An Australian exploratory study examined the association between intake of foods estimated to contain live microbes (LM) and cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers in 58 adults (mean age 38.16 years; mean BMI 26.18 kg/m²). The researchers first developed a database of more than 200 commonly consumed Australian foods and categorized them according to estimated live microbe content: Low (<10⁴ CFU/g; e.g., pasteurized or cooked foods), Medium (10⁴–10⁷ CFU/g; e.g., fresh fruits and vegetables), and High (>10⁷ CFU/g; e.g., certain fermented foods).
Using data from the Australian Eating Survey food frequency questionnaire, they found that higher intake of Low-LM foods was positively correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In contrast, greater consumption of Medium-to-High LM foods was inversely associated with body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and plasma…
