An Oral Heat-Inactivated Postbiotic Increases Endogenous GLP-1 and Promotes Weight Loss in Adults with Overweight or Obesity: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial
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Background
Heat-inactivated postbiotics derived from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum have been proposed to support weight management and metabolic health by acting on the gut–metabolic axis, including endogenous glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) signaling. resM ® is an orally delivered formulation combining heat-inactivated L. plantarum RSB11 (RSB11-HI) with vitamin D3, vitamin B12, chromium picolinate, white mulberry ( Morus alba) leaf, and fenugreek (T rigonella foenum-graecum) seed extracts. We tested effects of resM ® on body weight and a panel of metabolic outcomes in overweight or obese adults.
Methods
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial ( NCT06911073 ) , 80 overweight or obese adults were allocated 1:1 to oral resM ® or matched placebo for 8 weeks. The trial was conducted in a fully remote, direct-to-consumer setting. The primary outcome was absolute change in body weight at final scheduled weekly assessment (Week 7), corresponding to completion of the 8-week intervention. Secondary outcomes included body-mass index (BMI); a fasting metabolic laboratory panel (insulin, HbA1c, and the derived HOMA-IR); serum active GLP-1; strain-specific stool quantitative PCR for L. plantarum RSB11; food cravings (Food Craving Questionnaire–Trait reduced, FCQ-T-r); depressive symptoms (PHQ-9); and safety laboratories (comprehensive metabolic panel and complete blood count) with adverse-event surveillance. Between-group differences used independent-samples t-tests and baseline-adjusted ANCOVA; within-group change used paired tests.
Results
Body weight decreased by 2.6 kg (−3.0%) in the resM ® group and increased by 0.5 kg (+0.6%) on the placebo. Food craving scores fell by 15.1 points within the resM ® arm during the 8-week intervention (p<0.001), as did depression scores. Active GLP-1 roughly doubled among participants treated with resM ® and increased more than the placebo. The serum GLP-1 levels correlated with L. plantarum RSB11 levels in the stool samples in the resM ® arm. Safety laboratories remained within reference ranges; gastrointestinal symptoms were more frequent with placebo than resM ® , and no serious adverse events were reported in either group.
Conclusions
Over 8 weeks, resM ® produced clinically meaningful weight loss within-group and compared to placebo, along with improvements in food cravings, depression scores, gastrointestinal symptoms, and a 2-fold increase active GLP-1. These pilot findings support the safety and clinical efficacy of the oral post-biotic, resM ® , for weight-management. Larger trials are needed to confirm the persistence of the clinical benefits over longer timeframes.
