A diet rich in fermented foods increases gut microbial diversity and reduces molecular inflammation. This is according to a new study conducted by researchers at Stanford School of Medicine. During the clinical trials, they randomly assigned 36 healthy adults to a 10-week diet. The subjects either contained fermented orfoods rich in fiber. Both diets resulted in different effects on the gut microbiome and immune system.
Health Benefits of Fermented Foods
TheEating foods like yogurt, kefir, fermented cottage cheese, kimchi and other fermented vegetables, as well as plant-based drinks and kombucha tea resulted in an increase in overall microbial diversity. The research team observed stronger effects with larger portions. This is an astonishing finding and one of the first examples of how a simple dietary change can reproducibly remodel the microbiota in a cohort of healthy adults. Additionally, four types of immune cells showed lower activation in the fermented food group. The concentrations of 19 pro-inflammatory proteins measured in blood samples also decreased. One of these proteins, interleukin 6, has been linked to diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes and chronic stress. However, the data also suggests that increased fiber intake alone over a short period of time is not enough to increase microbiota diversity.
A wealth of evidence has shown that diet shapes the gut microbiome. This can affect the immune system and overall health. The results also showed that higher fiber intake led to more carbohydrates in the stool samples. This indicates incomplete fiber breakdown by intestinal microbes. These findings are consistent with other research. So everything suggests that the human microbiome in the industrialized world is depleted of friendly gut bacteria. Another goalthis studyis to investigate whether consumption of fermented foods reduces inflammation or improves other health markers in patients with immune and metabolic diseases as well as in pregnant women and the elderly.
There are many other ways to target the microbiome with foods and supplements. The authors hope to continue studying how different diets,Probiotics and prebiotics on intestinal healthimpact in different groups.
