Your sourdough loaf ‘can cause headaches’
Warning over issues with fashionable fermented food
fermented foods, from sourdough to kombucha, may be terribly trendy right now – but it appears they can cause some unfashionable side-effects.
these include bloating, headaches and allergies, a microbiologist warns.
fermentation has been used for thousands of years to preserve foods.
But it has become especially fashionable in recent years because of supposed ‘probiotic’ benefits to our digestion.
Among the latest fermented foods now popular with the health-conscious is kombucha, which is a mix of yeast and bacteria fermented with black or green tea, and kefir, a fermented milk drink.
Such products, which also include yoghurt, sauerkraut and a popular Korean dish of fermented vegetables called kimchi, can boost the trillions of beneficial bacteria in the human gut.
However, microbiologist dr manal mohammed, of the University of Westminster, has warned certain fermented products may cause problems for some of us.
they produce compounds called amines, which dr mohammed warns can stimulate the central nervous system and alter blood flow, triggering painful headaches and migraines.
fermented foods also contain histamines which a small number of people cannot properly digest and so they develop symptoms such as hives, vomiting, sleep problems and an irregular heartbeat. dr mohammed wrote on the Conversation website: ‘While there are a wide variety of health benefits that can happen from consuming fermented foods, these may not work for everyone. ‘While most people will be fine eating fermented foods, for some this could potentially cause serious health problems.’ She warns that the most common reaction to eating fermented foods is bloating, which can often be painful.
this is because probiotics such as those found in yoghurt will kill harmful gut bacteria, and this produces gas.
Her article states that while probiotics are safe for the majority of people, they can cause infection for those with a compromised immune system.
they can even carry genes which might make us resistant to important antibiotics used to treat sexually transmitted infections and even respiratory problems.
dr mohammed said: ‘fermented foods have become very popular, thanks to claims about their nutritional properties and reported health benefits – such as improving digestion, boosting immunity and even helping people lose weight.
‘though these foods might offer us many health perks, most people aren’t aware that they might not work for everyone.’