Incorporating fermented foods into your diet could aid in weight loss and shrink your waistline, according to one study.
Commonly consumed items such as yoghurt, pickled veggies, and other products abundant in live microbes have been suggested to promote health, but concrete proof has been sparse until now, say the researchers behind the new findings published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Touted as the first substantial “real-world” evidence, the research points towards consuming these live bacteria-rich foods as a means of securing benefits like shedding pounds, trimming waist sizes, and improving blood pressure metrics.
You’re likely aware that probiotic-packed foods like yoghurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi are often associated with beneficial “good” or “friendly” bacteria.
Researchers are now asserting that a high concentration of microbes found not only in fermented eats but also unprocessed vegetables and fruits are key components of a nutritious diet, potentially offering health advantages previously underestimated, reports the Daily Record.
The scientists from the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) spearheaded the research by assessing microbe levels across 9,000 food samples to establish the connection between consumption levels and health indicators including weight and blood pressure.
The outcomes of the study indicated a strong correlation; higher intake of live microbes was associated with generally improved health markers: more optimal blood pressure, enhanced blood glucose and insulin levels, reduced inflammation, as well as decreased waist circumference and body mass index (BMI).
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The study found that individuals consuming higher amounts of live dietary microbes experienced some health benefits, although the direct cause-and-effect relationship remains unconfirmed. This aligns with prior studies suggesting that exposure to microorganisms can boost health by enhancing immune function.
The research categorised foods into three groups based on their live microbe content. By analysing participants’ diets and correlating them with health indicators like blood pressure and body weight, scientists assessed the impact of consuming different foods and quantities on health.
Professor Colin Hill from University College Cork, who co-authored the study, commented: “Those foods with high levels of microbes (fermented foods, raw vegetables and fruits) are all nutritionally valuable parts of a healthy and diverse diet.”
He added: “These same foods could be providing an additional, hitherto unrecognised, health benefit due to live microbes themselves that enter the gut and interact with the host microbiome, immune system and even the enteric nervous system.”
However, researchers have advised that more investigation is necessary to fully understand the potential health advantages of a diet rich in microbes.
“More research that extends these findings to other populations and research that uses study designs that permit stronger causal claims is needed, especially given the potential benefits that might be available by simply substituting into the diet more foods that have safe live microbes,” stated co-lead author Professor Dan Tancredi, PhD, of University of California – Davis.
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