Kefir is a very popular fermented beverage prepared by adding bacteria and yeast cultures to milk. It is extremely nutritious and offers numerous health benefits.

Kefir Vs Yogurt

• It has seen that in case of consuming probiotic, most of the people choose yogurt as yogurt is a popular source of probiotic but kefir can also be consumed as an important source of probiotic
• Whereas kefir is considered as the most potent source of probiotic than yogurt because kefir contains more than 60 types of bacteria thus consumption of kefir is thought to be a better option to receive a variety of probiotics

Nutritional profile

• It contains lesser amount of carbohydrates
• It contains fibre as well
• It contains proteins too and composed of various imperative amino acids
• It contains too some extent of fat as well
• It contains higher amount of moisture
• It is packed with several imperative micronutrients, which include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B complex, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese etc

Biological activity

Anti-carcinogenic activity

• It has the ability to fight against cancer thus helps in reducing the prevalence of carcinoma in many folds
• It contains various imperative nutrients that are responsible for exerting anti-carcinogenic activities

• It helps in suppressing the growth of malignant cells in body by inducing apoptosis
• It helps to prevent metastasis as well
• It is extremely useful for hindering the growth of tumour cells

Anti-inflammatory activity

• It contains various imperative micronutrients that help in preventing inflammation as they are closely related with exhibiting anti-inflammatory activities
• It helps in delaying the onset of inflammatory events within body by reducing the level of inflammatory markers as a result helps in decreasing the susceptibility of developing chronic inflammatory diseases
• It helps in preventing swelling too, thus individual suffer from arthritis may include kefir in their diet from improving their symptoms as it helps in preventing joint swelling

Antimicrobial activity

• It exerts potent antimicrobial activity and helps in hindering the growth of disease causing microbes within body as a result reduces the risk of developing infectious diseases
• Probiotics present in kefir play imperative role in preventing infections
• Lactobacillus kefir is one of the most important probiotics found in kefir that play vital role in suppressing the growth of E.coli, Salmonella and Helicobacter pylori
• It is also very effective for inhibiting the growth of drug resistant bacteria

Hypolipidemic activity

• It plays vital role in decreasing total fat percentage of body
• Individual suffer from hypercholesterolemia should include kefir in their diet as it helps in reducing the concentration of LDL, VLDL and triglyceride whereas it is also associated with giving the HDL level a boost
• It helps in improving lipid profile as well

Health benefits

Role on digestive health

• Consumption of kefir is considered as one of the most important remedial actions for digestive disorders
• It plays vital role in promoting the overall digestive health and also improves digestion
• Probiotics present in kefir are responsible for maintaining healthy gut bacteria that help in promoting overall gut health
• It is also associated with removing harmful bacteria from gut and helps in treating stomach issues
• It helps to prevent stomach ulcer as well
• Kefir is also considered as a healthy option for those who suffer from diarrhoea
• Its anti-inflammatory activity is also related with protecting the gastrointestinal tract from inflammatory damages thus reduces the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease

Role on skeletal system

• Kefir is packed with calcium thus its consumption is thought to be very useful for strengthening the skeletal system as calcium plays vital role in healthy bone formation

• Its calcium content is also responsible for stimulating bone mineralisation that subsequently increases bone mineral density
• It helps to improve bone mass as well
• It contains Vitamin K₂ too, which is also accountable for promoting the skeletal system as it is involved in calcium metabolism
• It plays vital role in preventing osteoporosis
• Whereas it is also related with reducing the prevalence of fractures

Role on oral health

• Individual who want to increase the strength of their teeth they should include kefir in their diet
• It plays significant role in making the teeth strong
• It helps in promoting oral hygiene as well, as it helps in hindering the growth of those microbes, which are responsible for causing oral infections
• It helps in preventing tooth decay too
• It also helps to prevent cavities
• It aids in preventing bad mouth odour as well

Role on weight management

• Recently obesity is becoming one of the most crucial health complications and it affects a wide range of people throughout the world. Obesity is accountable for increasing the risk of developing metabolic syndromes thus it is always better to maintain a healthy body weight and in that case kefir is very useful
• Kefir is used for centuries as an important weight reducing aid. Its consumption is very effective for supporting weight reduction

• It helps in hindering appetite by delaying stomach emptying as a result minimises food intake, which ultimately facilitates weight reduction
• It is considered as a great source of protein as well and protein is also responsible for providing a feeling of satiety and thus aids in weight reduction by minimising total calorie intake

Role on respiratory health

• Kefir plays imperative role in keeping respiratory disorders at bay
• Especially its anti-inflammatory activity is responsible for preventing the inflammation of the air way as a result improves the symptoms of asthma
• It helps to reduce the prevalence of asthma attack as well
• It also helps to prevent common cold and flu

Therapeutic uses

It has been traditionally used for various therapeutic uses, like –

• It is widely used as an imperative therapeutic substance for cardiac health. Consumption of kefir helps in reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases
• Potassium component of kefir plays vital role in preventing hypertension
• It plays vital role in decreasing blood sugar concentration. It plays vital role in improving insulin sensitivity, which ultimately helps in stabilising blood sugar level. It especially helps in improving the fasting blood sugar level

• It is also associated with preventing allergic reaction
• It is very effective for preventing menstrual complications
• It is also associated with eliminating toxins from body as a result helps to clean the body
• It helps to provide a soothing effect to the body as well, which ultimately helps to calm the body as well as the mind
• Protein present in kefir helps in supporting the growth of muscular system of our body
• It helps to prevent dehydration as well
• It is also associated with maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance of the body

Culinary uses

• It can be consumed with fruits
• It can also be consumed with smoothie
• It can be consumed with cereals or oats
• It can be simply consumed as it is or individual can drink chilled kefir

Risk factors

Excessive consumption of kefir may cause various digestive issues like bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal cramping etc. thus it is better to consume it in moderation

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Guzel-Seydim, Z.B., Kok-Tas, T., Greene, A.K. and Seydim, A.C., 2011. Functional properties of kefir. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 51(3), pp.261-268.

John, S.M. and Deeseenthum, S., 2000. Properties and benefits of kefir-A review. Change, 38.

Kim, D.H., Jeong, D., Kim, H. and Seo, K.H., 2019. Modern perspectives on the health benefits of kefir in next generation sequencing era: Improvement of the host gut microbiota. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 59(11), pp.1782-1793.

Otles, S. and Cagindi, O., 2003. Kefir: A probiotic dairy-composition, nutritional and therapeutic aspects. Pakistan journal of nutrition, 2(2), pp.54-59.

Rosa, D.D., Dias, M.M., Grześkowiak, Ł.M., Reis, S.A., Conceição, L.L. and Maria do Carmo, G.P., 2017. Milk kefir: nutritional, microbiological and health benefits. Nutrition research reviews, 30(1), pp.82-96.