Recent research indicates that adding a few basic fermented foods like yogurt and pickles daily can help prevent many serious diseases, as some simple modifications to your diet can reduce inflammation and thus prevent deadly diseases, according to the report published on the “Times” website. of India”.
A diet rich in fermented foods boosts the diversity of the gut microbiome and reduces molecular markers of inflammation, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine said.
The researchers conducted a clinical trial in which 36 healthy adults were randomized to follow a diet for 10 weeks that included either fermented or high-fiber foods, and these two diets had different effects on the gut microbiome and the body’s immune system..
Yogurt and pickles
Eating foods such as yogurt, fermented cottage cheese and other fermented vegetables, and plant-based salty drinks increased the overall microbial diversity in the gut.
Justin Sonnenberg, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, said: “This is an amazing discovery, providing one of the first examples of how a simple change in diet can repeatedly remodel the gut microbiota after being applied to a group of healthy adults..”
pickles
In addition, four types of immune cells showed lower activity in the group of fermented foods, and levels of 19 inflammatory proteins measured in blood samples also decreased. One of these proteins, interleukin-6, has been linked to conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes and stress. chronic;
By contrast, none of these 19 inflammatory proteins decreased in participants on a diet rich in fiber, legumes, seeds, whole grains, nuts, vegetables, and fruits, and on average, the diversity of gut microbes also remained stable.
Erica Sonnenberg, Senior Research Scientist in Basic Life Sciences, Microbiology and Immunology, said: “We expected that high fiber would have a beneficial effect and increase the diversity of microorganisms, but the data suggest that increasing fiber intake alone over a short period of time is unimaginable. Sufficient to increase the diversity of microorganisms.”
Benefits of yogurt and fermented foods
A large body of evidence has established that diet shapes the gut microbiome, which can affect the immune system and overall health, while reduced microbiome diversity has been linked to diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
Researchers have focused on fiber and fermented foods because of previous reports of their potential health benefits, while high-fiber diets have been associated with lower mortality rates, consumption of fermented foods can help maintain body weight and may reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. .
