Last night, I watched a segment on CBS Evening News about the class of drugs known as “GLP-1 agonists” used to treat diabetes and obesity. The drugs can certainly be effective for people who are severely diabetic (by lowering blood sugar) or obese (by increasing fullness/satiety and suppressing appetite) – but they are absolutely not for anyone who is looking to los a few pounds.

These drugs come with a long list of severe and adverse side effects, including:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Bloating 
• Indigestion 
• Acid reflux
• Gastroparesis
• Pancreatitis
• Thyroid Cancer

Despite these side effects, and as I’ve written about before, a lot of “celebrities” are touting these drugs for cosmetic weight loss (not a great trade off for the side effects).

What if there was a way to increase your body’s own production of GLP-1 naturally – without the drug-induced side effects?

Well, there is – by using specific strains of probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus planetarium DR7 and Bifidobacterium lactis BPL-1

Each of these strains has been shown to modulate targeted aspects of metabolism related to blood sugar balance and fat storage/release (including belly fat reduction) – and they also help with satiety/fullness, inflammation, dopamine (for motivation), cortisol (for stress), and even skin tone (for beauty).

This almost sounds too good to be true – but the new science of the microbiome is showing us again and again – that if we can harness the power of the microbiome with specific strains of bacteria, we can improve numerous aspects of mental wellness and physical health – including helping people lose weight naturally.