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Wellness

Clinical Study Support for the Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

Natto: fermented soybeans

Fermented foods are plentiful in the Japanese diet.

Researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine have found that a 10-week diet high in fermented foods boosts microbiome diversity, lowers inflammation, and improves immune responses. (1)

Justin Sonnenburg, one of the authors, said: This is a stunning finding, it provides one of the first examples of how a simple change in diet can reproducibly remodel the microbiota across a cohort of healthy adults. (2)

Diet shapes the gut microbiome which in turn affects the immune system and overall health. Low gut-microbiome diversity has been linked to obesity and diabetes.

Fermentation is an ancient technique of preserving food, which adds nutritive value in the process, as well as allowing new flavors, textures, tastes and appearances. Implied by its roots, no chemical additives are involved.

Natto arrived in Japan during the Nara period (710-794 AD) with Buddhist priests from China. Shoyu and Miso date back to 1000 BC in China, with production knowledge arriving in Japan in around 600 AD. (3)

In addition to Natto, Shoyu and Miso, there are many other common fermented foods in Japan.

Please see the background paper linked here for more details.

References

  1. Gut-microbiota-targeted diets modulate human immune status, by Hannah C. Wastyk Gabriela K. Fragiadakis Dalia Perelman, Erica D. Sonnenburg, Christopher D. Gardner, and Justin L. Sonnenburg, July 2021
  2. Stanford School of Medicine News Center:https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/07/fermented-food-diet-increases-microbiome-diversity-lowers-inflammation
  3. Health Benefits of Fermented Foods and Beverages, Edited by Jyoti Prakash Tamang, 2015

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By Peter Eadon-Clarke

Advisor, Conceptasia Inc.
Peter Eadon-Clarke is a specialist in J-Wellness, product and technique trends, wellness tourism and the Stress Check Program. Peter has extensive experience managing complex multicultural teams; roles held during 14 years at Macquarie Capital Securities (Japan) limited included branch manager, global head of economics and Tokyo head of research. Previously, positions included UBS Trust and Banking in Tokyo as chief investment officer, CIO at Sumitomo Life Investment and CIO for the Pacific Basin at GT (now Invesco).