New research has linked the health of the bacteria living in your intestines to your ability to lose weight. If you are struggling with losing weight, you may be suffering from a bacterial imbalance in your gut.

What are Healthy Bacteria?
Most people know that they have bacteria living in their intestines. Again, most people have heard of "healthy bacteria" and "bad bacteria" and know that you should supplement with healthy bacteria when you take an antibiotic. Many medical doctors even suggest you take a probiotic after taking an antibiotic.

However, did you know that we are just scratching the surface of understanding what health bacteria really are and what they really do?

We have 4 pounds of bacteria living in our gut and they influence much more than digestion. They boost immunity, healthy mood and protect against chronic disease. The exciting news is that we've now discovered that healthy bacteria will promote weight loss!

How your gut bacteria can make you fat.
In her new book, The Skinny Gut Diet, Brenda Watson CNC discusses how your gut bacteria can make you fat. She talks about "gut balance" and how it's important for the healthy bacteria to outnumber the bad bacteria in your intestines. When the bacteria are out of balance, then dysbiosis occurs and dysbiosis has been linked to many health conditions like autism, heart disease, diabetes and now obesity.

It turns out that the gut bacteria found in obese people differs from lean people and having the wrong balance of gut bacteria can make you fat. We are learning that the gut bacteria found in obese persons are more efficient at extracting calories from food passing through the digestive tract. So that means you may be getting more calories from the same meal compared to your thinner friend. If you've been battling your weight for a long-time, then changing your gut bacterial balance may just be the answer your looking for.

What does the research say?
A recent scientific study has changed how we understand gut bacteria. Jeffery Gordon's team of researchers at Washington University performed an eye opening study with mice. They found that when they transferred the gut bacteria from conventionally raised, genetically obese mice into the digestive tracts of germ-free mice, the germ-free mice became obese. This is significant because the researchers discovered that intestinal bacterial imbalance could be a cause of obesity. Until this study was done, intestinal bacterial imbalance was believed to only be the result of being obese and eating a poor diet. The researchers also found that the obese mice had a 50% reduction in the abundance of bacteria that keep you lean, called Bacteroidetes and a proportional increase in the bacteria that keep you fat, called the Firmicutes.

Did you catch that? Researchers have discovered that there are two main groups of bacteria in your gut and the ratio of these two groups determines whether or not you will be more likely to gain weight. In her book, Brenda Watson calls the Firmicutes the "Fat Bacteria" and the Bacteroidetes the "Be Skinny Bacteria". The "fat bacteria" are really good at extracting extra calories from food, so losing weight means you need to increase the "be skinny bacteria".

Another interesting study was done by Vanessa Ridaura, a graduate student in Gordon's lab. The researchers transplanted stool from 4 pairs of female twins into germ-free mice. In each pair of twins, one twin was lean and one was obese. The mice were fed the same low-fat, high-fiber diet and it was found that the mice who received gut bacteria from the obese twin gained more fat that the mice who received gut bacteria from the lean twin.

How can I balance my gut bacteria so I can lose weight?
If you are concerned that your gut bacteria are out of balance, especially if you are overweight, there's good news! You can quickly influence your own gut bacteria through diet, lifestyle and supplements.

Eating a diet that supports healthy bacteria is important. Eating healthy fats, eating high-fiber whole foods and eating protein with every meal and snack, will support the healthy bacteria in your gut. Healthy bacteria like brightly coloured vegetables and fruits because they supply the bacteria with prebiotics. Cutting out sugar, processed carbohydrates and unhealthy fats will starve the bad bacteria because they thrive on these damaging foods. Remember, it's about balancing your gut bacteria so more healthy bacteria live in your intestines.

You can also use probiotic supplements to balance your gut bacteria and promote weight loss. Choose one that contains at least 30 billion cultures per capsule and contains at least 10 different strains of bacteria. Also, look for high amounts of Bifidobacterium to support the large intestine and Lactobacillus to support the small intestine. Be sure to choose a probiotic that

has a specialized capsule or is acid resistant so that the bacteria are not damaged by the harsh stomach acid and will get to the intestines.

To find out more, check out Brenda Watson's new book, The Skinny Gut Diet.