Yogurt: The Value of Nutrition and Health Benefits

Yogurt is one of these milk product The most popular fermentation in the world, made by adding live bacteria milk .

People have been eating yogurt for a long time, and it is part of the main meal, snack, or used as a sauce and dessert.

In addition, yogurt can also contain beneficial bacteria and act like probiotic . This brings many health benefits far beyond pure dairy products.

Images of yogurt:

Most types of yogurt come in a solid, white liquid, but many products on the market are added with artificial colors.

Nutritional value

The table below is detailed information about the nutrients in yogurt .

Protein in yogurt

Yogurt is a supply the protein cornucopia .

Pure yogurt made from whole milk contains about 8.5 grams of protein per 245 g.

The protein content of yogurt sold in the market is sometimes higher than milk, because milk powder is sometimes added to yogurt during processing .

Protein in yogurt can be divided into two categories: whey (whey) and casein, depending on the solubility in water.

The water-soluble milk protein is called whey protein and insoluble milk proteins are called caseins.

Both casein and whey are of very good quality, rich in essential amino acids and have good digestibility.

Casein

Most (80%) proteins in yogurt belong to the casein group, alpha-casein accounts for the largest amount.

Casein may increase the absorption of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus , and help lower blood pressure .

Whey

Whey is a smaller protein group found in dairy products, accounting for 20% of protein content in yogurt.

This group contains many branched chain amino acids (BCAA), such as valine, leucine and isoleucine.

Whey protein has long been a popular supplement to athletes and bodybuilders.

In addition, the consumption of whey protein can bring many health benefits such as weight loss and lowering blood pressure .

Conclude: Yogurt is a source of high quality protein including casein (80%) and whey (20%).

Fat

The amount of fat in yogurt depends on the type of milk made.

Yogurt can be produced from all types of milk, such as whole milk, low-fat milk or nonfat milk. Most yogurt sold in the US is low-fat or non-fat .

Fat content can range from 0.4% in non-fat yogurt to 3.3% or more in high-fat yogurt .

The majority of fat in yogurt is saturation (70%), but it also contains a reasonable amount of monounsaturated fat.

Milk fat is unique because it provides a variety of fatty acids in quantities of up to 400 different types .

The trans fat of ruminants in yogurt

Yogurt contains a group of trans fat called trans fat of ruminants or trans fat from milk.

Unlike trans fat in processed foods, trans fat of ruminants is considered to be healthy.

The most common trans fat of ruminants in yogurt is vaccenic acid and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) . Yogurt may have a higher CLA content than milk .

The CLA is said to have many health benefits , but taking large doses through supplements may cause bad consequences for chemical transfer .

Conclude: The fat content of yogurt is often not the same. Most yogurt sold on the market is low-fat or non-fat.

Carb

Carb in pure yogurt mainly in the form of simple lactose (milk sugar) and galactose.

Lactose content in yogurt is lower than milk. That's because the bacterial fermentation of yogurt causes lactose to break down.

After being broken, lactose is converted into galactose and glucose. Most of the amount of lucose will turn into lactic acid, which makes yogurt and other fermented milk products taste sour .

Most types of yogurt also contain a significant amount of additional sweeteners, usually sucrose (white sugar) and different flavorings.

Because of that Street in yogurt is not fixed and can range from 4.7% to 18.6% or higher.

Conclude: Yogurt contains a small amount of natural milk sugar (lactose). Many brands also add a lot of sugar to their products.

Vitamins and minerals

Fat yogurt contains most of the essential nutrients for the body.

However, different types of yogurt have different nutritional values.

For example, the nutritional value of yogurt may depend on the types of bacteria used during fermentation .

The following vitamins and minerals are found in very large amounts in the usual yogurt made from whole milk :

• Vitamin B12: A nutrient found only in foods of animal origin .
• Calcium: High-calcium calcium products are easily absorbed .
• Phosphorus: Yogurt is a source of phosphorus, an essential mineral that plays an important role in biological processes.
• Riboflavin: Also known as vitamin B2. Dairy products are a major source of riboflavin in modern diets .

Conclude: Yogurt provides some vitamins and minerals like vitamin B12, calcium, phosphorus, and riboflavin.

Probiotic

Probiotics are living bacteria that have a positive effect on health.

These probiotics are found in fermented dairy products such as yogurt containing fermenting active bacteria (21).

The main probiotics in fermented milk products are lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria .

Probiotics bring many health benefits, depending on the type of bacteria and the amount of yogurt put into the body.

• Improve immune system: Studies show that probiotic bacteria can boost the immune system .
• Reduce cholesterol: Regular addition of some probiotics and fermented milk products can reduce blood cholesterol .
• Vitamin synthesis: Bifidobacteria can synthesize or create a variety of vitamins such as thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate and vitamin K .
• Digestive: Fermented milk contains bifidobacterium that is beneficial for the digestive system and reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome .
• Against diarrhea: Probiotics can help treat diarrhea caused by antibiotics .
• Against constipation: Some studies show that regularly eating fermented yogurt with bifidobacterium can reduce constipation .
• Increased ability to digest lactose: Probiotic bacteria have been shown to improve lactose digestion, reduce lactose intolerance symptoms .

However, yogurt does not always provide these benefits, mainly because some types of yogurt have been heat treated (sterilized) after probiotic bacteria have been added.

When yogurt is heat treated, probiotic bacteria will die and do not bring any health benefits. For this reason, you should choose yogurt that has live fermentation benefits.

Conclude: Yogurt with fermented probiotics contains probiotic bacteria that help improve digestive health.

Health benefits of yogurt

There are many studies on the health effects of fermented milk and milk products, such as yogurt.

Probiotic yogurt can offer impressive health benefits far beyond non-fermented milk.

Digestive

The probiotic yogurt is thought to be able to bring a wide range of benefits to the digestive system.

Eating yeast containing live yeast regularly can help treat antibiotic-associated diarrhea by restoring internal balance .

In addition, probiotic yogurt contains bifidobacteria that can reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome , and help reduce constipation ( 42).

By improving lactose digestion, probiotics can also reduce the symptoms of lactose intolerance .

Conclude: Eating probiotic yogurt can improve gut health. This yogurt can reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea, relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and help digest lactose more easily.

Osteoporosis and bone health

Characteristics of the disease is weak and fragile.

This disease is common in the elderly and is also a major risk factor for fractures in this age group.

Dairy products have long been thought to protect against osteoporosis.

In fact, milk is thought to increase bone density is due to high levels of calcium and protein .

Conclude: Yogurt is rich in calcium and protein, which can reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Blood pressure

High blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Studies show that eating yogurt regularly can help lower blood pressure in people with hypertension .

However, not only does yogurt bring this effect. Studies on other dairy products have produced similar results .

Conclude: Dairy products, such as yogurt, can reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

Side effects

Yogurt can cause unwanted side effects in some people, especially those who are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk.

Lactose intolerance

Yogurt contains less milk sugar (lactose) than milk.

The reason is because some lactose in milk is broken down into glucose and galactose during yogurt production.

Therefore, yogurt is easily tolerated by people with lactose intolerance.

However, probiotic bacteria can also improve the body's ability to digest lactose .

People with lactose intolerance may tolerate yogurt containing lactose better than milk with the same amount of lactose .

Conclude: Many people cannot tolerate milk sugar (lactose) to avoid or limit the consumption of dairy products.

Milk allergy

Milk allergy is rare but it usually occurs in children more than adults. This condition is triggered by whey and casein proteins present in all dairy products .

Therefore, people with milk allergies should avoid using yogurt.

Sugar additive

One important thing to keep in mind is that many types of low-fat yogurt are added with lots of sugar.

High sugar diets can cause many health problems like type 2 diabetes and heart disease .

So you should carefully read the product packaging and avoid buying sugary yogurt (usually sucrose or fructose-rich corn syrup) in the ingredient list.

Conclude: Usually yogurt is a healthy food, but many products contain very high amounts of sugar, which can be harmful if eaten too much.

General conclusions

Yogurt is a food made from fermented milk.

Natural probiotic yogurt contains live bacteria is probably the healthiest product of all dairy products, especially when it has no added sugar.

Yogurt offers many digestive benefits, reducing the risk of osteoporosis as well as lowering blood pressure.