You may already have heard of the many health benefits of probiotics, the pills, powders, and capsules that contain millions of friendly bacteria. Since we depend on these bacteria to regulate our metabolism—among many other functions—replenishing our supply with probiotics can have numerous health benefits, including dramatic effects on weight loss.
Equally dramatic are the benefits of prebiotics, supplements containing the dietary fiber on which our bacteria feed. You can take prebiotics in the form of pills, powders, or capsules, and they can have a swift and powerful impact on your metabolism, your appetite, and your weight.
Arabinogalactans: A Powerful Weight-Loss Aid
One of the most important prebiotics is called arabinogalactans. You can find this substance naturally, in carrots, kiwi, radishes, and tomatoes, as well as in the bark of the larch tree. You can also find it as a supplement.
A study conducted in 2011 by a team of Japanese scientists found that arabinogalactans significantly decreased the blood sugar levels of mice, as well as helped them overcome insulin resistance. This is big news, since insulin resistance and blood sugar are both important factors in weight gain as well as major risk factors for diabetes.
Insulin is what your body uses to move blood sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells, which depend on it for nourishment. When your cells develop insulin resistance, you need more and more insulin to accomplish the same task. Since insulin cues your body to store fat instead of burn it, insulin resistance leads straight to weight gain.
So if arabinogalactans can defeat insulin resistance, you will be far more able to burn fat.
Blood sugar levels are a key factor in appetite. If arabinogalactans can help balance your blood sugar, your appetite will be stable instead of raging out of control.
Support for Your Immune System
I’ve seen other research showing that arabinogalactans supports immune function as well. It decreases inflammation, an immune system response that generally leads to weight gain. It seems to help protect against cancer and other chronic diseases. It even decreases your body’s production of ammonia, which can have a sweet-smelling effect on your natural scent!
I’ve used arabinogalactans with many of my weight-loss patients, and I’m often astonished at how wide-ranging and dramatic its impact can be. I look forward to more research that will help to explain the exciting results I’ve seen in my practice.
Supplement with Arabinogalactans
Many of my patients first started losing weight after I added prebiotics like arabinogalactans to their daily regime. Finally, their friendly bacteria were being fed, and were then able to do their job of helping their host lose weight!
If you’ve been having trouble losing weight, I’d love to hear from you. Perhaps some of the solutions that have worked for my patients will work for you.
You can find arabinogalactans as a supplement in your health-food store or online.
