ReviewNutrients2019
Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Gastrointestinal Health and Disease.
Review in Nutrients, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06087146 (Sauerkraut Supplementation in Athletes for Gut Microbiome Optimization), which is not on this map. Cited by 290 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Sauerkraut Supplementation in Athletes for Gut Microbiome Optimization: Case Series and Literature Review (Project KOMS)
Who cites it
290 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 728 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of prospective evidence linking non-alcoholic fermented food consumption with lower mortality risk.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- The impact of bariatric surgery on gut microbiota: a bibliometric analysis of research trends and scientific contributions.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Pooled it
- The role of fermented foods in managing food allergies in children and adults: a systematic review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Impact of fermented foods consumption on gastrointestinal wellbeing in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review on the health effects of fermented wheat germ extract with emphasis on cancer.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of fermented foods in irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Pooled it
- Nutritional benefits of sourdoughs: A systematic review.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2023Pooled it
- Potential neuroprotective effects of fermented foods and beverages in old age: a systematic review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Pooled it
- Sourdough Bread and Baker's Yeast Bread Affect Gut Symptoms and Targeted Gut Microbial Taxa Differently: A Randomised Controlled Trial.Nutrients · 2026Trial
- The anti-inflammatory effects of three different dietary supplement interventions.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Trial
- The impact of regular sauerkraut consumption on the human gut microbiota: a crossover intervention trial.Microbiome · 2025Trial
- Modulating the human gut microbiome and health markers through kombucha consumption: a controlled clinical study.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Glycoprotein Matrix Zinc Exhibits Improved Absorption: A Randomized Crossover Trial.Nutrients · 2024Trial
- Fermented food microbiome: influence on oral and gut microbiota, and human health.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2026Review
- Lactiplantibacillus plantarum as a Biosafe Microbial Bridge in the Gut-Environment Continuum.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Associations between physical activity and dietary live microbe intake with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: findings from the NHANES, 2007-2018.Journal of global health · 2026Article
- Bacteriocin production byRSC advances · 2026Article
- Challenges and Technological Strategies to Enhance Probiotic Viability in Non-Dairy Food Matrices.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Beyond Nutrient Profiling: Strengths, Limitations, and Emerging Challenges for Nutri-Score and Related Front-of-Pack Labeling Systems.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Mechanism-First Psychobiotics: Fermented Vegetables, Dairy, and Soy for Depression and Anxiety.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
230 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Fermented foods are defined as foods or beverages produced through controlled microbial growth, and the conversion of food components through enzymatic action. In recent years, fermented foods have undergone a surge in popularity, mainly due to their proposed health benefits. The aim of this review is to define and characterise common fermented foods (kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, tempeh, natto, miso, kimchi, sourdough bread), their mechanisms of action (including impact on the microbiota), and the evidence for effects on gastrointestinal health and disease in humans. Putative mechanisms for the impact of fermented foods on health include the potential probiotic effect of their constituent microorganisms, the fermentation-derived production of bioactive peptides, biogenic amines, and conversion of phenolic compounds to biologically active compounds, as well as the reduction of anti-nutrients. Fermented foods that have been tested in at least one randomised controlled trial (RCT) for their gastrointestinal effects were kefir, sauerkraut, natto, and sourdough bread. Despite extensive in vitro studies, there are no RCTs investigating the impact of kombucha, miso, kimchi or tempeh in gastrointestinal health. The most widely investigated fermented food is kefir, with evidence from at least one RCT suggesting beneficial effects in both lactose malabsorption and
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.