The microbiome – the community of diverse bacteria that inhabit our gut – has long been a hot issue of healthy living. I am very interested in this topic and recently I found an article that may be useful to all of us. I offer its translation for your attention.
Scientists are trying to figure out how the microbiome can affect our health, weight, mood, skin, ability to resist infection. And the shelves of supermarkets and pharmacies are teeming with all kinds of probiotic foods containing live bacteria and yeast, which we are assured can improve the gut microbiome.
To test this, the British program team with the BBC “Trust me, I’m a doctor” (Trust Me, I‘m A Doctor) organized an experiment. It was attended by representatives of the Scottish National Health System (NHS Highland) and 30 volunteers and scientists from all over the country. According to Dr. Michael Moseley:
“We divided the volunteers into three groups and for over four weeks asked participants from each group to try different approaches to improve the intestinal microflora.
Our first group tried the ready-made probiotic drink found in most supermarkets. These drinks usually contain one or two types of bacteria that can survive the journey through the gastrointestinal tract and exposure to stomach acid to settle in the intestines.
The second group tried kefir, a traditional fermented beverage that contains many bacteria and yeast.
The third group was offered foods rich in prebiotic fiber – inulin. Prebiotics are the nutrients that the good bacteria already living in the gut feed on. Inulin is found in abundance in chicory root, onions, garlic and leeks.
What we found at the end of the study is fascinating. The first group consuming the probiotic drink showed small changes in the number of Lachnospiraceae bacteria that affect weight management. However, this change was not statistically significant.
But the other two groups did show significant changes. The third group, which consumed foods with prebiotics, showed the growth of bacteria beneficial to overall gut health.
The biggest change occurred in the “kefir” group: the number of Lactobacillales bacteria increased. Some of these bacteria are beneficial for overall gut health and may help with diarrhea and lactose intolerance.
“So,” continues Michael Moseley, “we decided to investigate fermented foods and beverages further and figure out what you should look for to get the most out of the bacteria.
Together with Dr. Cotter and scientists at the University of Rohampton, we selected a range of homemade and store-bought fermented foods and beverages and sent them to a lab for testing.
One significant difference immediately emerged between the two: homemade, traditionally prepared foods contained a large number of bacteria, and in some commercial products, bacteria could be counted on one hand.
Dr. Cotter explains this by the fact that, as a rule, store-bought products are pasteurized after cooking for their safety and to extend the shelf life, which can kill bacteria.
So if you want to use fermented foods to improve your gut health, go for traditional fermented foods or cook them yourself. This will provide your gut with good bacteria.
You can learn more about fermentation on the website of Yulia Maltseva, an expert in holistic healing methods, a herbalist (Herbal Academy of New England) and an enthusiastic fermentor!