1. Improves Digestion
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You could refer to fermented foods as “pre-digested”. Considering they come loaded with good bacteria that have already done some of the work your stomach would do in breaking down the foods. This means that digesting fermented foods is incredibly easy.
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Adding to this, all the beneficial bacteria that come with fermented foods can help add to your own gut flora. Giving you a digestive boost for the next foods that enter your stomach.
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Milk is generally difficult for people to digest. But fermented foods, especially fermented dairy contain bacteria that are specially designed to break down lactose (the part of milk many people have difficulty digesting). Having a healthy gut bacteria can reverse many gastrointestinal issues derived from consuming milk based products.
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2. Has Anticancer Effects
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Cancer occurs when your genes mutate in an abnormal way. These genes control cell growth and division and can start spreading throughout the body after the mutation activates them. There have been billions of dollars poured into cancer research and some researchers have looked at the relationship between fermented foods and the onset of cancer.
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Researches have uncovered various ways that fermented foods fight against cancer. These foods stimulate the immune system to stop the spread of cancer, directly inhibit the division of tumor cells and help the body produce additional compounds that are anti-carcinogenic.
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3. Enhances Bioavailability of Nutrients, Decreases absorption of carcinogens.
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The fermentation process also helps synthesise new nutrients from the foods we eat; B vitamins, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamine and biotin among others. Further, these foods enhance your bodies ability to properly use the macro nutrients fats, carbs and proteins.
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The lactic acid that is created as part of the fermentation process protects against pathological changes in the colon. This means less carcinogens and foreign compounds get metabolised in the gut and are instead passed.
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4. Reduces Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance
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Lactobacillus consumes lactose in milk and transforms it into lactic acid that may be easier for individuals to digest. Lactic acid in yogurt reduces symptoms of lactose intolerance in individuals who are lactase-deficient. This may be because the lactic acid bacteria in the milk causes an increase of lactase in the small intestine.
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In clinical practice, replacing milk with fermented dairy products allows for decreased diarrhea, better digestion and improvements in other symptoms of intolerance in participants with lactose intolerance in subjects with short-bowel syndrome and children with diarrhea.
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5. Improves Arthritis Symptoms
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Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the world today. And if you don’t suffer yourself, it’s likely you know someone who does. Symptoms include pain, swelling and stiffness of the joints. It is theorised that inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms may be controlled by eating more fermented foods.
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A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of probiotics in active rheumatoid arthritis found that “patients with at least four swollen and four tender joints and stable medications with no steroids for at least one month prior to and during the study, showed a significant improvement in the Health Assessment Questionnaire score after three months of probiotic treatment.”
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6. Treats Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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Fermented milk supplemented with probiotics can exhibit a direct effect in the gut in managing inflammatory and functional bowel disorders. Clinical trials show that probiotics help reduce abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and flatulence in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease.
