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Cited by 339Probiotics and Fermented FoodsNutritional Studies and DietGut microbiota and health

Yogurt, cultured fermented milk, and health: A systematic review

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Savaiano, Dennis A, Hutkins, Robert W·2021·Nutrition Reviews
DOI 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa013PMC PMC8579104
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Abstract

Consumption of yogurt and other fermented products is associated with improved health outcomes. Although dairy consumption is included in most dietary guidelines, there have been few specific recommendations for yogurt and cultured dairy products. A qualitative systematic review was conducted to determine the effect of consumption of fermented milk products on gastrointestinal and cardiovascular health, cancer risk, weight management, diabetes and metabolic health, and bone density using PRISMA guidelines. English language papers in PubMed were searched, with no date restrictions. In total, 1057 abstracts were screened, of which 602 were excluded owing to lack of appropriate controls, potential biases, and experimental design issues. The remaining 455 papers were independently reviewed by both authors and 108 studies were included in the final review. The authors met regularly to concur, through consensus, on relevance, methods, findings, quality, and conclusions. The included studies were published between 1979 and 2017. From the 108 included studies, 76 reported a favorable outcome of fermented milks on health and 67 of these were considered to be positive or neutral quality according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Quality Criteria Checklist. Of the 32 remaining studies, the study outcomes were either not significant (28) or unfavorable (4), and most studies (18) were of neutral quality. A causal relationship exists between lactose digestion and tolerance and yogurt consumption, and consistent associations exist between fermented milk consumption and reduced risk of breast and colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes, improved weight maintenance, and improved cardiovascular, bone, and gastrointestinal health. Further, an association exists between prostate cancer occurrence and dairy product consumption in general, with no difference between fermented and unfermented products. This article argues that yogurt and other fermented milk products provide favorable health outcomes beyond the milk from which these products are made and that consumption of these products should be encouraged as part of national dietary guidelines. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42017068953.

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  • Yoghurt and cultured milk products reduce postprandial glycemic responses in both healthy individuals and subjects with prediabetes or overt T2DM, beyond the milk from which these products are made.

    “Yoghurt and cultured milk products are other examples of fermented foods and have been shown to reduce postprandial glycemic responses in both healthy individuals, and subjects with prediabetes or overt T2DM [384], beyond the milk from which these products are made [408].”

    From Effects of diet, lifestyle, Chrononutrition and alternative dietary interventions on postprandial Glycemia and insulin resistance (2022) · cites this paper as [408]

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. [3]Hill D, Ross RP, Arendt E, et al. Microbiology of yogurt and bio-yogurts containing probiotics and prebiotics. In: Shah NP, ed. Yogurt in Health and Disease Prevention. Elsevier, London: Academic Press; 2017: 69– 85.
  2. [13]Sommer F, Anderson J, Barti R, et al. The resilience of the intestinal microbiota influences health and disease. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2017; 15: 630– 638. 28626231
  3. [14]Oozeer R, Leplingard A, Mater DDG, et al. Survival of Lactobacillus casei in the human digestive tractafter consumption of fermented milk. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2006; 72: 5615– 5617. 16885316 PMC1538725
  4. [18]Mater DDG, Bretigny L, Firmesse O, et al. Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus survive gastrointestinal transit of healthy volunteers consuming yogurt. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2005; 250: 185– 187. 16099606
  5. [20]Hill C, Guarner F, Reid G, et al. Expert consensus document: the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics consensus statement on the scope and appropriate use of the term probiotic. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014; 11: 506– 514. 24912386

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Authors
Savaiano, D. A., & Hutkins, R. W.
Affiliations
  • Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
  • University of Nebraska–Lincoln (US)
Corresponding author
Savaiano, Dennis A
ORCID
Venue
Nutrition Reviews
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2020-05-23
Volume
79
Issue
5
Pages
599-614
ISSN
  • 0029-6643 (ISSN-L)
  • 1753-4887
DOI
10.1093/nutrit/nuaa013
PMC
PMC8579104
OpenAlex
W3027577780
Cited by
339
References
140
Citations by year
2026: 60 · 2025: 73 · 2024: 73 · 2023: 57 · 2022: 56 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 5
FWCI
2.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nutrition Reviews (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Danone North America Public Benefit Company
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
Keywords
yogurt, fermented milk, dairy consumption, gut health, cardiovascular health, cancer risk, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, type 2 diabetes, weight management, bone mineral density, lactose tolerance, dietary guidelines
MeSH terms
Animals, Breast Neoplasms, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Eating, Female, Humans, Lactose, Male, Neoplasms, Prostatic Neoplasms, Risk, Yogurt, Colorectal Neoplasms, Bone Density, Cultured Milk Products

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