Now time for the FDA to ban it like they did with NMN.

originally posted by: Kenzo
a reply to: Boadicea

Yeeh quite quickly , probiotics are important .

Might not be bad idea to everyone take probiotics sometimes, even if feels healthy .

I can't argue. Probiotics have so many benefits, and gut flora is so important to overall health, taking a maintenance dosage would probably benefit the vast majority of people.

It wouldn't surprise me if there are particular strains that are especially beneficial for all kinds of illnesses and conditions.

a reply to: v1rtu0s0

Shhhhh!

If they're not already trying, we don't need you putting ideas in their heads!

I have had some problems with probiotic cultures in supplements. If I am going to try them, it will be one type at a time. The problem I get from Kimchi and sour kraut is a tyromine headache, something I also get from some probiotics and of course beers and some boozes. This microbe is used to make the kimchi and sourkraut so I will have to try to test it to see if any bad results come from it.

I just tossed a bottle of enzymes with probiotics because of multiple side effects...gave them a couple of good tries over the year but the bad outdid any good I got from them. It felt like I was getting my intestines torn apart.

a reply to: rickymouse

Thank you for adding that -- important for some people to know!

Not just for this probiotic, but all probiotics. Especially because so often the whole reason for taking probiotics is for helping tummy problems in general.