Where are the “good” slimming and health-promoting microbes?

Maria Kotopouli

03/13/2023 07:56:12

Traditional fermented products like yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut, or modern ones like kimchi and kombucha, are especially important for gut health and microbiome balance. However, a more recent study delves deeper into how this might happen Food consumption with microorganisms can reinforce General health and weight control.

A team of researchers, led by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), classified more than 9,000 individual foods included in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) into three categories based on the abundance of their live microbes and then used data from Study participants about the foods they ate, aiming to determine what contained medium or high levels of microbes.

Then they determined how food intake related to various health indicators, such as blood pressure and weight.

Their results are very interesting, as they conclude that Increased consumption of microorganisms It has been linked to several indicators of good health: Normal blood pressure, improved blood glucose and insulin levels, decreased inflammation, smaller waist circumference and body mass index.

Although the scientific approach did not allow the researchers to conclude that microorganisms directly provide these health benefits, the results are consistent with the reasonable conclusion that microorganisms can survive in general. health benefit, increase it The diversity of microbes in the gut, while supporting immune function. This is because gut health also plays a role in strengthening the immune system.

“Although the association between foods and their benefits was relatively modest, it is noteworthy that these estimated benefits provided a significant improvement in each individual’s health, independent of other factors such as BMI.” Co-lead author Professor Dan Tancredi, Ph.D., of the University of California-Davis, notes.

As he concludes, “Investigations should continue in other populations, which may reveal stronger causal claims.”

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