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
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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.
We eat it all the time.
Not a single mention of *kimchi*, however. Very popular in Korea, it is like super sauerkraut. Not only that, but it is not pasteurized, so if you are eating it for the bacteria, you don’t miss out.
Hot and spicy, the vegetables taste “carbonated”.
Yes, they do love bacon... Will try it - maybe to top the hot dogs they love so much.
Sauerkraut:
Made from easy to grow cabbage with a wide growing season and high productivity per acre.
Easy to ferment.
Easy to store, no refrigeration.
Very high vitamin C content.
Can be combined with a wide variety of meats and root vegetables.
Almost the perfect survival food.
New!
Kimchi tastes better, goes with more foods, and is essentially the same thing.
The gal who cuts my hair LOVES sauerkraut .... her mother makes it. She says the more sour, the better & if the lid is rusted on, it’s going to be a good batch!
Obviously, her mom doesn’t use a piece of wax paper to keep the lid from rusting, which many, if not most, people do.
We have had some great sauerkraut discussions during hair cutting. She says non-commercial cabbage makes the tastiest ‘kraut’ ... raise it yourself, have a gardening neighbor gift you some, or get it at a farmer’s market.
Yes, I love kimchi....................
That is nonsensical.
Its the same bacteria doing the same work on the same source creating the same substances. It would take a reported to think that there would be any difference.
The only way one could be different is if different bacteria were introduced or different recipes were used for the bacteria to work on.
You are conflating fermented sauerkraut with pickled sauerkraut.
On is canned in vinegar on a pantry shelf, the other is live wild cooties eating rotten cabbage in a container like a crock or candy jar on your cupboard.
Pickled doesnt have any of what we are discussing. It in the fermented type.
You’re right, I probably was. I had just assumed that jarred (pickled?) sour kraut was fermented first.
I have problems here with cabbage loopers and heat so I have pretty much given up on growing my own. Kaitlin cabbage is supposed to be a good sauerkraut cabbage since it is a dense tight head.
Sauerkraut and Kim Chi are in the same boat.
Both are really good for you.Kim Chi brings the heat.
Kim Chi is even better, the fermentation process is more powerful.The bottles can explode.
https://amazingfoodanddrink.com/history-kimchi-most-famous-fermented-dish/
If you are looking for sauerkraut for gut health, the canned sauerkraut doesn’t help much as the canning process kills all the healthy microbes. Frozen is ok, but fresh is best.
My family has made sauerkraut for as long as I can remember. Always had a big crock full of it with an upside down plate and a brick on top of it.
I love the stuff! We don’t eat enough of it.
I ate a habanero once. I had never seen one, and my Laotian co-worker gave me one without telling me what it was. Then he cackled like a hyena when when I started yelling “what the f*** is this??
Bubbies sauerkraut is the best store bought I’ve found. It’s kept refrigerated. I steam hot dogs in it and then use it and mustard to top off the dogs.
Try the little red Thai peppers...
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