BIG
BOOSTS FROM TINY ORGANISMS: Besides good taste, fermented foods are loaded with
certain strains of good bacteria and yeast. These happen naturally in some
foods. Others have cultures added to them. Eating these foods helps balance
good and bad bacteria in your intestinal tract. That can boost overall health
in ways that science has just started to uncover. Many studies have been small,
but results are promising. Here’s what we know so far.
YOUR GUT
REACTION: The benefits of fermented foods start in your digestive
system -- your gut. The gut is called your second brain because of its powerful
influence on many aspects of your health, from mood and behavior to appetite
and weight. It even affects your immune system. Feeding it with fermented foods
helps give you a better mix of the bacteria known as the gut biome. That boosts
gut health and, in turn, all the body functions that your gut supports.
KEEPING
BLOOD SUGAR IN CHECK: Studies show that yogurt has a link to lower blood sugar.
It can also help ward off metabolic syndrome and its serious result, type 2
diabetes. Choose yogurt rich in probiotics over the regular kind for the most
benefits. If you already have diabetes, eating yogurt with multiple strains of
bacteria and yeast can help keep all your numbers in line: blood sugar, blood
pressure, and cholesterol.
FERMENTED
FOODS FIGHT OBESITY: Studies show the gut biome of lean people is very
different from that of people with obesity. Having a healthy biome can help to
prevent or manage obesity. Besides fermented dairy like yogurt, two popular
Korean foods may help you get a healthy biome and ward off weight gain: green
vegetable-based kimchi (usually made from Napa cabbage) and chungkookjang, a
type of fermented soybean.
HELP FOR
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE: You can lower your chances of high blood pressure by
eating fermented foods. Top choices are soy foods, like miso and natto.
Fermented dairy with multiple strains of helpful bacteria and yeast is also
good. They help block an enzyme that has a connection to raising blood
pressure. If your blood pressure is already high, eating fermented foods
regularly can shave a few points off both the systolic and diastolic
readings.
WARDING
OFF HEART DISEASE: It’s possible that fermented foods can help you stay
clear of heart disease. A study done in Finland found that people who eat
low-fat fermented dairy -- less than 3.5% fat -- had a much lower risk than
people who ate other types of dairy or high-fat fermented foods. Research from
Sweden and the Netherlands also found this benefit.
LOWERING
BLADDER CANCER RISK: The same studies done in the Netherlands and Sweden that
found heart benefits from fermented dairy foods also reported a link to a lower
risk for bladder cancer. Again, these benefits weren’t seen with regular dairy.
BREATHE
EASIER: The benefits of fermented foods can be very wide-ranging.
In addition to offering some protection from diabetes, kimchi might ward off
asthma and eczema, also called atopic dermatitis.
EASE
DIGESTIVE ISSUES: The gut biome of people with bowel disorders is different
than that of healthy people. This is likely due to the inflammation these
conditions cause. Fermented foods can help fight inflammation and be part of
your plan to manage conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory
bowel diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
BOOST
BRAIN HEALTH: Limited research shows that some of the bacteria in
fermented foods can jumpstart serotonin, a brain chemical that boosts feelings
of well-being. That’s because the gut and the brain have a strong connection --
so much so that improving your gut biome can improve the central nervous
system. It might also help ease anxiety or depression and boost cognitive
function -- your ability to think, remember, and learn.
LOWER
YOUR PAIN RESPONSE: Just as your gut biome can influence your emotions, it
can affect how you feel pain. Belly pain, migraine, chronic fatigue syndrome
(CFS), and long-term back pain have a strong link to a less-than-ideal gut
biome. Studies show that improving gut bacteria -- along with other
anti-inflammatory diet changes -- may help with pain sensitivity and other
symptoms of conditions like CFS.
FERMENTED
FOODS FOR ORAL HEALTH: The benefits of fermented foods can start at the first
part of your digestive system: your mouth. Good bacteria can feed the biome
inside your mouth and lead to better oral health. That could mean less dental
plaque and tartar buildup. It could also help stop cavities and even gum
disease.
HELP FOR
YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM: Your immune system relies on gut health to function
properly. Gut imbalances can throw it off. Feed your gut the healthy bacteria
in fermented foods and you can strengthen your immune response. That’s your
body’s ability to fend off diseases.
CHOOSING
FERMENTED FOODS: We don’t yet know how well helpful bacteria survive
digestion, so it isn’t possible to say how much to eat daily. But different
fermented foods have different strains, so go for variety. Look for foods with
active types of lactic acid bacteria, among the best strains for the gut. But
know that not all fermented foods have helpful bacteria. For instance, beer
loses them during processing. Baking and canning foods can also make them
inactive.
REVIEWED BY: Brunilda Nazario, MD on March 16, 2021
Microbiology Reviews: “The food-gut axis: lactic acid bacteria
and their link to food, the gut microbiome and human health.”
Nutrients: “Inclusion of Fermented Foods in Food
Guides around the World,” “Anti-Inflammatory Diets and Fatigue.”
Foods: “One Health, Fermented Foods, and Gut
Microbiota,” “Fermentative Foods: Microbiology, Biochemistry, Potential Human
Health Benefits and Public Health Issues.”
Current Obesity Reports: "The Second Brain: Is the Gut
Microbiota a Link Between Obesity and Central Nervous System Disorders?"
Critical Reviews in Food
Science and Nutrition:
“Probiotics supplementation improves hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, and
hypertension in type 2 diabetes mellitus: An update of meta-analysis,”
“Evidence for the effects of yogurt on gut health and obesity.
Preventive Nutrition and Food
Science: “A Review of Fermented Foods
with Beneficial Effects on Brain and Cognitive Function.”
European Journal of Clinical
Nutrition: “Korean traditional
Chungkookjang improves body composition, lipid profiles and atherogenic indices
in overweight/obese subjects: a double-blind, randomized, crossover,
placebo-controlled clinical trial.”
Journal of Diabetes and
Metabolic Disorders:
“Effect of probiotic foods and supplements on blood pressure: a systematic
review of meta-analyses studies of controlled trials.”
British Journal of Nutrition: “Intake of fermented and non-fermented
dairy products and risk of incident CHD: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease
Risk Factor Study.”
Frontiers in Integrative
Neuroscience: “Gut-Brain Psychology:
Rethinking Psychology From the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis.”
Nutritional Neuroscience: “Fermented foods, the gut and mental
health: a mechanistic overview with implications for depression and anxiety.”
Harvard Health: “How to Get More
Probiotics.”
Journal of the American College
of Nutrition: “The Potential Role of Yogurt
in Weight Management and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.”
National Institute on Aging: “Cognitive
Health and Older Adults.”
Nutrition Today: “The Gut Microbiome and Its Role in
Obesity.”
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