study on fermented dairy --> lower inflammatory markers

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FitFoodie
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study on fermented dairy --> lower inflammatory markers

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So, this study is on 12 people. I super wish the researchers had included different parameters (low-fat fermented) and more subjects, as well as APOE genotyped them, but it's something to note. (Especially if like me, cheese and yogurt help your BMI not go too low. I can start a thread on how to make kefir cultured butter from heavy cream if anyone is interested.)

Summary: Full-fat fermented dairy raises CVD inflammatory markers less than full-fat non-fermented and low-fat non-fermented dairy.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756569

"The concentrations of six of the eight biomarkers tended to be higher on consumption of the low-fat dairy diet than on that of the fermented dairy diet and the concentrations of two plasmalogen lipid classes reported to be associated with increased oxidisability were also higher on consumption of the low-fat dairy diet than on that of the fermented dairy diet (P< 0.001), although plasma F2-isoprostane concentrations did not differ on consumption of any of the diets. On the other hand, the concentrations of plasma sphingomyelin and IL-6 were significantly higher on consumption of the non-fermented dairy diet than on that of the low-fat dairy diet (P< 0.02). In conclusion, short-term diets containing low-fat dairy products did not lead to a more favourable biomarker profile associated with CVD risk compared with the full-fat dairy products, suggesting that full-fat fermented dairy products may be the more favourable."
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floramaria
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Re: study on fermented dairy --> lower inflammatory markers

Post by floramaria »

Thanks, FitFoodie,

Very Interesting.

After years of consuming very little dairy, and then only occasional tidbit of goat of sheep's milk cheese, I read a thread here about A2 milk, and added fresh local A2 milk into my diet, making it into kefir. Stopped out of concerns for what it might do to my biomarkers.
Also, it was alot of work trying to keep up with the kefir grains! :lol:
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Re: study on fermented dairy --> lower inflammatory markers

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Interesting about the a1 vs a2 thing. I buy goat's milk yogurt from trader Joe's, but regular plain kefir milk from there as well. That is what I used to make cultured buttermilk, rather than grains. A couple of tablespoons of kefir milk in a pint of cream will do the trick in 2 days, covered with cheesecloth on the counter. It becomes the consistency of sourcream, then whisk it in an electric mixer until you have butter and buttermilk.

Anyhow, I've a question for you. I promise I did a forum search first but didn't get the nice easy list I'm hoping for. :)

What are the top 5 or 10 biomarkers you're concerned about? And do you get concerned if you're a high or low normal, or only if you ping outside the reference range?

No worries if you don't feel like trying to answer this (or replying with a thread link that does), but I figured I'd try. :)
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floramaria
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Re: study on fermented dairy --> lower inflammatory markers

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FitFoodie wrote: What are the top 5 or 10 biomarkers you're concerned about? And do you get concerned if you're a high or low normal, or only if you ping outside the reference range?
Hi FitFoodie, I am just getting started with any testing and am really only following what, by the standards of this website, would most likely be considered the first tiny baby steps, guided by the basics that Stavia has included in the Primer, pg 4.
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1418
I am not knowledgeable at all about blood work, but am happy to tell you what I am looking at.

Because of the high (and delicious!) fat content of the milk I was making into kefir, I am concerned about my lipids. I did just get those tested, and this is post- high milk consumption, and though my numbers were elevated by my doctor's standards, I was reassured by posting the numbers here, and learning that they caused no alarm. The numbers were also not very different from last year. Tested Total cholesterol, HDL LDL and Triglycerides. I am outside the high end reference range for total cholesterol and LDL, but because HDL is high and Triglycerides low, I am not worrying! or concerned!

Because for many people dairy is a contributor to inflammation, I also wondered if it would effect my CRP. Mine was at the low end of reference range and below 0.9, limit suggested by Dr Bredesen. If that had been high, I would have been concerned. A/G ratio, also a measure of inflammation, just slipped into his range by .1

The other things I am monitoring are Homocysteine and Insulin resistance. My Homocysteine is a bit out of Bredesen range and from a post I read yesterday, lowering homocysteine is considered "low hanging fruit". I will supplement to improve that.
HbA1c was also surprisingly high (pre-diabetic at 5.8) though fasting blood glucose was normal. I will be following homocysteine and A1c.

The other thing I am testing is hormone levels. I am post-menopause and mine are very low. My plan is to begin BHRT when I find a doctor who will prescribe and then monitor the metabolic pathways.

Now, a question for you: It sounds like I could make kefir by just adding some TJ's kefir to milk. Would that work with raw milk? I read something about having to transition kefir grains from pasteurized to raw milk. Got some "raw milk adapted" kefir grains locally but couldn't keep up with their demands!
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Re: study on fermented dairy --> lower inflammatory markers

Post by Julie G »

Welcome, FitFoodie! I love this study and agree, in principal, in it's conclusions. I would add that full-fat, unpasteurized, fermented, A2 milk is likely the healthiest... but only for those who can tolerate dairy. (When A2 milk is pasteurized at higher temperatures, it can cause similar inflammation as A1 dairy.) I've been on a journey to unravel the supposedly inflammatory effects on dairy described in this thread and have come to some surprising "conclusions" for myself. I put parentheses on conclusions because I hope to be proven wrong at some point in the future ;) .

I thought I didn't have a problem with dairy, but after reading the evidence, I decided to put that notion to the test with an elimination trial. After several weeks, lo and behold, the severe pain I had been experiencing after gardening (twisting in strange position for hours) completely stopped. I used to be crippled with pain after several hours of gardening. A few weeks into my experiment, I began to add some A2 dairy into my diet. I had a pretty good setback with my first foray, but I was also coming down with a virus... so hard to tell. I stuck with daily A2 for about 10 days and I definitely felt worse. The pain didn't return, but my bladder (which had been better than ever on no dairy) began to feel very colicky. I have a history of IC. I got to the point where I was waking up to go 5+ times a night. I also had an upper respiratory virus that wouldn't go away. Horror of all horror, I got a painful acne cyst on my nose. I finally connected all of this with the A2 dairy and have pulled back for 3 days now. I'm starting to feel better again. My bladder is calming down. my virus is finally abating, and my skin is clearing.

I recently listened to a Blue Zone podcast featuring centenarians giving health advice. One gentleman talked about the importance of listening to the message that food gives our bodies. I did. At age 55, I finally figured out, I'm sensitive to dairy. Call me a slow learner.
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Re: study on fermented dairy --> lower inflammatory markers

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Floramaria,

Thank you for the biomarker info. This will give me something to discuss with my doctor. At my age and "external" fitness level, it can be hard to get a doctor to see the reason for worry. If he spent any significant time in a memory care unit, I think he might see the urgency behind prevention.

I learned how to make cultured kefir butter via Instagram -- a sourdough baker was making it with kefir grains and raw milk. But I can't get my hands on raw milk, and even my local Whole Foods stopped carrying kefir grains, so I figured I'd experiment. I found a blog called "beets and bones" where instead of grains, the person uses kefir milk. It worked. I used organic heavy cream and plain kefir milk. Both from Trader Joes.

I don't know if you could/should make kefir milk from kefir milk. I tried once and it was tasty but had a separated texture -- needed to be shaken. I didn't feel sick after eating with with granola. Which is saying something, because I have a mess of a digestive system.

I'd give it a try! Also do more googling than I did as to ratio of kefir milk to regular milk.

Juliegee,

I hear you on the food sensitivities. It is so hard (for me) to do legit elimination diets. I get hungry and I love food and I'm the chef for my whole family. But I need to start wisening up on that front. I tend to act like hard exercise can fix everything. "Oh, your back hurts. Go exercise to loosen up." For the most part, this strategy works. :)

I do think I get more sore and achy than my exercise buddies, though, and it would be nice to discover a food to eliminate and fix that. I already have some foods that bug me (read: sweaty crampy diarrhea), and dairy is not one. Funny since I used to be "the far away bathroom" buddies at work with a woman who was lactose intolerant.

Anything with sorbitol, which is actually in processed meats and commercial baked goods in addition to various pitted fruits, is bad for me. And after I involuntarily empty my gut, I am so hungry I usually eat a big cheesy pile of protein and carbs. :o But as I get older I'm getting better at avoiding the "bad" stuff - like pears which have 5x more sorbitol than apples. Anyway, I digress.

Thank you for the info! I'm going to see if I can design some self studies around dairy (and gluten).
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