Reference Number: 222
Year: 2017
Link: Link to original paper
Health: Gut Microbiome - Creating Healthier Bread to Support Optimal Gut Health | Heart Disease | IBS | Mental Health | Weight Management
Summary
Fermented foods and beverages were among the first processed food products consumed by humans. The production of foods such as yogurt and cultured milk, wine and beer, sauerkraut and kimchi, and fermented sausage were initially valued because of their improved shelf life, safety, and organoleptic properties. It is increasingly understood that fermented foods can also have enhanced nutritional and
functional properties due to transformation of substrates and formation of bioactive or bioavailable end-products. Many fermented foods also contain living microorganisms of which some are genetically similar to strains used as probiotics. Although only a limited number of clinical studies on fermented
foods have been performed, there is evidence that these foods provide health benefits well-beyond the starting food materials.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY
Numerous health benefits (both physical and mental) have been associated with the consumption of fermented foods. These positive health effects have been linked to compounds produced during the fermentation process and to the microbes involved.