Foods like yoghurt, kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha increased the diversity of gut microbes and led to lower levels of inflammation.
Part 1. Vocabulary
|
fermentation |
/ˌfɝː.menˈteɪ.ʃən/
n. -
process of chemical change in food or drink because
of the action of yeast or bacteria §
Fermentation takes about
48 hours. |
|
diversity |
/dɪˈvɝː.sə.t̬i/
n. -
the fact of many different types of things
or people being included in something §
The wonderful diversity of our region's wildlife is now coming under threat. |
|
inhabit |
/ɪnˈhæb.ɪt/
v. -
to live in a place §
Our most basic common link is that we
all inhabit this small planet. |
|
deter |
/dɪˈtɝː/
v. -
to prevent someone from doing something or to make someone
less enthusiastic about doing something §
These measures are designed to
deter an enemy attack. |
|
Fiber |
/ˈfaɪ.bɚ/
n. - a substance in certain foods,
such as fruit, vegetables, and brown bread,
that travels through
the body as waste and helps the contents of
the bowels to pass through the body easily: §
You
should eat more food that contains a lot of
fiber, e.g. fruit, vegetables, and bread. |
Part 2.
Article Reading
Fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut and
kombucha has long been a dietary staple in many parts of the world.
Indeed, for thousands of years, different cultures relied on
fermentation to produce bread and cheese, preserve meats and vegetables,
and enhance the flavors and textures of many foods.
Now scientists are discovering that fermented foods may have
intriguing effects on our gut. Eating these foods may alter the makeup of the
trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that inhabit our intestinal
tracts, collectively known as the gut microbiome.
People who live in industrialized nations tend to
have less microbial diversity in their guts than those living
in more traditional, non-industrialized societies.
Fiber is considered good for gut health: Microbes in
the gut feed on fiber and use it to produce beneficial byproducts like
short-chain fatty acids, which can reduce inflammation. Some
studies also suggest that eating a lot of fiber promotes a diverse
microbiome.
Suzanne Devkota, the director of Microbiome Research at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, who was not involved in the new study said it has long been assumed that eating fermented foods had health
benefits but that the new research provides some of the first “hard evidence”
that it can influence the gut and inflammation.
“We were always a little reluctant to make comments about
fermented foods being beneficial, particularly from an inflammatory standpoint,
because there was really no data behind that,” she said.
Dr. Devkota cautioned that the findings should not deter
anyone from eating fiber-rich foods, because fiber has so many health benefits
beyond its impact on the gut.
She consumes a lot of fiber and fermented foods herself and
often recommends that patients at Cedars-Sinai, who have conditions like
inflammatory bowel disease, do the same.
Dr. Devkota said more research was needed to better
understand the links between fermented foods and overall health. But she
suggested that one reason fermented foods may be beneficial is that the
microorganisms they contain are constantly producing many nutrients during the
fermentation process.
“A jar of sauerkraut is a living food with stuff that is
actively being produced, like vitamins,” she said. “When you eat fermented
food, you’re consuming all of those microbially produced chemicals that are
good for you.”
By Anahad
O’Connor © The New York Times
https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/how-fermented-foods-may-alter-your-microbiome-and-improve-your-health-276476