BENEFITS OF KEFIR GRAINS

The regular use of kefir can help relieve all intestinal disorders, promote bowel movement, reduce flatulence and create a healthier digestive system. In addition, its cleansing effect on the whole body helps to establish a balanced inner ecosystem for optimum health and longevity.Kefir can also help eliminate unhealthy food cravings by making the body more nourished and balanced. Its excellent nutritional content offers healing and health-maintenance benefits to people in every type of condition.

Kefir is a stirred beverage made from milk fermented with a complex mixture of bacteria (including various species of lactobacilli, lactococci, leuconostocs, and aceterobacteria) and yeasts (both lactose-fermenting and non-lactose-fermenting). The small amount of CO2, alcohol, and aromatic compounds produced by the cultures give it its characteristic fizzy, acid taste (26). Kefir fabrication differs from that of yogurt in that kefir grains (small clusters of microorganisms held together in a polysaccharide matrix) or mother cultures from grains (27) are added to milk and cause its fermentation. Kefir is actually a family of products, in that the grains and technology used can vary significantly and thus result in products with different compositions.
Many health benefits have been traditionally reported. Kefir has been used for the treatment of atherosclerosis, allergic disease, and gastrointestinal disorders, among other diseases (28). Until recently, most research has been limited to studies lacking modern statistical practices or to reports written up in Slavic languages, rendering them inaccessible to most western scientists.
Recent studies have investigated antibacterial (29), immunological(30), antitumoral (31), and hypocholesterolemic(32) effects of kefir consumption on animals. Results suggest potential benefits. Fresh, but not heat-treated grains in kefir enhanced intestinal lactose digestion in minipigs (33). While awaiting more research, it is important to remember that kefir, like yogurt, has been and continues to be a part of the regular diet in central and eastern Europe for centuries. Bifidobacterium: a natural inhabitant of the intestines Bifidobacteria were first described in 1900 by Tissier (34) . Since that time, their classification has evolved continually, and currently includes around thirty species (35, 36) . In general, they are strictly anaerobic, Gram-positive rods which often have special nutritional needs and grow slowly in milk. Very few strains are adapted well enough to milk that they both grow in sufficient numbers and survive well throughout the shelf-life of the FM.
Although bifidobacteria produce both lactic acid and acetic acid as major end-products of metabolism (heterofermentative), many microbiologists consider them to be lactic acid bacteria, albeit a special case. Tissierís hypothesis almost 100 years ago that bifidobacteria might have health benefits(37) was based on the following observations. Bifidobacteria are normal inhabitants of the human intestinal tract throughout the life cycle, beginning just days after birth. Further, they are often the predominant microorganism in the gut of breast-fed infants. It has since been shown that breast-fed babies are less at risk for diarrheal disease than formula-fed infants (38). In addition to the above inherent characteristics of bifidobacteria, some strains of the micro-organism survive intestinal transit in sufficient numbers to exert a metabolic effect in the gut (39,40).
1. Effects on the intestinal microflora Ingestion of milk fermented with bifidobacteria leads to an increase in fecal bifidobacteria levels, both in infants (43) and in adults (44) . Elevated levels return to normal after cessation of consumption (39). Ingestion of FM with bifidobacteria has also led to a decrease in §-glucuronidase activity, but not in other enzymes associated with colon (44).
2. Effect on mild constipation Slow intestinal transit can be partially corrected in women by the regular consumption of a milk fermented with yogurt cultures and bifidobacteria (41). This effect was not observed with yogurt as a control, thus demonstrating the specificity of bifidobacteria for the increased colonic motility (42).
3. Prevention of diarrhea Few studies have been performed. One double-blind study of infants demonstrated that a formula with added B. bifidum and S. thermophilus reduced the incidence of hospital-acquired diarrhea compared to a standard formula. It also lowered the rate of rotavirus shedding into the environment (45).
4. Immunomodulating effects Ingestion of milk fermented with B. bifidum led to an increase in phagocytic activity in peripheral blood compared to milk consumption (46). A mixture of B. bifidum and L. acidophilus decreased chronic inflammation of the sigmoid colon and increased humoral immunity in a group of elderly subjects (47).
Lactobacillus casei: new interest in an old bacteria
The group L. casei consists of several species of facultatively anaerobic and hetero-fermentative, mesophilic lactic acid bacteria(48). Their metabolism provides organoleptic qualities to several traditional FM and cheeses, and more recently, to new fermented milks. L. casei have been detected in the feces of both infants (49) and adults (50). Their ability to survive transit through the intestinal tract in adequate numbers to have a physiological effect (50) , coupled with their potential health benefits make L. casei an ideal candidate for a probiotic.
1. Treatment of diarrhea Several double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials have demonstrated that oral consumption of L. casei reduces the duration of diarrhea (51), and in particular, rotavirus gastroenteritis (52) in children. In addition, L. casei may help reduce the duration of diarrhea associated with children in day care centers (53), antibiotic treatment (54) and travelerís diarrhea (55).
2. Effects on the intestinal microflora In addition to increasing lactobacilli count in feces (50), milk fermented with L. casei has been shown to lower the activity of the colonic enzymes §-glucuronidase (50, 56), glycocholic acid reductase, and nitroreductase (56) in healthy adults. A recent study demonstrated a decrease in §-glucuronidase and §-glucosidase activities in infants after ingestion of a milk fermented with yogurt cultures and L. casei. This effect was not found with yogurt alone or with gelled milk (control) (57) , thus suggesting that the modification was due to L. casei or to the association between L. casei and yogurt.
3. Immunomodulating effects Challenge tests ( e.g ., using Salmonella typhimurium ) with oral ingestion of L. casei in mice has led to increased protection in animals infected with pathogenic bacteria (58, 59). A few reports using human subjects have shown an enhancement of non-specific immune system activators, such as y interferon and interleukins (ex vivo) (60) and of specific immune responses to various challenges, including rotavirus vaccine (61). In a recent study infants with atopic dermatitis were given formula with added L. casei. Not only did the concentration of fecal tumor necrosis factor-a decrease significantly (a measure of the immune response), but clinical symptoms improved as well (62) . Viability of the bacteria is an important factor of its effectiveness (61).
Easily digested, it cleanses the intestines, provides beneficial bacteria and yeast, vitamins and minerals, and complete proteins. Because kefir is such a balanced and nourishing food, it contributes to a healthy immune system and has been used to help patients suffering from AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome, herpes, and cancer. Its tranquilizing effect on the nervous system has benefited many who suffer from sleep disorders, depression, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).