Yoghurt before a meal packed with health benefits

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMay 22 2018

A new study has shown that consuming a small pot of yoghurt each day can be beneficial for health in more ways than one.

Image Credit: Artem Shadrin / Shutterstock

The researchers explain that the fermented dairy product when consumed daily can protect a person from gut inflammation and several other health benefits. Some of the benefits seen with daily consumption of yoghurt include improvement in heart health, reduction of blood sugar and also reducing symptoms of depression.

The study reveals that the benefits seen with yoghurt are related to the high protein content in it as well as due to the vitamin content and the rich levels of “good bacteria”. In addition there are high levels of potassium, phosphorus, iodine, calcium and zinc. It is rich in fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K as well as B vitamins.

Researchers from University of Wisconsin-Madison show that regular consumption of yoghurt can reduce the inflammation of the intestine. They can improve the gut lining walls by stopping production of cells of inflammation in the gut.

Their study showed that women who were taking yoghurt before a fat and carbohydrate heavy breakfast had lower levels of gut inflammation compared to those who did not. This in turn protected these yoghurt consuming women from several diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, arthritis etc. It also helped reduce their risk of obesity, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and other long term chronic ailments. Researcher Ruisong Pei explains that eight ounces of low-fat yogurt before a meal can improve the metabolism after that meal and reduce risk of heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

The study also found that yoghurt consumption before meals is capable of reducing blood sugar by improving the glucose handling by the body especially in obese individuals. After a meal this yoghurt can rapidly reduce blood glucose, they noted in the study.

There have been a series of studies on the health benefits of yoghurt showing benefits. For example a study from Boston University on around 75,000 individuals with high blood pressure looked at their lifestyle and health parameters for three decades. They noted at eating at least two servings of yoghurt per week lowers the risk of heart attacks in women with hypertension by 30 percent and men with hypertension by 19 percent. The calcium as well as the good bacteria are supposed to contribute to this benefit. University of Tennessee researchers have also found in a study that yoghurt helps in weight loss. McMaster University researchers also noted that consuming yoghurt can help in depression.

Most experts agree with this new study and say that this is a simple way in which diet can be supplemented for various health benefits.