Do dairy foods fan the fire of inflammation or help stamp it out?
Chronic inflammation can develop into life-threatening diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Approximately 3 in 5 people across the globe succumb to conditions such as these, perStatPearls.
Ana Cadena
Research has shown that diet and lifestyle changes can help stymie inflammation and curb the chance of disease.
Who doesn’t want to live a life of less disease and better health?
Your eating habits are one of your greatest tools to squelch inflammation.
That said, dairy can provide nutrients to better meet vital nutritional needs.
Bear in mind, the 2020-2025Dietary Guidelines for Americanshighlight a few of these as nutrients Americans eat too sparingly.
Grocery aisles carry a wide selection of yogurt varieties for your choosing, from Greek to Icelandic.
To promote better digestive health, yogurt with probiotics can dish out “good” bacteria to the gut.
However, these studies had no additional effects on any other inflammatory markers.
Probiotics give your digestive tract a healthy boost that may support immune health.
Your gut is home to trillions of living organisms, collectively called the gut microbiome.
Thus, healthy gut function depends on the support of probiotic-rich foods.
SCFAs help maintain glucose homeostasis, which means stabilizing blood glucose and insulin levels for a healthy metabolism.
Probiotic dairy may help protect oral health.
Creamy and thick with a faint tartness, kefir contains many essential nutrients.
Its fermentation produces many bioactive compounds, such as essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
An 8-ounce serving provides 16% of the Daily Value of vitamin D, a nutrient many Americans lack.
One cup of kefir also provides almost 50% of your daily needs for vitamin Aan antioxidantper theUSDA.
Cultured Cottage Cheese
Curdling milk with acid and adding probiotics results in cultured cottage cheese.
So how does it help thwart inflammation?
These associations were not seen with milk or butter.
Seeking a low- to no-salt version could be beneficial.
Swiss, provolone, Cheddar and Gouda are some examples.
