Having a healthy intestinal microbiota, rich in various bacteria, would help fight against many diseases. However, according to Stanford researchers, having an effective and healthy microbiota would not be that complicated, it would be enough to have a diet rich in fermented foods. They recently published a study in the review Cell.
For 10 weeks, 36 adults were divided into two groups with fairly strict diets to follow: one of the groups mainly consumed fibre, the other mainly dairy products and other foods resulting from fermentation. Final result: the microbial diversity of the second group was much more interesting at the end of the examinations. So much so that researchers estimate thatadapting one’s diet would literally “remodel” the microbiota. At least for adults in good general health, say the doctors.
Lower inflammatory proteins
Concretely, they were fed with a large quantity of fermented kimchi, drinks containing vegetable brine, kombucha tea, fermented cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt… Better still, their analyzes revealed a decrease in inflammatory proteins responsible for diseases such as type 2 diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis.
In the other group, fed with fruits, vegetables, nuts, cereals of all kinds, their immune system was not strengthened in the same way. In addition, carbohydrates were less well assimilated in these people. That said, scientists point out that a diet high in fiber is associated with lower mortality over the long term.
The conclusion of the researchers is as follows: to fight against diabetes, obesity, cancer or cardiovascular diseases, a diet rich in fermented foods is favorable. For this, they must be consumed in sufficient quantities and over a long period.
Source : Gut-microbiota-targeted diets modulate human immune status, CellJuly 12, 2021.
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