ALICE CALLAHAN2026年6月30日 Celeste Noche for The New York TimesBreweries sell craft kombucha on tap. Fruit vinegars and cultured chile pastes are featured on five-star restaurant menus. Walmart and Target stock kimchi and kefir.精酿啤酒厂开始供应现打的自酿康普茶。水果醋和发酵辣椒酱出现在五星级餐厅的菜单上。沃尔玛和塔吉特超市也开始销售韩式泡菜和开菲尔。Fermented foods have been popular in the United States for decades, but more recently, they have been thrust into the national spotlight.几十年来，发酵食品在美国一直很受欢迎，但最近，它们更是被推至全国关注的焦点。In January, the Trump administration released new dietary guidelines that recommended, for the first time, that Americans eat sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and miso for better gut health. And Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. often promotes the benefits of sauerkraut and yogurt, saying that they helped him lose weight and sharpen his thinking.今年1月，特朗普政府发布了新版膳食指南，首次建议美国人食用酸菜、韩式泡菜、开菲尔(Kefir)和味噌以改善肠道健康。卫生与公众服务部长小罗伯特·肯尼迪也常常宣传酸菜和酸奶的益处，声称它们帮助自己减重并让思维更加敏锐。Humans have been fermenting foods for thousands of years. What does the science show now about how they may affect our health? We asked experts to explain.人类食用发酵食品已有数千年历史。那么，关于它们对健康的影响，目前的科学是怎么说的？我们就此请教了相关专家。What are fermented foods?什么是发酵食品They’re defined as any foods or drinks that have been transformed by microbes like yeast, bacteria and fungi in ways that preserve and infuse them with tangy, savory, fruity or funky flavors, said Robert Hutkins, an emeritus professor of food science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.内布拉斯加大学林肯分校食品科学荣休教授罗伯特·哈钦斯说，发酵食品是指经过酵母、细菌和真菌等微生物作用后发生转化的食品或饮料，这一过程不仅使食物得以保存，还会赋予它们酸爽、鲜香、果味或独特的发酵风味。Milk can turn into yogurt and kefir; vegetables become sauerkraut and kimchi; fruit is transformed into vinegar and wine; wheat is fermented into sourdough and beer.牛奶可以变成酸奶和开菲尔；蔬菜可以用来做酸菜和韩式泡菜；水果可以变成醋和葡萄酒；小麦则可以发酵成酸面包和啤酒。Even chocolate and some coffee is fermented, said Maria Marco, a professor of food science at the University of California, Davis.加州大学戴维斯分校食品科学教授玛丽亚·马尔科说，甚至巧克力和某些咖啡在生产过程中也经过发酵处理。Are fermented foods good for us?发酵食品对健康有益吗？Research on their health effects is limited, Dr. Marco said. But some studies suggest that the foods (excluding alcohol) may offer a few benefits.马尔科博士指出，关于发酵食品健康效应的研究目前仍较为有限。但一些研究显示，这类食品（不含酒精类）或许确实带来若干益处。In a trial published in 2021, for instance, researchers split 36 healthy adults into two groups: one that ate a lot of fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi and kombucha and another that ate plenty of fiber-rich foods like legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. After 10 weeks, those in the fermented food group had significantly lower levels of inflammatory markers in their blood — and more diverse gut microbes — than they did at the start of the study. (Both measures are associated with lower risks of chronic disease.) Those in the fiber group had no changes in those measures.例如，在2021年发表的一项试验中，研究人员将36名健康成年人分为两组：一组大量食用酸奶、泡菜和康普茶等发酵食品，另一组大量食用豆类、全谷物、水果和蔬菜等高纤维食品。10周后，发酵食品组的血液炎症标志物水平显著低于研究开始时，并且肠道微生物多样性更高（这两项指标均与较低的慢性病风险相关）。高纤维组的这些指标没有变化。Other research has found associations between fermented food consumption and less risk of eczema — as well as kimchi consumption and lower rates of obesity; yogurt consumption and reduced risks of Type 2 diabetes and weight gain; and sauerkraut consumption and fewer irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.另有研究发现，发酵食品摄入与湿疹风险降低存在关联；韩式泡菜摄入与肥胖率降低相关；酸奶摄入与2型糖尿病及体重增加风险降低相关；酸菜摄入则与肠易激综合征症状减轻相关。In one study of more than 46,000 U.S. adults published in 2023, researchers linked fermented food consumption to small reductions in blood pressure, body weight, waist size and blood insulin and triglyceride levels.2023年发表的一项针对4.6万多名美国成年人的研究发现，食用发酵食品与血压、体重、腰围以及血液中的胰岛素和甘油三酯水平小幅下降存在关联。The existing studies on the health benefits are promising, Dr. Hutkins said. But many are limited by their size, duration or observational nature (meaning they can’t prove cause and effect). More research is needed to see whether eating fermented foods can directly improve people’s health, he said.哈钦斯博士表示，现有关于发酵食品益处的研究结果令人鼓舞。不过，但许多研究受到规模、持续时间或观察性本质（意味着无法证明因果关系）的限制。他说，还需要更多研究来确定食用发酵食品是否能够直接改善人体健康。And not all research has been positive. Some studies have found higher rates of stomach and esophageal cancers in people in East Asia who ate a lot of kimchi and other fermented vegetables, said Suzanne Devkota, director of the Cedars-Sinai Human Microbiome Research Institute. The evidence for the cancer link is weak, though, she said, and many other factors could have influenced that result.并非所有研究都得出了积极结论。西达赛奈人类微生物组研究所所长苏珊娜·德夫科塔表示，一些研究发现，在东亚地区，大量食用泡菜和其他发酵蔬菜的人群中，胃癌和食道癌的发生率较高。不过，她也指出，并没有强有力的证据能证明这种关联，而且还有许多其他因素可能影响了研究结果。Why might fermented foods be good for us?为什么发酵食品可能对我们有益？Many fermented foods are healthful in their own right, Dr. Marco said. A serving of kimchi or sauerkraut counts as a serving of vegetables, for instance, and yogurt and kefir provide calcium, potassium and protein.马尔科博士指出，许多发酵食品本身就具有营养价值。例如，一份韩式泡菜或酸菜可以算作一份蔬菜摄入量，酸奶和开菲尔则能提供钙、钾和蛋白质。The microbes that ferment foods can also help with digestion and the absorption of nutrients, and even create nutrients of their own. The lactose in milk and the gluten in wheat, for example, are broken down during fermentation, making foods like yogurt, kefir and sourdough bread easier for those with lactose or gluten intolerances to digest. They also help the body absorb minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc, and create new vitamins (like folate, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and vitamin K) during the fermentation process.发酵食物中的微生物还有助于消化和营养吸收，甚至能自行合成某些营养素。例如，牛奶中的乳糖和小麦中的麸质会在发酵过程中分解，这使得酸奶、开菲尔和酸面包等食物对乳糖不耐受或麸质不耐受人群而言更易消化。这些微生物还有助于人体吸收钙、铁、镁、锌等矿物质，并在发酵过程中产生叶酸、核黄素、维生素B12和维生素K等新的维生素。But researchers are just beginning to probe other unique attributes of fermented foods that may influence our health.不过，研究人员才刚刚开始探究发酵食品可能影响人体健康的其他独特属性。There’s emerging evidence that some of the molecules microbes make during the fermentation process can reduce inflammation, regulate blood sugar and help us feel full, among other benefits, though those effects have mostly been demonstrated in studies on rodents and in petri dishes, said Dr. Sean Spencer, a gastroenterologist and microbiome scientist at Stanford.有新的证据显示，微生物在发酵过程中产生的一些分子能够减少炎症、调节血糖，并帮助人们产生饱腹感等。不过，斯坦福大学胃肠病学家和微生物组科学家肖恩·斯宾塞表示，这些效果目前主要是在啮齿动物和培养皿实验中得到了证实。Some researchers also hypothesize that exposure to the “friendly” microbes in some fermented foods can reduce inflammation by training the immune system to tolerate harmless microbes or potential allergens, yet be ready to mount a robust response to “bad” microbes in the future, Dr. Marco said.马尔科博士还提到，有研究人员推测，某些发酵食品中的“友好”微生物能够训练免疫系统，使其耐受无害微生物或潜在过敏原，同时又能在未来面对“有害”微生物时做出强烈反应，从而减少炎症。What’s the takeaway?结论是什么？We have enough evidence to support incorporating more fermented foods into your diet, Dr. Spencer said — such as having yogurt for breakfast, adding kimchi to eggs or sandwiches, or making salad dressings with apple cider vinegar.斯宾塞博士表示，现有证据已足以支持在日常饮食中适当增加发酵食品的摄入——比如早餐吃酸奶、在鸡蛋或三明治中加入韩式泡菜，或用苹果醋调制沙拉酱。People who are immunocompromised, however, should be cautious with fermented foods that contain live microbes, such as those labeled raw, unpasteurized or as containing live cultures (typically found in refrigerated sections). Such people may not be able to handle the “bacterial load” present in fermented foods, even if the bacteria are “friendly,” Dr. Devkota said.不过，免疫功能低下的人应谨慎食用含有活性微生物的发酵食品，例如标注“生制”“未经巴氏杀菌”或“含活性菌种”的产品（通常陈列在冷藏区）。德夫科塔博士指出，即便这些细菌是“友好”的，这类人群也可能无法承受发酵食品中的“细菌负荷”。Some fermented foods, including sauerkraut, cheese and wine, can also contain large amounts of histamines, natural molecules that may trigger symptoms like diarrhea, hives or headaches in those who are sensitive, Dr. Marco said. And people with high blood pressure should be mindful of fermented foods that are typically high in sodium, like sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and soy sauce, Dr. Hutkins said.马尔科博士说，酸菜、奶酪和葡萄酒等发酵食品可能含有大量组胺——这是一种天然分子，可能会在敏感人群中引发腹泻、荨麻疹或头痛等症状。哈钦斯博士说，高血压患者应注意那些通常钠含量较高的发酵食品，如酸菜、韩式泡菜、味噌和酱油。While beer, wine and other types of alcohol are technically fermented foods, it’s best to limit them, Dr. Marco said, given their established health risks.马尔科博士说，虽然啤酒、葡萄酒和其他类型的酒精饮料在技术上属于发酵食品，但鉴于其已知的健康风险，最好限制摄入。Alice Callahan是《纽约时报》营养与健康新闻记者。她拥有加州大学戴维斯分校营养学博士学位。翻译：杜然点击查看本文英文版。