This post contains affiliate links.
Fermentation is a useful method of changing normal foodstuffs into flavor sensations. They take milk and produce cheese, grapes and make wine and vegetables and make pickles, sauerkraut, chutney and all sorts of delectable things.
But they also produce some of the most valuable immune system boosters in the world.
Exactly how and why this happens is not fully understood and probably will never be (since there is no money in letting chopped cabbage and salt ferment on the counter) but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the effects of consuming a variety of fermented foods.
1. Improves the immune system response to viral infections
In this time of global travel and freedom we are exposed to a wide variety of viruses which have never been seen before. How often do you catch something while you travel? Whether it be a viral infection or some bacterial disease which your immune system has never seen before.
In the past a particularly virulent virus may have affected a specific population but because transportation was not readily available, was expensive and not particularly fast the virus would be limited in its effect.
Today that is not the case. We now have to protect ourselves from a wide variety of viral infections and the medical industry cannot keep up.
Our best defense is a strong immunity which can deal with whatever attacks it has against it.
Fermentations which are made from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have anti-viral effects which not only reduce your risk of catching a viral disease but they also shorten the time of sickness. Even heat treated probiotics have a protective effect on preventing influenza and other respiratory diseases caused by viral infections.
Probiotics in yogurt have a wide range effect on viral infections including the common cold, respiratory infections and gastrointestinal infections.
2. Lactic acid bacteria stimulates the immune system
The first line of defense you have is the mucus lining which coats everything in the digestive system. It lines your nasal passages, throat, stomach and both the small and large intestine. When a foreign object enters your body it gets trapped in the mucus and is swept towards the stomach which has a high level of acidity. This destroys most pathogenic bacteria much like the acidic environment which LAB produce inhibits the growth of similar bacterial cultures.
LAB used to produce yogurt have been shown to help protect the mucus lining on the intestinal tract by stimulating immune cells which are present on the surface of the intestine. The great part about this is that the LAB don’t even need to be alive to stimulate the immune function (which means that it is irrelevant whether or not they survive the stomach or not).
The small intestines layer of mucus is designed to let your intestine absorb nutrients and energy which are important to maintaining your body. This makes it possible for bacteria to transfer through the intestine wall into the bloodstream.
When LAB take up space on the intestine wall they effectively block the pathogenic bacteria from having access to these locations. They also produce an acidic environment which makes it difficult for the pathogenic bacteria to survive(1).
3. Probiotics inhibit the growth of parasites
Just as the acidic environment LAB produce inhibits the growth of disease causing bacteria it also slows the growth of parasites. It has been discovered that most parasites prefer a basic environment and grow best in such an environment. LAB produce an acidic environment which slows the growth of pathogens(2).
Probiotics also compete for vital nutrients which the pathogens also need such as iron. This competition reduces the amount of iron available to the pathogens and therefor reduces their numbers.
Certain probiotics also aid iron absorption so it can be a double benefit, reduce the number of pathogens in your gut and increase the absorption of iron.
Probiotics can also help to reduce the burden of parasites which transfer from animals to humans and back. These types of parasites are hard to control and are widespread throughout the world. Besides consuming needed nutrients and acting as a blockade against these organisms they also stimulate the immune system against such infections.
4. Probiotics effect on pathogenic bacteria
Probiotic bacteria have protection mechanisms of their own which provides them with defense outside of the body. One of these is the production of antibiotics which kill or inhibit other bacterial cultures. This reduces the population of pathogenic bacteria outside the body as well as inside.
All life requires energy and the limiting factor of any population is the amount of available food sources. Probiotics consume the energy which other bacterial cultures would use and therefore limit their growth.
Probiotics are effective at improving the health of the biofilm which protects the gut. This prevents infection and inflamation caused by pathogenic bacteria colonies from taking hold and causing cronic disease.
5. Fermented foods provide additional vitamins
Vitamins are vital to good health. They perform a wide range of activities in the body from energy absorption to bone building. Without enough vitamins your body will begin to break down. It is like the oil in a car’s engine, once it starts getting low the engine wears faster and without additional oil it will seize up and not run.
Fermentations can add vitamins to food where they did not exist before. Some yogurt and Tempeh cultures have the ability to produce riboflavin a necessary B vitamin.
Sourdough bread made with wheat can have additional riboflavin due to the fermentation process.
Not only does fermentation produce additional vitamins but it also breaks down the cell walls of the food you eat. This makes the vitamins which are naturally present in the food more available to your body(3).
6. Fermented foods have antioxidant effects
Free radicals can have a devastating effect on your health. Although they are needed to perform important reactions within the body if there are too many of them they can cause severe health issues. They are known to increase the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders.
Fermented foods provide natural antioxidants which act to reduce the amount of free radicals in the body.
On top of that they provide a more bioavailable source of minerals and nutrients which also help to reduce the number of free radicals which are produced.
Milk fermentations, legumes and grains as well as vegetable ferments all have more antioxidant components then there unfermented counterparts. This is because the bacterial cultures which cause the fermentation use some of the available carbohydrates breaking them down into more simple sugars essentially pre-digesting the food for you.
7. Fermentation makes minerals more available and absorbable
We discussed the iron requirement for pathogens above and how probiotics absorb iron in the gut making it unavailable to the pathogens but if they make the iron unavailable does it not also prevent the absorption of iron?
Actually fermented vegetables using LAB increase the absorption of iron. It is believed to be because of the production of Fe3+ which is easier to absorb through the small intestine then other forms of iron. Since the individual bacteria do not live for long periods of time there bodies are digested just like any other food source in the digestive system and any minerals which were bound in their makeup can be used by your body.
Fermentation also breaks down cell walls of food sources you consume making the vitamins and minerals more bioavailable. This does not increase the minerals in a food it just makes it more available.
8. Fermentation adds natural enzymes which help digestion
Enzymes help to break down the food you eat into smaller and smaller pieces. Once they are of sufficient size your body can use it for energy and body maintenance. Your body has a wide variety of enzymes which start this from the moment your food enters your mouth.
But how great is it to start breaking it down before it enters your mouth. This is important with foods such as grains and legumes which have anti-nutrients which protect the grain or bean from damage while it waits to sprout.
Fermentation helps to remove these anti-nutrients prior to consumption. Which makes them easier to digest and helps you get the most out of your food.
Kefir has a large number of peptides which are the basic building blocks of proteins.
9. Lactic acid bacteria improves heart health
Cardiovascular disease is still the top killer in North America. It not only kills a high number of people but of the survivors it has a negative effect on their lives.
One of the main indicators that the cardiovascular system is in distress is high cholesterol levels. This causes plaque to build up on the artery walls leading to hardening of the arteries.
LAB found in yogurt, kefir and other dairy products can reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood drastically. Not only do they reduce the amount of cholesterol in the dairy product itself but they also reduce the amount within your body.
They do this because they have a high survival rate through the stomach and continue to multiply once they are in the small intestine.
Once in the small intestine they acidify its environment further reducing the amount of cholesterol and making the environment less habitable to pathogenic organisms which like a more basic environment.
LAB also play a part in several other heart protecting mechanisms. They help improve the gut-brain-axis which not only improves the communication with other organs (including the heart) but also stimulates BDNF which increases the number of new neurons which are produced in the brain and help their survivability.
LAB are also valuable in protecting your mouth from pathogens. They play an important role in converting toxins into usable or less toxic chemicals before they enter your body. Which improves the health of your mouth which is another factor in heart health.
10. Fermentation reduces cancer risk
Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases in the world. It is associated with pain and suffering. Visions of surgical procedures and medical interventions fuel the fear of this condition.
Well, why not do something about it rather than just live in fear?
Try increasing your consumption of fermented dairy products.
Fermented dairy products have been shown to reduce the risk of getting bladder, colorectal and esophagus cancers. These are mostly associated with the consumption of yogurt and cheese, two of the most popular dairy products
There is controversy when it comes to the use of fermented vegetables using salt in the occurrence of esophageal cancer. Most of which are studies of populations which cannot be taken as proof.
Population studies have a large number of variables which cannot be taken into account such as environmental conditions, cultural traditions and genetic susceptibility to disease.
Some fermentations which are consumed are made using high salt concentrations since salt is a factor in esophageal cancer it is wise to ferment your own vegetables with a minimum of salt and eat your fermentations with a meal which helps to minimize the effect of the salt on the throat.
Your goal should be to reduce inflammation throughout your body. This includes the gastro intestinal system, cardiovascular system and the immune system.
Go do something about it
Fermentation provides a wide variety of probiotics which have positive health effects. They provide an environment which is conducive to protecting you from pathogens and since the environment which these beneficial bacteria is similar to that of our digestive system they work symbiotically with us.
By increasing the number of probiotics in your gut you can help to maintain a healthy environment within you, reducing the number of pathogens, improving the absorption of valuable nutrients and stimulating your immune system to fight disease.
With all these benefits why not try fermenting some of your own. It is easy, creative and fun. All you need for most beginner vegetable ferments is a jar with a lid, a knife, some kind of salt and a vegetable which to ferment.
Start with sauerkraut, pickled root vegetables or make a simple vegetable kvass.
If you prefer get some kefir grains and make milk kefir or get a yogurt starter and make your own yogurt.
You can even make your own kombucha soda which is high in LAB and has a variety of health benefits.
Not only will fermentation provide variety to your diet they will improve your health in a variety of ways.