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Kefir
INTRODUCTION
Kefir is a milk-based beverage that is made by
fermenting milk (goat, cow, sheep) with kefir
grains and is rich in both enzymes and
beneficial bacteria. This beverage is made with
the kefir culture, and this culture is more
commonly referred to as a “grain.” Kefir
“grains” are comprised of lactic acid bacteria,
yeasts, and polysaccharides. The live bacteria
and yeast found in kefir grains are friendly
microorganisms that not only aid the digestive
system but also help strengthen the intestines
and resist the growth or harmful bacteria or
pathogens. “Kefir has a uniform creamy
consistency, a slightly sour taste somewhere
between buttermilk and sour cream, and a mild
yeasty aroma. Kefir may have small amounts of
carbonation and alcohol. It can be enjoyed plain
or sweetened to taste.”(1)
KEFIR
It has been suggested that kefir is an “an
almost ideal probiotic dairy product.”(2) This
is in part due to the fact that “Kefir contains
several major strains of friendly
bacteria...[such as] Lactobacillus Caucasus,
Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, and
Streptococcus species. It also contains
beneficial yeasts, such as Saccharomyces kefir
and Torula kefir....”(3) Furthermore, “among the
yeasts Saccharomyces delbruecki, Saccharomyces
cerevisiae have been identified and the bacteria
Lactobacillus kefir and members of the
Streptococcus genera have also been isolated in
kefir grains. The polysaccharide that makes up
the mass of the kefir grain has been shown to be
unique and has been given the name kefiran.”(4)
Kefir has been used for many generations and is
believed to have originated in the Northern
Caucasus Mountains. The Caucasus Mountain system
is located in Eurasia between the Black Sea and
the Caspian Sea. It has been stated that “in
November 1881 the German naturalist Eduard Kern
reported to Botanic Society in St. Petersburg
about a mysterious beverage, which was exclusive
common to the higher regions of the Caucasus and
said to assure the inhabitants of this area good
health and a very long life expectancy.”(5) This
beverage was kefir, and from that time studies
have been conducted to determine the health
benefits of kefir.
BENEFITS OF KEFIR
It is thought that the consumption of kefir can
have many positive health effects on the body.
For instance, “Research conducted by East
European institutes has proven that there is
something to the reputation of kefir. In Rumania
where research has been carried out by Professor
Dr. Asian on the causes of old age, the effect
of kefir on prolonging life is being
studied....The general opinion is that the
life-prolonging effect is to be attributed to
certain components of the kefir grains.”(5) It
is also reported that kefir may positively
effect the following: the functioning of [the]
liver, gallbladder, circulation, heart activity,
metabolism, oxygen supply to the cells, [and]
blood circulation to the brain [may] improve and
stabilize.”(5)
“[Japanese researchers] have carried out a
series of animal feeding trials that showed that
kefir and kefir grains can slow down or reverse
the growth of a wide variety of cancers...[and]
other researchers have started to try to
identify what component of the kefir grains may
be responsible for its cancer fighting
properties.”(4) This could be due to the fact
that the “ingestion of viable probiotics or
prebiotics is associated with anticarcinogenic
effects.”(6)
Additional studies show that fermented dairy
products, such as kefir, may help lower
cholesterol levels. One such study indicates
that “fermented milk has been shown to cause an
increase in human gut bacterial content. These
bacteria, once resident in the large intestine,
are believed to ferment food-derived
indigestible carbohydrates. Such fermentation
causes increased production of short-chain fatty
acids, which decreases circulatory cholesterol
concentrations either by inhibiting hepatic
cholesterol synthesis or by redistributing
cholesterol from plasma to the liver.”(7) In
other words, “existing evidence from animal and
human studies suggests a moderate
cholesterol-lowering action of fermented dairy
products”(7)
KEFIR VS YOGURT
Kefir and yogurt are both fermented dairy
products; therefore, this may lead some to
assume that kefir and yogurt both offer the same
health benefits. However, this is not the case.
“[Kefir] contains different types of beneficial
bacteria [than does yogurt]. Yogurt contains
transient beneficial bacteria that keep the
digestive system clean and provide food for the
friendly bacteria that reside there. But kefir
can actually colonize the intestinal tract, a
feat that yogurt has not substantiated. [In
addition], Kefir contains several major strains
of friendly bacteria not commonly found in
yogurt (e.g. Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc,
Acetobacter species, Streptococcus species,
Saccharomyces kefir and Torula kefir).”(3)
Furthermore, “Kefir's active yeast and bacteria
provide more nutritive value than yogurt by
helping digest the foods that you eat and by
keeping the colon environment clean and healthy.
Because the curd size of kefir is smaller than
yogurt, it is also easier to digest, which makes
it a particularly excellent, nutritious food for
babies, the elderly and people experiencing
chronic fatigue and digestive disorders.”(3)
Kefir is naturally occurring and provides its
human host with various types of beneficial
bacteria and friendly microorganisms because “it
contains live active cultures of normal flora
that will actually repopulate [the] digestive
tract and aid in digestion.”(5) Because of this
“Kefir is [considered to be] superior to yogurt
because yogurt is made with transient, less
potent bacteria.”(5) Another reason that kefir
is considered to be superior to yogurt is due to
the following: “The bacteria in yogurt will last
a few days in the digestive tract, and you need
to keep reintroducing them. Kefir contains more
organisms than yogurt, and the "normal flora" in
kefir is made of very strong strains of micro
organisms (unlike yogurt) which will help to
over take pathogenic organisms that have taken
over. Kefir will repopulate the digestive tract
with good organisms.”(5)
CONCLUSION
There are many benefits to including kefir in
one's daily diet. This is because kefir is
“easily digested, cleanses the intestines, and
provides beneficial bacteria and yeast, vitamins
and minerals, and complete proteins.”(8)
Furthermore, “The regular use of kefir can help
relieve all intestinal disorders, promote bowel
movement, reduce flatulence and create a
healthier digestive system.”(8) Kefir “has
massive quantities of healthy normal flora that
are in the process of growing, increasing in
number, and thriving. When they are eaten in the
medium they are thriving in, such
[as]...cultured milk or coconut water,
which...coats the digestive tract and help[s]
them to establish residence there, this [may
offer] a tremendous boost to your system
and...repopulate your digestive
tract...quickly,...efficiently,
and...thoroughly....”(5)
References:
1. Nummer, B.A. (2004). Fermented Foods: Kefir.
National Center for Home Food Preservation. The
University of Georgia.
2. Heller, K.J. (2001). Probiotic Bacteria in
Fermented Foods: Product Characteristics and
Starter Organisms. The American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition. American Society of Clinical
Nutrition.
3. Kefir vs Yogurt. The Body Ecology Diet and
Kefir. Published by Body Ecology. Unknown.
4. Farnworth, E. (1998). Kefir a Fermented Milk
Probiotic. Published by Medicinal Food News.
5. Skovmose, E. (2009). What is Kefir? Published
by Midvalleyvu Organic Foods.
6. Protective Role of Probiotics and Prebiotics
in Colon Cancer. Published in The American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition. American Society
of Clinical Nutrition. 2001.
7. Consumption of Fermented and Nonfermented
Dairy Products: Effects on Cholesterol
Concentration and Metabolism. Published in The
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. American
Society of Clinical Nutrition. 2000.
8. Health Benefits. The Body Ecology Diet and
Kefir. Published by Body Ecology. Unknown.
************************************
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