Consuming probiotics as part of one’s diet has become a popular practice in recent years, with many experts touting its benefits for having a balanced digestive system.
Well, good news – recent research, measured in various ways, has confirmed that ingesting live microbes is indeed good for human health.
Yogurt, kimchi, pickles, kombucha… Rich in probiotics, or live micro-organisms consisting of various bacteria, fermented foods have been hugely popular for a while now. According to research published last year, American adults’ consumption of foods with live microbes has gradually increased over the last 18 years.
And rightly so, since these foods are good for health, especially for the balance of the intestinal flora. A recent study published in the “Journal of Nutrition”, conducted by researchers from the United States and Ireland, confirms this.
“Our results suggest that foods with higher microbial concentrations are associated with modest health improvements across a range of outcomes,” they noted.
It’s one of the first times that research outlines the many health benefits of eating live microbes. For example, an additional 100g of food containing probiotics is associated with lower systolic blood pressure, a lower body mass index, and a reduction in inflammatory markers.
“Besides fermented dairy, epidemiologic evidence has shown that consumption of fermented soy or vegetables is linked with a reduced risk of type-2 diabetes, blood pressure, and atopic dermatitis,” the authors wrote.
As they do not require the addition of chemical compounds or additives, probiotics are also popular for their ecological aspect, since fermentation is based on a natural process centred around living organisms and is not harmful to the planet.
Choosing probiotics can also help contribute to reducing food waste and the production of waste. In France, fermented foods are currently the subject of a vast research project called “Ferments of the Future”, led by the National Institute of Agronomic Research and the National Association of Food Industries.
It aims to, among other things, develop new fermented foods, including cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables, with the goal of boosting plant-based foods and making diets more sustainable.