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What happens to your intestinal health when you add kefir to your diet

Kéfir is a fermented milk drink which is beneficial for your intestinal health. Introducing it into your diet can help digestion and help you have regular stools.

How can kefir improve your intestinal health?

What you eat – and the drugs you take – is to know your intestinal microbiome, which is the medical term for the ecosystem of your intestine which houses good and bad bacteria.

The state of this ecosystem affects many aspects of your health, including your immune system, your digestive tract, the nervous system, etc. This is why it can be useful to eat foods, such as kefir, which promote a healthy intestinal microbiome.

1. It’s rich in probiotics

Kefir contains about three times more probiotics than yogurt and offers “a more diverse microbial profile with up to 60 unique probiotics species,” said Stephani Johnson, RDN, DCN, assistant professor in the department of clinical and preventive nutrition services at the Rutgers School of Health Health.

Probiotics help maximize the diversity of microorganisms in your intestine, promoting a healthy intestinal microbiome.

You can take probiotic supplements, but there is no way to confirm that the “good bacteria” in the supplements are still alive when you take the pills, Rabia de Latour, MD, gastroenterologist and assistant professor in the Nyu Langone Medicine Department, told Testwell.

Eating foods containing probiotics can be more safe when you try to improve your intestinal health, she added.

2. It can facilitate gastrointestinal problems

“Kefir is 99% lactose -free, making it a potentially appropriate option for those who have lactose intolerance,” said Johnson.

“This can also help manage diarrhea, constipation and symptoms of irritable colon syndrome,” she added.

This helps move things in several ways. According to Johnson, some probiotics produce short chain fatty acids that stimulate interstitial muscles to move food in the gastrointestinal tract.

At the same time, probiotics help to break the fibers, which can help to bulk and soften the stool, which facilitates the passage. Johnson said Kéfir probiotics could also influence gastrointestinal hormones that shape the waste movement process through the intestines.

3. It helps your body absorb nutrients

Eating kefir can lead to better absorption of nutrients, said Johnson, which can improve many facets of your health.

For example, research suggests that eating kefir can help your body absorb more calciumWho supports bone and muscle health, nerve function, and more.

4. He can reconstruct intestinal bacteria after taking antibiotics

Probiotics can improve your intestinal health after taking antibiotics, which kill good bacteria in your intestinal microbiome, said Latour. Drinking kefir is a way of doing it.

This can also prevent you from getting sick in the first place, said Johnson. Eating foods rich in probiotics can improve your immune system, and research has linked kefir, in particular, with better immune health.

Is Kefir the same as yogurt?

Although kefir and yogurt have similar properties, they are not the same.

“Kefir is a fermented milk drink made by cultivating milk with a symbiotic mixture of bacteria and yeasts, resulting in a oral drink similar to yogurt,” said Johnson.

“Unlike yogurt, which only uses bacterial crops, kefir is made using kefir grains-a complex mixture of bacteria and beneficial yeasts,” she added.

Kefir generally has a cleaner taste and slightly sparkling consistency and thinner than yogurt.

Is it sure to eat kefir every day?

You should consult your doctor before adding kefir to your diet if you have a chronic health problem or take a drug that affects your immune system.

Otherwise, it is sure to consume daily, although some people can feel slight digestive side effects, such as gas, bloating and diarrhea when introducing foods rich in probiotics, like kefir.

“For those who are sensitive to these effects, it may be useful to start with small portions and gradually increase the contribution as tolerated,” said Johnson.

What it means for you

Kefir, a fermented milk drink rich in probiotics, can help improve your intestinal health. The drink can help you have regular stools, strengthen your immune system and can even reduce your chances of getting sick.

Very well health uses only high -quality sources, including studies evaluated by peers, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to find out more about how we check the facts and keep our content precise, reliable and trustworthy.
  1. Ronald D Hills J, Pontefract Ba, Mishcon HR, Black CA, Sutton SC, Theberge CR. Intestinal microbiome: deep implications for diet and disease. Nutrients. 2019; 11 (7): 1613.

  2. You my, Chen hl, tung yt, kao cc, hu fc, chen cm. Short -term effects of kefir fermented milk consumption on bone mineral density and bone metabolism in a randomized clinical trial of osteoporotic patients. Plos a. December 10, 2015; 10 (12): E0144231. DOI: 10.1371 / Journal.pone.0144231

  3. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Calcium information sheet for consumers.

  4. Culpepper T. The effects of kefir and kefir components on immune and metabolic physiology in preclinical studies: a narrative review. Curet. 2022; 14 (8): E27768. Two: 10.7759 / Cureus. 27768


By Maggie O’Neill

O’Neill is a journalist who covers new medical research and outbuildings. Previously, she worked in Self Magazine and Health.com, and she was a scholarship in 2020 at the association of Health Care Journalists.

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