Yakult is a well-known probiotic drink that many people believe offers several health benefits because of its live bacteria. These probiotics can support gut health and help break down food, but their direct role in weight loss isn’t completely clear. This article looks closer at Yakult and whether it can help with losing weight.
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Yakult is a sweetened probiotic drink from Japan. It’s fermented and contains no fat, gluten, or cholesterol. A typical 65 ml bottle includes skim milk, glucose-fructose syrup, sugar, maltodextrin, and the probiotic strain Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS).
LcS is a lactic acid bacteria used in many probiotic and dairy products. It has been shown to help with several digestive problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), infectious diarrhea, and gut infections. Each bottle of Yakult contains over 20 billion LcS cells, one of the highest probiotic counts in dairy products.
Regularly drinking Yakult has been linked to better digestion and immune function. Probiotics can relieve constipation, help restore a healthy balance of gut bacteria, and support regular bowel movements. Because of these effects, Yakult might also be useful for people trying to lose weight.
Probiotics are live microbes that already live in our bodies. Illness, poor gut health, lack of sleep, or stress can reduce the number of helpful bacteria in the stomach. This imbalance can harm overall health.
You can restore good bacteria with probiotic supplements or foods like yogurt and other fermented products. Probiotics don’t just fix gut issues—they can also affect physical and mental health. They may improve digestion, support the immune system, help produce certain vitamins and nutrients, and aid the breakdown of fiber.
How much probiotics help depends on your health, lifestyle, genetics, and hormones—so results vary from person to person.
Research on probiotics and weight loss shows links between gut bacteria and body weight. People with obesity often have less diversity in their gut bacteria than those at a healthy weight. A lack of beneficial bacteria can make weight gain more likely.
Probiotics can help by restoring a healthier balance of gut microbes. They support the production of nutrients, help break down fiber, and can influence how your body stores fat. Two groups of probiotics—Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus—have been shown to aid weight loss in studies. For example, one trial found that overweight and obese women taking a mix of probiotic strains lost more weight over eight weeks than those taking a placebo. Other research suggests probiotics can increase appetite-regulating hormones and proteins that influence fat storage, which may help with weight control and lower the risk of obesity and diabetes.
Yakult could help with weight loss because it contains the L. casei Shirota strain, which has shown anti-obesity effects. In studies with obese rats, diets containing LcS lowered body fat, leptin, and glucose levels, improving weight regulation. A human trial with obese children found the same probiotic strain helped with weight loss and improved lipid metabolism. Since Yakult delivers a high dose of LcS, it may be a useful addition to a weight-loss plan.
The link between LcS and belly (visceral) fat isn’t clear-cut. There’s no strong evidence that LcS targets belly fat directly, but probiotics can support weight loss in other ways. LcS helps produce vitamins, nutrients, and fatty acids that support diverse gut flora and steady digestion—important for sustained weight loss.
Exercise is important for weight loss, but even intense workouts can’t target fat in one specific area. Visceral fat is usually the last to go, so it may take time to see changes. Yakult won’t instantly melt belly fat, but it can help support gut health as you lose weight.
When to take Yakult: drinking it on an empty stomach may help the probiotics settle in better. Try drinking Yakult 30–60 minutes before a meal so the beneficial bacteria can colonize the gut. It’s also best to take probiotics when your stomach is less active—this is why people are usually advised to take probiotics a couple of hours before antibiotics.
To use Yakult for weight loss, drink it regularly and watch your calorie intake. Yakult’s website recommends one to two bottles a day. You can substitute Yakult for higher-calorie drinks or snacks to save calories. Some people feel bloated when they start probiotics; if that happens, cut back to one bottle or less until your body adjusts, then increase if needed.
Pair Yakult with other healthy habits—regular exercise, a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, and stress management—to support weight control.
Yakult is unlikely to cause weight gain. It has no fat or cholesterol and is low in calories. Initial bloating can occur as your body adjusts, but this is not the same as gaining fat.
Overall, Yakult is an easy way to add probiotics to your diet. It can help with constipation, diarrhea, and other gut issues, and it may support weight loss when used alongside a healthy lifestyle and calorie control.
More articles about Yakult:
Is Yakult Good for Your Immune System?
Is Yakult Good for IBS?
Is Yakult Good for You?