Kefir, Kefir Vs yogurt, nutritional profile, biological activity, health benefits, therapeutic uses, culinary uses and risk factors
Description : Kefir is a very popular fermented beverage prepared by adding bacteria and yeast cultures to milk.
Article Details :
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
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