Can Drinking Yogurt Lose Weight? Here's The Full Explanation

Illustration of drinking yogurt to lose weight (iStockphoto)

YOGYAKARTA – Various ways are taken to get overall body health and lose weight. Ways that are often taken include choosing foods and drinks that are good for digestion, namely drinking yogurt. Is it true that yogurt can effectively help you lose weight?

According to an article in the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, yogurt has been consumed since 6000 BC. In a review written in 2021, in 2018 the United States produced 4.4 billion pounds of yogurt.

Yogurt is fermented milk with Lactobacills bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermphilus bacteria cultures. Reported by Verywell Health, Friday, June 3, in fermented milk, the sugar in it is broken down into lactic acid by bacteria. This is what causes yogurt to taste sour. In 100 grams of yogurt, contains 63 calories, 1.55 grams fat, 5.25 grams protein, 7.04 grams carbohydrates, 7.04 grams sugar, and 183 milligrams of calcium. Besides this content, yogurt also contains magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and vitamin D.

Illustration of drinking yogurt to lose weight (iStockphoto)

An observational study found that people who ate yogurt tended to have a lower body mass index (BMI), lower body weight, gain less weight, smaller waist circumference, and lower body fat. This good effect is thought to be yogurt as a probiotic that plays an important role in digestive health. Probiotics have also been linked to weight loss in various studies.

The review, published in Nutrients, wrote that probiotics can help with weight loss. Probiotics that are able to balance and provide good bacteria in the gut are beneficial in reducing insulin resistance and increasing satiety.

According to Stephanie Nelson, RD., chief nutritionist at MyFitnessPal, if you are bored with the usual way of losing weight, you can choose an alternative to combine the content of protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, and sugar-based on the yogurt product you consume.

The results of a study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that obese adults who ate three servings of fat-free yogurt a day lost 22 percent more weight than those who only reduced calories and did not consume calcium.

Professor of nutrition Michael Zemel of the University of Tennessee, reported by WebMD, said that yogurt not only helped participants in the study to lose weight. In addition to losing 14 pounds, participants also maintained lean muscle mass. This means that losing weight requires shedding fat without losing muscle mass, which helps burn calories.

But because not all yogurt is made in the same amount of ingredients, read the label carefully. Check the composition and size of the content is good. Choose the lowest sugar content. According to USDA data, yogurt is good for up to two weeks in the refrigerator or two months in the freezer.