Posted on 04/16/2025 6:06:40 AM PDT by Red Badger
A new UC Davis study shows that having fermented food like sauerkraut could be good for gut health. Credit: Hector Amezcua / UC Davis
****************************************************************
Sauerkraut might be doing more than just adding zing to your hot dog — it could be actively defending your gut.
New research from UC Davis reveals that fermented cabbage helps protect intestinal cells from inflammation-related damage, unlike raw cabbage or brine alone. The researchers found no difference between homemade and store-bought sauerkraut, suggesting it’s an accessible option for better gut health. By identifying hundreds of fermentation-related metabolites, they’ve opened the door to understanding how these tangy foods may boost resilience in our digestive systems — with human trials up next.
Fermented Cabbage and Gut Health
Is sauerkraut more than just a tangy topping? A new study from the University of California, Davis, suggests it might be. Researchers found that this fermented cabbage could help protect the gut—a key part of overall health that supports digestion and helps defend against illness.
Led by food science professor Maria Marco and postdoctoral researcher Lei Wei, the study explored what happens during fermentation, focusing on how the chemical compounds (metabolites) in sauerkraut differ from those in raw cabbage.
Lab vs. Store Sauerkraut: Same Benefits
To test sauerkraut’s potential benefits, the researchers compared three things: raw cabbage, fermented sauerkraut, and the leftover brine from the fermentation process. They looked at whether each one could help protect intestinal cells from damage linked to inflammation. The sauerkraut samples included both store-bought products and batches fermented in the lab.
The results showed that sauerkraut helped preserve the integrity of intestinal cells, while raw cabbage and brine did not. Interestingly, there was no difference between the store-bought and lab-made versions—both were equally effective.
“Some of the metabolites we find in the sauerkraut are the same kind of metabolites we’re finding to be made by the gut microbiome, so that gives us a little more confidence that this connection we found between the metabolites in sauerkraut and good gut health makes sense,” Marco said. “It doesn’t matter, in a way, if we make sauerkraut at home or we buy it from the store; both kinds of sauerkraut seemed to protect gut function.”
The Power of Fermentation
Chemical analysis shows that fermentation changes cabbage’s nutritional profile, increasing beneficial metabolites such as lactic acid, amino acids and plant-based chemicals linked to gut health. These changes may explain why fermented foods are often associated with digestive benefits.
Marco said she and Wei identified hundreds of different metabolites produced during fermentation and are now working to determine which ones play the biggest role in supporting long-term gut health.
A Tangy Ally for Resilient Digestion
“Along with eating more fiber and fresh fruits and vegetables, even if we have just a regular serving of sauerkraut, maybe putting these things more into our diet, we’ll find that can help us in the long run against inflammation, for example, and make our digestive tract more resilient when we have a disturbance,” Marco said.
Fermented vegetables and foods are already a staple in many diets, but this research suggests they could be more than just a flavorful side dish. Marco said the next step is to conduct human trials to see if the gut-protective metabolites found in sauerkraut can have the same positive effects when included in everyday diets, as was shown in the lab.
A Bite of Prevention
“A little bit of sauerkraut could go a long way,” she said. “We should be thinking about including these fermented foods in our regular diets and not just as a side on our hot dogs.”
Reference: “The fermented cabbage metabolome and its protection against cytokine-induced intestinal barrier disruption of Caco-2 monolayers” by Lei Wei and Maria L. Marco, 7 April 2025, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
DOI: 10.1128/aem.02234-24
This research was funded by a grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, as well as a Jastro Shields Graduate Research Award from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
I used to hate sauerkraut as a kid.
But when I went to Germany on a business trip I had real sauerkraut and loved it!..............
Man I hope they did these experiments under a hood in a chemistry lab.
Haz Mat suits...............
“I had real sauerkraut and loved it!”
~~~
What do you think the difference was? What made it ‘real’?
The article implied that any fermented cabbage worked in terms of their tests, although they were rather vague about these ‘metabolites’. I guess it’s not a scientific article but it raised a flag for me. They said store bought, home, and lab made all tested the same. Does that mean kimchi works the same way?
Homemade sauerkraut is pretty easy to make. It’s far less salty than store brands and much better tasting.
Homemade sauerkraut is pretty easy to make. It’s far less salty than store brands and much better tasting.
I would imagine so, since kimchi is essentially the same thing with spices. I love kimchi too.
What made it ‘real’?..........BACON!!!!!
I went to the doctor and he told me unless I start eating sauerkraut I will die. I went home and my wife asked what the doctor said. I told her “Doc says I’m gonna die.”
Would it also help if a hypothetical Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers? I discovered a few brands of pickled Jalapeno peppers that I can enjoy for flavor and a small burst of heat at the end of my meals.
I may be conducting taste experiments with Serrano peppers next. Not ready for Ghost Peppers, tho.
Jalapenos is as far as I go.
I bit into a habanero once and never again..............
Be careful with sauerkraut as it is very high in histamines and can cause many allergic reactions in the body, including sinus congestion. Other high histamine foods are hard cheeses, avocado and spinach.
Here is an excellent article, the diagram linking histamines to many medical ailments summarizes it very well.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523280533?via%3Dihub
I eat all those foods, so no problemo!................
“”””But when I went to Germany on a business trip I had real sauerkraut and loved it!..............””””
I think the setting helps makes us more receptive and open to local tastes, think of sharing a taste of moonshine out of a jar to a couple of people at a cocktail party in Malibu and their reaction, compared to making the same offering to the same people at a backwoods cabin in Tennessee, my guess is that in Tennessee they might be more agreeable and open to a second taste.
What do you think the difference was? What made it ‘real’?
I love sauerkraut, even from a can. My son recently started making it at home and there is a HUGE difference. I'll still eat canned stuff, but the homemade is richer and more satisfying. It's more like a meal than a condiment.
Somebody must have told a similar joke somewhere, but it made this old man laugh, thanks.
I used to be hit or miss on sauerkraut.
About 10 years ago, I was attending a Catholic church in northeast Minneapolis. The congregation is strongly of Polish descent. They even have a Polish national flag near the altar.
Every fall, they’d hold their festival and have a chicken dinner. At the time, there was an elderly woman who’d make a boatload of sauerkraut for the dinner. It was her contribution to the church.
Everyone raved about it and I thought “Hmmm, what’s the big deal?”. Then I ate some and realized just how darned good it was. Broasted chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, rye bread and a helping of sauerkraut.
A most memorable meal.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.