by Chris Shugart
The End of Sugar Cravings?
Keep your gut bacteria balanced and your body will make GLP-1 naturally. No drugs required. Here's how.
I don't like to think too deeply about gut bacteria. It's kinda gross. After all, our gastrointestinal tracts are inhabited by trillions of microorganisms – over 1000 different species. Go step on the scale. Two to five pounds of your body weight is gut bacteria. I weigh 195 pounds, but if you don't count the three pounds of bugs inside me, I weigh 192. Yuk.
These bugs are, of course, essential for sustaining life. Your gut microbiome plays a big role in digestion, immune support, vitamin production, metabolism, and even brain function. Without your gut microbiome, you'd eventually die.
By now you know that you need to keep this colony of microorganisms balanced. Take care of them and they'll take care of you. An imbalance (gut dysbiosis) causes a host of health problems. One of the most physique-wrecking problems? Sugar cravings.
Bad Bugs and Good Bugs
An imbalance of any gut bacterium isn't good, but some of those bugs are total twits. For example, some gut bacteria like Firmicutes thrive on sugar and can manipulate the host (that's you) to consume more. They release byproducts that stimulate sugar cravings. You eat more sugar and, in turn, encourage the growth of more sugar-wanting bugs. It's a vicious cycle.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have Bacteroides vulgatus, which can be your friend, although a temperamental one. B. vulgatus influences sweet cravings by affecting the protein FFAR4 and, in turn, the hormone GLP-1. Type 2 diabetics have low levels of the FFAR4. In studies, mice bred without FFAR4 have a heightened preference for sugar. Low FFAR4 is related to lower levels of B. vulgatus in the intestines and colon. In short, low B. vulgatus leads to higher blood sugar and sweet cravings.
So, B. vulgatus is a good guy and we should find a probiotic containing it? Well, not so fast. This little beastie can become opportunistic under certain conditions, leading to infections like intra-abdominal abscesses or bacteremia. Overgrowth is associated with inflammatory bowel disease. You want enough B. vulgatus, but not too much.
The Fiber Fix
Emerging research shows that beta glucan fiber encourages the healthy growth (but not overgrowth) of B. vulgatus. In turn, B. vulgatus releases the metabolite pantothenate which elevates FFAR4 levels and, "... via a similar pathway as the new GLP-1 drugs, decrease the craving for sugar," according to Douglas Fields, Ph.D.
In simple terms, unlike GLP-1 mimicking drugs (Ozempic, Wegovy, etc.), beta glucan helps your body make more of the natural hormone, which keeps hunger under control and sugar cravings low.
Beta glucan is found naturally in things like oats, yeast, and mushrooms, but those forms aren't utilized well by your body due to their thick cell structures. The best form of beta glucan is called beta-1,3-glucan, extracted from Euglena gracilis algae. That form is available in Biotest Beta Glucan Immune-Boosting Fiber (Buy at Amazon).
References
- Fields, Craving Sugar Linked to Gut Bacteria, Psychology Today, January 13, 2025.
- Zhang, et al. Free fatty acid receptor 4 modulates dietary sugar preference via the gut microbiota, Nature Microbiology (2025).