Lactic bacteria
Live micro-organisms
Lactobacilli and their cousins: the ferments of brined vegetables and fermented milks.
Alive only if the food has been neither cooked nor pasteurized — a sourdough bread provides none.
Effects and benefits
The live cultures of brined vegetables and fermented milks. In a Stanford trial, six servings of fermented foods a day increased microbiota diversity and lowered nineteen markers of inflammation in ten weeks; those in yogurt also help digest lactose.
The Stanford trial compared two diets for ten weeks: high in fiber, or high in fermented foods, yogurt, kefir, kimchi, kombucha, lacto-fermented vegetables. The second increased microbiota diversity and lowered nineteen inflammatory proteins in the blood, including interleukin 6; the high-fiber diet did not change diversity in so little time (Wastyk et al., 2021).
Live cultures in yogurt or fermented milk improve lactose digestion of the product in individuals who have difficulty digesting lactose (Regulation 432/2012): their bacteria bring their own lactase.
Most do not settle: they pass through, act on the way, and leave. That is why eating them often matters more than eating a lot once.
Sources: Wastyk et al., Cell, 2021 · EU Regulation 432/2012
Where to find it (33)
- Buttermilk
- Cheese aged < 3 months
- Crème fraîche
- Fermented alliums
- Fermented black soybeans
- Fermented grains
- Fermented legumes
- Fermented mushrooms
- Fermented nuts
- Fermented soybeans / edamame
- Fermented tofu
- Filmjölk
- Fromage blanc / fresh curd cheese
- Kanji
- Kefir
- Kumis
- Lacto-fermented fruits
- Lacto-fermented gherkins
- Lacto-fermented olives
- Lacto-fermented tubers
- Lassi
- Other fermented vegetables
- Skyr
- Soy yogurt
- Tepache
- Umeboshi
- Unfiltered beer on lees
- Unfiltered cider
- Unpasteurized kombucha
- Vinegar with the mother
- Water kefir
- Whey
- Yogurt
Also, in smaller amounts (4)
- Gochujang / doenjang
- Laphet
- Miso
- Palm wine