Ferment Your Soul. What a wonderful phrase. To be completely honest with you, this phrase may mean more to me than it might to most people. I hope to one day contribute to the world of sport and exercise nutrition, and Ferment Your Soul is my very first step toward this aspiration. I am curating this blog as a portfolio to share all the incredible information I had and have the privilege of learning regarding exercise and nutrition.
Why Ferment Your Soul, though?
Well, why not? Fermentation has been an important part of human history and food culture. It goes back centuries and has been a method used by alchemist-scientists to create medicine, and perform remedies, and is scientifically known to produce an environment for probiotics to grow (1). Some of the earliest evidence for the application of fermented food is found in pottery vessels dating back to 7000 BC China believed to be used to ferment rice, honey and fruit (2). It was also a part of some of the most remarkable ancient civilisations, such as beer brewing in Babylonia, the production of soy sauce from East Asia (3, 4), alongside evidence of fermented foods and beverages from ancient Mesopotamia (known as Iraq today) which dates back to 7500 BC (5).
We could talk endlessly about the many great civilisations that revered fermentation as a staple in their culture, but what exactly is fermentation?
Scientists describe it as the process in which microorganisms create alcohol, carbon dioxide, and organic acids in a majority of anaerobic conditions (6). This requires the action of enzymes and catalysts obtained by microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, moulds), which results in the chemical modifications of the complex organic compounds into more bioactive and nutritious compounds (7).
Regardless, there is much more to be said about fermenting in food, science, and medicine today than ever before. Some scientists believe that the organic environment within fermented food keeps the probiotic strains active and shields them from various gastrointestinal problems and diseases (i.e., low pH and bile acids) (8). Additionally, fermented food has been found to promote anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-atherosclerotic activity in our bodies (9).
As a result, fermented food has received substantial attention among individuals who are concerned about their gastrointestinal health (gut health). In addition, in recent years, scientists have been increasingly studying the relationship between gut health and exercise performance. Emerging scientific research points out that gut microbiota culture can depend on the type, intensity and exercise duration (10). Nevertheless, the current observations on the interactions between gut microbiota and exercise performance shows just how much further we still have to go with regard to knowing the exact impact of “gut flora” on human exercise performance.
In this blog, I hope to share with you the emerging scientific research and evidence-based studies in future articles surrounding the benefits of fermented food on performance, along with many other nutrition topics that I’ve come to find rather interesting and valuable. Our gut health, performance and food practices are intricately tied to each other, and I hope to make this blog an enlightening platform where anyone can visit and hopefully learn something new and interesting – whether you are a student in this field or simply interested to know more about our health and nutrition. slot zeus colombia88 macau999 gaco88 mawartoto
Sincerely,
A.E.A
References
- Gibson, B., Zhao, J. and Schwan, R.F. (2022) Editorial: Interspecies interactions within fermented food systems and their impact on process efficiency and product quality, Frontiers in microbiology. Frontiers Media S.A. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9073081/.
- McGovern P.E., Zhang J., Tang J., Zhang Z., Hall G.R., Moreau R.A., Nunez A., Butrym E.D., Richards M.P., Wang C.-S., et al. Fermented beverages of pre- and proto-historic China. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2004;101:17593–17598. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0407921102.
- Mannaa, M. et al. (2021) Evolution of food fermentation processes and the use of multi-omics in deciphering the roles of the microbiota, Foods (Basel, Switzerland). U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34829140/.
- Muhialdin, B.J. et al. (2022) Traditional fermented foods and beverages in Iraq and their potential for large-scale commercialization, Journal of Ethnic Foods. BioMed Central. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9116715/.
- Chilton, S., Burton , J. and Reid, G. (2015) Inclusion of fermented foods in food guides around the world. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25580813/.
- Campbell-Platt, G. (1994) Fermented Foods – a world perspective, Food Research International. Elsevier. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0963996994900930.
- Dimidi, E., Cox, S.R. and Rossi, M. (2019) Fermented foods: Definitions and characteristics, impact on the gut microbiota and effects on gastrointestinal health and disease, Nutrients. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31387262/.
- Şanlier, N., Gökcen , B.B. and Sezgin , A.C. (2017) Health benefits of fermented foods, Critical reviews in food science and nutrition. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28945458/.
- Mailing LJ;Allen JM;Buford TW;Fields CJ;Woods JA; (2019) Exercise and the gut microbiome: A review of the evidence, potential mechanisms, and implications for human health, Exercise and sport sciences reviews. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30883471/.