Should you supplement with yeast for weight loss?

A study by Jung et al. in the journal Nutrition suggests that yeast hydrolysate can reduce body fat by an average of 2.6 kg over 10 weeks. Another study by Santas et al. in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture also showed an association between polysaccharide-rich hydrolysate and weight loss. This time, it was over 12 weeks, and the decrease was an average of 0.8 kg.

However, a meta-analysis by Canaan et al. in the journal Nutrients examined studies of yeast beta-glucans in animals. They found no statistically significant weight loss.

Check with your healthcare provider if you want to try yeast for weight loss. However, people on certain medications or with conditions like gout or Crohn’s disease, among others, should not supplement their diet with yeast.