There are many different kinds of
super foods that have been discovered recently. Yogurt is supposed to be
one of these so called super foods and have all these positive effects on the
body. Some yogurt companies make claims that seem to be pretty outrageous
such as increasing memory to helping cure AIDS and HIV. Yogurt does
contain living bacteria that ferment milk products into probiotics.
Probiotics are microorganisms that can set up residence in the digestive
and alter its ways of functioning (Sizer, 2012). The claims from
companies that the products in yogurt are supposed to have are to reduce colon
cancer, improve digestion, improve immunity, and reduce ulcers and allergies.
In Super food or super swindle; Hurley, Liebman, and Schardt
tested the supposed benefits that yogurt is supposed to have. When a
yogurt company says that their yogurt contains a “special” probiotic that is
supposed to increase immunity they have nothing to back this up. The
authors looked at numerous tests and studies, which companies put on their
websites, which did not show any significant results. One study
looked at by Hurley, Liebman, and Schardt on page 13 states that,” elderly
Italians who drank two DanActives a day were no less likely than placebo takers
to catch a cold or get a gastrointestinal illness.” This study was said to be
more reliable of the others and the results do not look good for the yogurt
companies. Another claim from yogurt producers is that the yogurt
will improve digestive health. By this the mean it will increase the
number of bowel movements. The authors got a letter from General
Mills citing two articles that do not seem to produce very good results for the
companies again. The tests are, “30 young Japanese men and women
were given 3½ oz. of yogurt with BB-12 and 82 elderly Finnish nursing home
residents were given an oat drink with BB-12 every day, they averaged one extra
bowel movement every two weeks” (Hurley et al, 2008). The last
outrageous claim is that it is said that yogurt can improve a person’s memory,
and again what do you know there are no definitive results that yogurt is able
to do this. I am confused on how or why these companies are allowed
to claim things that have clearly been disproven in testing.
There
is one good thing that I did find out about yogurt that was researched on AIDS
and HIV patients in Tanzania. The research team was qualitatively
gathering results from infected people that were receiving antiviral
therapy. In their testing they asked what they knew about
probiotics, how often they take it, and what they believed how it benefitted
them? Very few had more than just general knowledge about
probiotics, but all believed that it had fantastic health benefits. Some
of the claims were weight gain, feeling stronger, more energy, and counteracting
the symptoms of the antiviral treatment. This is good and bad for
the people because they are getting the help that they need, but they think
that the probiotic yogurt is curing them so they stop the antiviral
treatment. This is not good because the probiotics do not cure HIV
and AIDS they just help counteract the antiviral treatment.
I
did not find any results that will make me go to the store and buy gallons of
yogurt at a time so that I am never affected by any disease. If
better results were found I would consider consuming more yogurt but as of
right now it will just stay on a every now and then basis.
Sizer, F., & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition: Concepts
& Controversies (13th ed, p. 68). Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Cengage
Learning.
Whaling M, Luginaah I, Changalucha J, et al. Perceptions about
probiotic yogurt for health and nutrition in the context of HIV/AIDS in Mwanza,
Tanzania.Journal Of Health, Population, And Nutrition [serial online].
March 2012;30(1):31-40. Available from: MEDLINE Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed
June 14, 2013. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.sau.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=1dcba8b1-c077-4db4-94fb-4ce134eefc23%40sessionmgr110&hid=103
Hurley J, Liebman B, and Schardt D. Super Food or
Super Swindle? Nutrition Action Health Letter. July/August 2008. Accessed June
14, 2013. http://www.cspinet.org/nah/08_08/yogurt.pdf
While our textbook also supported the need for further research on yogurt's effects as a "superfood," I believe it should still be incorporated into a healthy diet regularly.
ReplyDeleteAs children we are always told to drink our milk to make sure we have strong bones, but this is just as important all throughout our lives. Milk and milk products are often somewhat lacking from adult diets. The calcium and other nutrients found in these products are important parts of a balanced diet. For some, consuming yogurt can be an alternative to drinking milk everyday. Yogurt is considered a nutrient dense food and therefore provides required nutrients without excessive calories.
Overall, I agree that more research needs to be done on the digestive effects of yogurt and its other "superfood" qualities, but yogurt should still be incorporated regularly into our diets because of its known nutrient content.
The yogurt studies you sited haven’t changed my mind about yogurt. I also considered writing about the superfood yogurt but decided to do blueberries. I eat yogurt for the benefits of getting more calcium and some extra protein in my diet, especially when I purchase Greek yogurt. Also, I serve my children yogurt and have been advised to do so by their pediatrician because of the calcium and protein. I love the claims from Dannon’s Activia yogurt that it will regulate your digestive system if you eat it every day. But you have to read the small print that says you must eat three serving a day. I don’t know about anyone else but I don’t think I could eat three containers of yogurt a day, plus at the cost of almost 75 cents per container, it would cost $2.25 per day or $15.75 per week just spent on yogurt for one person. Yogurt is a nutrient-dense food that should be included in people’s diets for a variety of reasons but I don’t think it is going to cure all digestive ailments.
ReplyDeleteKristen and Amy have both beat me to the punch. I think that it is important to consider the benefits of a nutrient-rich food such as yogurt. There are also great non-dairy substitutes and increasingly more locally produced yogurt options. I like how your post engages with the discursive power of food beliefs, particularly when considering compliance to antiviral treatments. I think that the superfoods are too often kind of used by uneducated consumers as a dietary "chaser." What are some other dietary practices associated with maintaining GI function?
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