The Sourdough School

BALM – Proven as one of the healthiest approaches to bread in the world.

Based in the walled gardens of Dr. Vanessa Kimbell's beautiful Victorian home in rural Northamptonshire, UK, we tutor individuals and train bakers and healthcare professionals in Baking as Lifestyle Medicine (BALM). Personalising bread to your lifestyle, gut microbiome, and unique genetics for optimal health—tailoring fermentation, fibre, and diversity so that your daily bread becomes the foundation of your health.

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224 - ‘Fermentation in the human large intestine and the available substrates’. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 45(5), 1243-1255

Reference Number: 224

Year: 1987

Authors: Cummings, J.H. & Englyst, H.N.

Link: Link to original paper

Nutrition: Fibre | Proteins

Summary

Fermentation, the process whereby anerobic bacteria (and yeasts) break down dietary and
other substrates to obtain energy for growth and the maintenance of cellular function, is an important component of normal large bowel activity. Evidence that fermentation occurs in man may be adduced from various observations. The human colon contains a rich and diverse bacterial population of predominantly saccharolytic species which synthesize many enzymes necessary for the catabolism
of a wide variety of carbohydrates, the principal substrate for fermentation.

 

SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY

This review looks at the current state of knowledge regarding fermentation in the human large intestine. It suggests that more research is needed to improve our depth of understanding, particularly in relation to health problems of the large intestine and possibly other diseases too.

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All reasonable care is taken when advising about health aspects of bread, but the information that we share is not intended to take the place of treatment by a qualified medical practitioner. You must seek professional advice if you are in any doubt about any medical condition. Any application of the ideas and information contained on this website is at the reader's sole discretion and risk.

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