Rumour: Prebiotic supplements can improve obesity in children
Truth: This is true.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that prebiotic supplements are able to help control appetite in children while still providing them with energy. Prebiotics are derived from special plant fibers and work to promote the growth of good bacteria that are already in the gut – this is in comparison to probiotics, which introduce good bacteria into the gut. In this study, researchers found that prebiotics supplements were able to suppress the appetite of obese and overweight children participating in the study in comparison to children taking placebos. The researchers also found that the prebiotics were able to cause a decrease in their body mass index (BMI) scores. Read more about the role of prebiotics in weight loss here.
