Anabolic Yogurt by Jerry Brainum 3/25

 

 

Yogurt is a fermented milk product that offers several notable health benefits. It contains beneficial bacterial cultures that fortify and support the vital intestinal microbiome, the population of bacteria, fungi, and other organisms that reside in the colon. While in the past, the microbiome was thought to provide only minimal health benefits, such as synthesizing certain nutrients, more recent research shows that the intestinal microbiome offers extensive health benefits, including those related to body composition. That means helping to gain muscle and lose body fat. As a milk product, yogurt provides high-quality protein, but what is less known about yogurt is that, in some ways, it is superior to milk in providing anabolic effects and helping to build added muscle mass. Despite this, bodybuilders and athletes often overlook yogurt as a potential protein source. Much of this concerns yogurt being considered a dessert rather than a functional food. But the truth is that yogurt is a valuable food source that has been around for thousands of years.

Fermentation was initially developed to preserve milk. History records that the ancient Egyptians consumed fermented milk products similar to yogurt around 7000 BC. The term "yogurt" was first used by Turks in the 8th century, and they called it "yogurt." Others say that the Balkan people developed yogurt. The Biblical character Abraham was said to live to 175 years due to his regular yogurt consumption. While that story is likely apocryphal, as is his age, there is no doubt that yogurt is a healthy food that deserves a place in any diet. Genghis Khan was said to have fed his army yogurt, believing it instilled bravery in his warriors.   The health properties of yogurt were initially promoted by Elie Metchnikoff, a renowned scientist who won the Nobel Prize in 1908 for discovering specific immune cells. He developed a theory that regular yogurt consumption could provide life-extending benefits. He based that on observations of people living in the Caucasus mountains near Russia who were rumored to be over 100 years old and in good health. Metchnikoff discovered that the villagers living in the Caucasus Mountains drank fermented yogurt daily. His studies into the drink found that it contained a probiotic called Lactobacillus bulgaricus, seemingly improving their health and lifespan. Metchnikoff was far ahead of his time in declaring that consuming bacteria in yogurt would nourish the intestinal microbiome. However, despite his eminent scientific reputation, mainstream science did not accept Metchnifoff's yogurt theories. This is ironic since the microbiome study is one of today's hottest medical topics. Metchnikoff’s concepts laid the foundation for fecal transplantation, predicted the existence of bacterial translocation from the intestinal lumen into the bloodstream and lymphatic system, and anticipated theories linking chronic inflammation with the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Metchnikoff dismissed the human colon as a “vestigial cesspool” that functions as little more than a reservoir for waste matter in which microbes produce “fermentations . . .