Do probiotic gummies help kids lose weight?
The role of microbiome-modulating supplements in managing metabolic syndrome risk factors among overweight and obese youth: a GRADE-assessed meta-analysis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Prebiotics reduced weight and BMI, but not BMI-z score—a critical pediatric metric.
BMI-z score adjusts for age and sex, making it the gold standard for tracking child growth; if that didn’t change, the weight loss may not be clinically meaningful.
Practical Takeaways
Focus on whole-food prebiotics like bananas, oats, and garlic instead of supplements.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Prebiotics reduced weight and BMI, but not BMI-z score—a critical pediatric metric.
BMI-z score adjusts for age and sex, making it the gold standard for tracking child growth; if that didn’t change, the weight loss may not be clinically meaningful.
Practical Takeaways
Focus on whole-food prebiotics like bananas, oats, and garlic instead of supplements.
Publication
Related Content
Claims (5)
Giving kids who are overweight special fiber supplements might help them lose a little weight or lower their BMI a bit, but we can't be sure because the studies are messy and not very reliable.
Giving kids probiotics or synbiotics doesn't reliably help them lose weight or lower their BMI — the studies all show mixed or no results.
These supplements don't seem to help kids with overweight or obesity lower their blood sugar or insulin levels — the studies all show no clear benefit.
These supplements don't reliably help kids improve their cholesterol or triglyceride levels — the studies show no clear benefit.
The studies on these supplements are too messy and unreliable to say for sure if they help overweight kids — we can't trust the results much.