7 Yogurt Health Benefits for Gut Health, Weight Management, and More

Yogurt has been a staple breakfast food for millennia, and today, we know that this fermented milk is full of beneficial bacteria that support our health. 

But is yogurt just good for digestion, or does it offer more?

Keep reading to learn all about the top yogurt health benefits, from balancing blood sugar and reducing body fat to boosting immune function and supporting heart health. 

Top Health Benefits of Yogurt

1. Rich in Nutrients and Protein

Yogurt—and most dairy foods—are well-known for being rich in nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, and protein. 

Just one cup of yogurt contains about 30% of your daily calcium needs, 28% of your daily phosphorus, 12% of your potassium needs, and 54% of the recommended intake of vitamin B12. 

Regular (unstrained or traditional) yogurt made with skim milk contains more calcium and minerals than whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt. This is because Greek yogurt undergoes a straining process that removes some of the minerals in the liquid.

Yogurt is also a good source of protein—and this is where plain Greek yogurt is the winner.

Due to the straining process, Greek yogurt is much more concentrated in protein, containing almost double the amount of regular unstrained yogurt. A container of Greek yogurt (5.3 ounces) typically contains about 14-16 grams of protein, while the same size of regular yogurt has 6-8 grams. Learn more about the differences between regular and Greek yogurt in this article.

2. Gut Health and Digestion

Yogurt is well-known for its role in supporting gut health and digestion, which is entirely due to its status as a probiotic food. 

Yogurt contains probiotics because of how it’s produced. To be called yogurt, heated milk must be cultured (fermented) with beneficial bacteria called Lactobacillus delbrueckii bulgaricus (L. bulgaricus) and Streptococcus thermophilus (S. thermophilus).

These are lactic acid-producing bacteria that convert the natural sugar found in milk (lactose) into lactic acid, thickening the milk and giving yogurt its tangy flavor and creamy texture.¹

Lactic acid-producing bacteria are probiotics that benefit the gut microbiome.² Plus, some yogurt brands add other probiotic bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus acidophilus, further supporting gut health. 

Some of the ways that probiotic yogurt (or other fermented dairy foods like kefir) can support digestive health include:

• Helping you to digest food
• Reducing symptoms like constipation and diarrhea 
• Helping to improve irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Enhancing nutrient absorption
• Protecting you from harmful bacteria and pathogens
• Strengthening the integrity of the intestinal barrier (a cause of leaky gut when dysfunctional)³

However, it’s important to note that not all yogurt at the grocery store contains probiotic bacteria. The label must say, “Contains live and active cultures”—otherwise, it does not contain probiotics. 

3. Weight Management

Yogurt—especially full-fat yogurt—can help with weight loss or management by promoting satiety. Increased satiety means that you feel more full, helping to reduce overall calorie intake. 

While low-fat yogurt is still beneficial, it’s just not as filling as full-fat versions and may not provide the same health benefits when it comes to weight loss.

It’s known that eating enough protein regulates appetite, as it decreases ghrelin—our “hunger hormone” that stimulates appetite—and boosts GLP-1, that now-famous hormone that Ozempic mimics^.4

Greek yogurt may help with weight loss more than regular due to its higher protein content, but studies have not looked into the differences between yogurt varieties.

One meta-analysis of 22 studies linked yogurt consumption (regardless of type) to lower body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference.⁵

4. Bone Health

Calcium is known to help support bone health, and one cup of yogurt contains approximately one-third of an adult’s daily needs. 

Regular yogurt has more calcium than Greek yogurt due to the straining process, which removes some minerals, but both are still excellent sources of calcium. 

In a study published in Osteoporosis International, adults over 60 with higher yogurt intake had increased bone mineral density and physical function scores. Each 1-unit increase in yogurt consumption was linked to a 39% and 52% reduced risk of osteoporosis in women and men, respectively.⁶ 

5. Cardiometabolic Health

Yogurt consumption can benefit heart health and metabolic function, including supporting healthy blood sugar regulation, blood pressure, lipid profiles, and cholesterol levels. 

The high protein status of Greek yogurt may help regulate blood sugar more than regular yogurt by slowing digestion and preventing rapid spikes. Whole milk Greek yogurt may further support blood sugar control more than low-fat yogurt due to its healthy fat content that also attenuates glucose spikes.

One meta-analysis from 2020 concluded that yogurt intake was linked to a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes by 27%. Yogurt consumption also reduced the risk of metabolic syndrome by 20%.⁷

Keep in mind that flavored yogurts (sweetened) will have the opposite effect on blood sugar, as they can exceed 20 grams of added sugar per serving. Look for plain yogurt (unsweetened) for the greatest potential health benefits.

6. Immune Health

Yogurt may help support immunity because of the gut-immune axis—the bidirectional relationship between these body systems.

Up to 80% of our immune cells are found in the gut, so it has become increasingly apparent that the function of our gut microbiota also affects the function of our immune system. Probiotics can help strengthen the integrity of the intestinal lining, preventing harmful pathogens from entering the bloodstream. Yogurt may also reduce pro-inflammatory markers and initiate immunomodulatory function, although more research is needed.⁸

7. Reduced Risk of Some Cancers

Lastly, fermented milk products like yogurt may be linked to a lower risk of some cancers.

One large systematic review of 108 studies found associations between fermented milk consumption and a reduced risk of breast and colorectal cancer.⁹ 

Plus, a very recent study from February 2025 looked at data from over 130,000 people who were followed for at least three decades, finding that those who ate two or more servings of yogurt per week had lower rates of certain types of colorectal cancer.¹⁰ 

However, not all studies have shown that yogurt reduces cancer risk, so more research is needed.¹¹

Yogurt Health Benefits FAQs