title: Effect of probiotics on body weight and body-mass index: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the efficacy of probiotic therapies on body weight and BMI using a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty studies with 25 trials (1931 participants with age over 18 years) were included. The pooled WMD was calculated by random effects model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Probiotic consumption significantly reduced body weight by 0.59 kg (95% CI, 0.30-0.87) and BMI by 0.49 kg/m(2) (95% CI, 0.24-0.74). A greater reduction in BMI was found with multiple species of probiotics. Subgroup analysis of trials with intervention duration ≥8 weeks found a more significant reduction in BMI. Limiting analysis to trials with a baseline BMI ≥25 kg/m(2) showed a greater reduction in BMI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consuming probiotics could reduce body weight and BMI, with a potentially greater effect when multiple species of probiotics were consumed, the duration of intervention was ≥8 weeks, or the objects were overweight.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Endocrinology , Taizhou People's Hospital , Taizhou , China ;
authors.forename: Qingqing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: b Department of Cardiology , Taizhou People's Hospital , Taizhou , China.
authors.forename: Yucheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Endocrinology , Taizhou People's Hospital , Taizhou , China ;
authors.forename: Xiaoqiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fei
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D016208:Databases, Factual; D006801:Humans; D050177:Overweight / Q000628:therapy; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
keywords: BMI; meta-analysis; obesity; overweight; probiotics