Some fermented foods were associated with lower mortality in cohort studies
Higher intakes of chocolate, cheese and fermented milk tracked with lower mortality, but miso and bread showed no significant associations.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review found associations between higher consumption of some fermented foods and lower mortality, with different patterns across foods and causes of death. It did not test what happens when people change their diets. Because the evidence came from observational cohorts, these findings cannot establish that eating those foods lengthens life.
The abstract does not provide effect sizes, confidence intervals or follow-up lengths. Even adjusted observational estimates may reflect other differences between people in the highest and lowest intake groups.
What researchers found
All-cause and cardiovascular mortality
Highest versus lowest intake of chocolate, cheese or fermented milk; pooled adjusted risk estimates. Follow-up lengths and numerical effect estimates are not reported.
Food-specific patterns
Chocolate, cheese and fermented milk, including yogurt, were associated with lower overall and cardiovascular mortality. Fermented milk also showed an association with lower cancer mortality. Miso and bread had no statistically significant mortality associations.
What adjustment can establish
The researchers pooled adjusted estimates comparing people at opposite ends of intake. Adjustment addresses measured differences, but this study design cannot eliminate all alternative explanations or show that changing a food habit changes mortality.
The original publication
Fermented foods consumption, all-cause, and cause-specific mortality: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.
Matalas A, Panagiotakos D, Fardet A et al.
Front Nutr · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41835372
- Record checked
AI-assisted research and writing. This explains one selected publication; it is not a complete review of everything known. Our approach.
One more question, understood.
Keep track of the research you’ve explored.