Yogurt helps in chronic diseases like asthma, arthritis

Yogurt cools down chronic inflammation linked to multiple diseases, shows new study

A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition, provides new evidence that yogurt may help dampen chronic inflammation.

Inflammation is a localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain which is the body’s response to infection, irritant or injury.

Chronic inflammation can also be a slow long term process which is the main reason for diseases like  inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, lupus and asthma

However, if the acute inflammatory response does not settle down in few days or prolongs, it can lead to a condition called chronic inflammation. This is when the body essentially attacks itself, causing damage to our organs and systems.

Chronic inflammation can also be a slow long term process which is the main reason for diseases like  inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, lupus and asthma. It is also associated with allergies, obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases.

While anti-inflammatory medications like aspirin, naproxen, hydrocortisone and prednisone can help mitigate the effects of chronic inflammation, each comes with its own risks and side effects. There is a need for additional options that are safe, gentle and without side effects.

The study enrolled 120 premenopausal women, half obese and half non-obese. Half of the participants were assigned to eat 12 ounces of low-fat yogurt every day for nine weeks and compared with a control group that ate non-dairy pudding for nine weeks.

This investigation, among the largest human intervention studies to look at yogurt’s impact on chronic inflammation, was funded by the National Dairy Council, a non-profit organization supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s national dairy checkoff program.

Repeated fasting blood samples from participants were taken and searched for presence of a group of biomarkers that have been used over the years to measure endotoxin exposure and inflammation. Results showed that while some of the biomarkers remained steady over time, the yogurt-eaters experienced significant improvements in certain key markers, such as TNF (Tumor necrosis factor), an important inflammation-activating protein.

“The results indicate that ongoing consumption of yogurt may be having a general anti-inflammatory effect,” says Brad Bolling, University of Wisconsin-Madison Assistant Professor of Food Science, whose research focuses on the role of food in preventing chronic disease.