The Truth About Sourdough | Not Healthier!

In this video, we’re going to break down the halo of sourdough. When people describe sourdough, they frequently talk about how good and healthy it is, but while sourdough's functional benefits for bread quality are confirmed, its benefits for health have yet to be clearly established in actual science. That's why, today, we're digging deep to find out how many of the claims about sourdough have solid evidence behind them, and what the science really says about sourdough. We'll be basing the video mainly on 2 review papers (see the references below), although there are many other papers mentioned as well.
As a quick note, we want to say that this is definitely not meant to be a negative video about sourdough, but rather, it's a deeper look at the many claimed health benefits that can often mislead people into thinking that a sourdough bread is healthier than it really is. Because while sourdough does make better tasting bread that lasts longer, it doesn't necessarily make it the healthiest option available.
Watch the video for more!
References
1. D'Amico V, Gänzle M, Call L, Zwirzitz B, Grausgruber H, D'Amico S, Brouns F. Does sourdough bread provide clinically relevant health benefits? Front Nutr. 2023 Jul 20;10:1230043. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1230043. PMID: 37545587; PMCID: PMC10399781.
2. Ribet L, Dessalles R, Lesens C, Brusselaers N, Durand-Dubief M. Nutritional benefits of sourdoughs: A systematic review. Adv Nutr. 2023 Jan;14(1):22-29. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2022.10.003. Epub 2022 Dec 16. PMID: 36811591; PMCID: PMC10103004.
#sourdough #celiacdisease #ibs
Chapters
0:00 Opening
0:25 One Inconspicuous Fact
1:44 Health Authorities - Not Approved
2:02 What gives?
2:20 Disclaimer
2:40 Two Scientific Review Papers
2:55 Health Halo Effect
4:40 Closer Look at some of the health claims
4:55 Claim: Better Digestible than yeast-leavened breads
13:10 Claim: Resistant Starch
15:06 Claim: A Lower GI than yeast-fermented bread
19:23 Claim: Health benefits for cardiovascular health
21:20 Panacea-like Claims
21:48 Celiac Disease
22:18 Wheat Allergy
23:23 NCWS
25:20 IBS
26:46 Components that cause Adverse Reactions
35:05 Reduction of potentially harmful components by sourdough
52:40 Conclusion

[@mauricejansen457]

In my opinion bread with three ingredients beats the one with twenty-some ingrEdients any time..

[@michelechele2744]

Yes any day

[@raptorone7327]

Yep, all the others are full of preservatives, how else does a loaf not go mouldy for over a week? And what does that do to you once you have eaten it? I don’t think it preserves you!😂

[@idioterne]

I haven't read the study yet, but something I will keep in mind while reading it is that the study was funded in part by an industrial yeast products manufacturer.

[@snyderkr0822]

And let's not forget that there are a LOT of people who have been harmed by FDA-approved meds and procedures for decades. Govt agencies not finding evidence of some general good is pretty meaningless to me.

[@gilleslejeune6823]

Facing to this type of "scientific study" two questions: Who financed them, what methodology?

[@EmileZoloft]

First study is sponsored by Lesaffre, world leader in commercial yeast....

[@chopsddy3]

You may have rained on a few parades with your superior investigative analysis and presentation, but it was a warm ,gentle rain with the possibility of a delightful rainbow. The adoption of sourdough bread seems to have improved my tolerance for bread. I used to make bread with bakers yeast and significant amounts of sugar. The absence of the sugar was beneficial, but it’s not a free pass to over indulge. As we age , things like activity levels change, our abilities, all of them change. Food tolerance, amount and type, changes. There is one easy answer. If you suspect something that your eating is bothering you, stop eating it and see what happens. Give your body six weeks of abstinence. Pay attention and do one test at a time.

[@NovitaListyani]

Thank you for kind and insightful comment, I agree with a lot of your words, and it's certainly true that sourdough does greatly improve the flavor of bread and certainly, makes it much more pleasant to eat without adding a lot of additives such as sugar or salt. This is definitely a benefit of sourdough in itself, and it cannot be understated :)

[@chopsddy3]

@@NovitaListyani Seraphine, I apologize for the last paragraph and have edited it out. Wrong venue for that soapbox.🙂

[@iamthelightoftheworld5028]

She just dont understand what she talking about.

[@DeeSperling]

I wish some of the studies had included a comparison with breads made with freshly milled wheat berries. Commercial flour, whether whole wheat or white, doesn't contain the same enzymes or nutrition as freshly milled.

[@brandifytv5944]

During digestion, proteins from natural leaven AKA sourdough are broken down more efficiently in the gastrointestinal tract, allowing for better absorption into the blood mainstream. While larger proteins from wheat that haven't been fermented but leavened with commercial yeast can remain undigested and potentially create residues that coat the intestine. From my personal experience, switching from commercial yeast to sourdough bread has helped eliminate my constipation. This is one BIG health benefit of natural leaven. It's good to dig into scientific literature but it can be chaotic for so many reason: bias, lack of evidence and study, community belief vs real facts, etc. What can be trusted is our body reaction to the food we ingest and observe the consequences. Bread leavened with commercial yeast will eventually clog your GI tract. So... always trust your gut feeling, pun intended ^^

[@robertblanks9602]

Perfect!! You nailed it How many humans were really tested?? No emphasis from her study really on the incredible benefits of fermentation!🙄

[@SweetOsoka]

I baked both yeast bread and levito madre starter, just a soughtdough bread. I live with a person who has a Crohn's and that person does get a reaction from any commertial bread but mine. I make udame levito madre. I get the the best sandwich bread. For that person this bread is a staple and he eats it daily around 300 gramms. I also use a koji and meanwhile i do understand that heat kills some enzymes to me that added flavour and increased digestability is what i personally use it for. Hopefully you will make some vids on koji😊 Cheers.

[@macadish]

I appreciate the citations! They are worth a read for anyone interested in the actual mechanisms of sourdough. That said, while I agree that the health benefits of sourdough is probably inconclusive like so many other nutritional study, it is probably due to the difficulty of conducting controlled experiments in humans. It doesn't rule out a sourdough bread's true benefits if any. Even if there are theoretical benefits, sourdough bread comes with a lot of carbohydrates, some fibre, and minimal protein. So while sourdough bread is probably better than a non-sourdough bread, it is still bread and should be eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and protein. Vegetables... What if we swapped normal vegetables for lacto-fermented vegetables.... :)

[@Danielle_1234]

Unless I missed it in this video, this video might be missing the elephant in the room: In the US the choices an average person has is sandwich bread and buns, filled with other ingredients and isn't as healthy as traditional bread, "french bread" that isn't real french bread and like the sandwich bread is loaded up with junk, and sourdough bread, the only traditional bread the average American can buy, and therefore the healthiest bread they can buy. It's not that sourdough bread is healthier, it's that the alternatives are unhealthy. Living in Europe, this is another story.

[@gut-friendlynutrition]

I appreciate this video, and all the work put in that helps us further our personal research in the products we make. Still, no matter how many different studies come out I still believe that if your having issues with food you need to start an elimination diet and slowly introduce other foods to see what works and what doesn’t. Our bodies are not the same, and it will tell you what it needs. I believe nutrition should be looked at from this whole system holistic approach. Find out what your body needs, and what it rejects and you will be in good shape.

[@sdvcv]

Thank you for being a great bread science communicator.

[@lisarct1012]

Well, I heard sourdough was healthier so went through the time and effort to learn about it, create my starter, etc., only to discover that the bottom line is . . . I do not like the taste of sourdough bread. I will stick with my evil commercial yeast and long ferments, I get great results and like it. Thanks for the information.

[@alwestpfal1245]

Thanks for the comprehensive presentation

[@user-sk8lz2pm8c]

What an incredible presentation! So much information, it cannot really be grasped on the first viewing. Where did you get your Phd?

[@hugh261]

I enjoy the qualities of sourdough breads. I've never heard it called healthier, but thanks for debunking any such claim. Now, I'll be prepared if I ever come across one.

[@dfhepner]

Thanks for providing the references for this talk.

[@NovitaListyani]

My pleasure!

[@KenedyAraujo]

Awesome content. Thanks for sharing in such a didactic way.

[@steffenp6554]

That’s an amazing video. Well done! I learn a lot from your videos. Nice review of the scientific literature about the topic. Thanks for sharing this!

[@NovitaListyani]

Awesome, thank you!

[@LastEmpireOfMusic]

the question is, if sourdough is not better, maybe store bought yeast has negative effects?

[@scenario1236]

Thank you for sifting (no pun intended) through the science.

[@melaneemortensen3971]

For me it is the yeast. Purchased yeast used in bread upsets my stomach. Sourdough yeast, no added purchased yeast, doesn't upset my gut. That's all I know. Interesting research!!

[@LiefLayer]

The reason why bread made with baker's yeast is often not digested is simply because too much is used making it act for too short a time both by companies and people who make bread at home (using a lot of baker's yeast make the bread puff up really fast... with sourdough it will still be slow even at 30%). This is of course not so common with sourdough because it need a lot more time + there is always a lag phase, so if someone make a sourdough bread and do not wait long enogh the result will be so bad that it will not be counted as bread, but just as a failed experiment. While it is possible/easier to get decent baker's yeast that still got a lot of yeast inside and a lot of gluten still yet to be digested by the yeast. Using baker's yeast properly is the way to get bread that is as digestable as sourdough bread making them interchangeable. There are only two reasons when I decide to use sourdough: 1. The taste. 2. The ability of the final bread to last longer thanks to the acidic environment. But I only use it when I got a lot of time, because I know it will always need a lot more time than baker's yeast.

[@bilguuntserendavaa3850]

Question, what bread do you eat ?

[@dagopo1234]

This is just my experience-based opinion, but when eating sourdough bread, I just feel better overall, I don't have the same sensation as regular store bread. Though it might just be the lack of fat, milk, or eggs, who knows? Very interesting video! Thanks.

[@jansteyaert1]

Yes, but regular store bought bread is just crap in general, even when buying from a bakery in most cases. The amount of bread improvers that are in there... Crazy. And I live in Europe where there are more regulations than the US for example. the amount of shit they put in bread in the US blows my mind. One of the most used bread improvers is called S500, the ingredients might not be super harmful, but I wouldn't call them healthy either. The main reason you might feel better when eating sourdough is that it's generally considered easier to digest. But that has little or nothing to do with the bread being sourdough. It's because normal store-bought bread, in general, is mass produced bread. Even in artisanal bakeries in a way. For a normal bread recipe you use about 40 grams of fresh yeast/kg of flour. This ensures that the bread will take 2-3 hours (depending on style) from start to finish. You can achieve a long slow fermentation with yeast just as well as with sourdough. But, in general this is less common because: it's less productive, people are not willing to pay as much for a slowly "fermented yeast bread" as they are for an "artisanal sourdough bread". Being a professional baker myself I've tried all different ways of making bread, and in my honest opinion, you can make really good tasting bread with yeast and you can make really good tasting bread with sourdough. Personally I use a yeast starter, like a sourdough starter but it's not cause I added a miniscule amount of yeast when making it. It saves me money cause I don't have to buy yeast, and it makes nice bread :) But, if you want the best healthiest bread... make it yourself! It's relaxing and you know what's in it. Your rules, your taste, ...

[@JamesPBurke]

That's the halo effect.

[@michelechele2744]

We don’t need studies to know the treat

[@humaneinterface210]

excellent - at least we still can agree sourdough is aesthetically beneficial? Are there any breads which do have clinical studies showing health benefits, such as whole wheat or rye?

[@NovitaListyani]

you may want to watch this section here, 40:46 rye bread did degrade ATIs and FODMAPs, but sourdough bread was not better tolerated than straight dough bread.

[@humaneinterface210]

@@NovitaListyani interesting and helpful. I wonder if there has been much research into use of different yeast strains - in the brewing world there are massive differences in strains of yeast used imparting different fermentation characteristics, conversion of sugars to CO2 and alcohol, and different ester production among other things.

[@NovitaListyani]

I am actually thinking of making a video on this 😊

[@ririnoktri4103]

kak listiyani bolehkah request? , kalau boleh mau dibuatkan video roti sisir. Terima kasih, aku sudah coba yang donat bunga sangat enak,

[@MLevistone]

Incredible and articulated. Thanks a lot for your work !

[@fredbrown7954]

Nice job. 😊

[@jeannettekite106]

Depends on the flour! Hard Red Wheat berries is healthier than crappy white flour. So yeah, great quality flour sourdough bread IS HEALTHIER for you & your gut!

[@azwarriorm2617]

Thank you!!

[@Wildturkey10121]

Well I know that my cousin in law can eat my sourdough bread but not regular white bread. I think it has to do with the fact I use high protein flours even in my starters. I don't believe in the claims that this is better than that though, just what is easier to eat for certain tastes and such. I believe that a lot of peoples issues begin in the brain and end up in the colon. If I make the same dough, one with sourdough starter and one loaf with the same flours just adjusted for yeast, the only thing I notice is the sour taste. I'm not a food scientist though.

[@user-sk8lz2pm8c]

Thanks!

[@NovitaListyani]

Thanks!

[@pachin253]

I just realized that this time I made sourdough bread, it was healthier than ever before. But can it actually be obtained in Japan? That's questionable! I'll try to find it carefully. Because you can't do it from scratch. Thank you for always teaching me about delicious bread. good night!

[@barrychambers4047]

Yes, you can create sourdough from scratch!

[@pachin253]

@@barrychambers4047 Thanks you! Have a good weekend from Japan🍞

[@pachin253]

@@barrychambers4047 Thank you. Have a good weekend from Japan🥯

[@isabellekeyzer]

studies show what they are seeking for

[@barrychambers4047]

I don't have any IBS, but I do have a really irritable stomach if it doesn't get its daily allowance of sourdough bread! Kidding aside, I think I once read that if seeds are soaked in water it can reduce it's phytates. If that works, then wouldn't a simple autolyse reduce phytates in sourdough? Bye!

[@NovitaListyani]

Yes, it's true but without organic acid the process will take much longer

[@chriswescott2193]

The research in this video sure smells like it was backed by producers of commercially made bread. Did their sales drop in volume lately? Just keeping the rationale simple, I would like to say that sourdough is similar to fermented foods. If they are beneficial then so is sourdough bread.

[@NovitaListyani]

You may want to know about one of the latest scientific reviews on fermented foods. From the following link I quote: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10886436 "Unfortunately, the direct transfer of microorganisms from FFs to the human gut remains not proved yet and the possible underlying mechanisms explaining the link between FFs and human health are still to be fully uncovered."

[@konstanzekiefer3438]

​@@NovitaListyani But also: "Specifically, a high‐FF diet boosted a significant and noteworthy increase in microbial diversity. Conversely, a high‐fibre diet did not result in substantial alterations in the overall abundance of species within the gut microbial community." Lots to be discovered still.

[@chriswescott2193]

Thx for the link on FF. I should state that I’m referring to homemade sourdough bread. Likely most viewing this video already know but it is best to make your own bread using heritage wheat. By doing so you avoid the glyphosate exposure but also the long protein structure of modified wheat that is difficult to digest.

[@zayndanyal1502]

Thank you for saying what I want to hear!.

[@dwellman2]

I must say that I am having a hard time with what is being presented here. Sadly science has not done itself a lot of good in the wake of covid scandals and food research over the years. My approach to sourdough bread making is to use fresh organic wheat berries from multigenerational family farmers that I mill into flour myself. If sourdough is no healthier than yeasted breads using similar materials, then I still feel I am doing the best I can for my clients using a bread making method I enjoy.

[@gourmetwhisk446]

I am among those few i guess to benefit from sourdough bread. I have high intolerance towards commercial bread using yeast other than sourdough. So yes, it is not questionable to me that sourdough is good to me.

[@tarponjohn]

well designed trials are unlikely to ever be done ...no money in it...

[@gissybatyah]

👋🏼

[@browserZ24]

Crazy, who is backing these studies? 😢

[@dwellman2]

My thought also and with very small test subjects. Science has been shown to suit the financiers behind the studies. I am suspicious.

[@gourmetwhisk446]

Of course studies must favour big companies producing commercially and mass produced bread using instant yeast. My daughter and myself experience intolerance towards gluten products except for sourdough bread fermented at least for 24 hours.

[@mikewurlitzer5217]

So, what you and the "Experts" are saying is that, even though long fermentation, which has been PROVEN to be beneficial for just about every plant based food, wheat is somehow the exception. Would those be the same "experts" which CONTINUE to give a pass to Monsanto/Bayer, pesticides, herbicides, Chlormequat, RoundUp, or told us to use seed oils instead of butter/lard,...etc. I have to question who funded these studies. Sourdough is almost essential in Rye bread. Maybe a better study would be the benefits of true Whole Wheat instead of white flour with 40 +/- minerals/vitamins removed and 4 or 5 artificial ones added back in. Then lets see what Sourdough brings to the table when combined with Whole Wheat containing those 40+/- minerals/vitamins. Many countries which suffered nutritional deficiencies prior to WWII found them to disappear when governments mandated Whole Wheat because they could not afford to throw away 25 to 30% of the wheat berry. What they threw away contained the vast majority of minerals/vitamins we need. Once the war was over, those nutritional deficiencies reappeared.

[@jimmyrrpage]

What studies have "proven", as you say, that fermentation is beneficial in terms of health? As someone who ferments quite a bit, I've done a lot of research on this and found mixed results. I recall reading a metastudy last month that concluded that the health benefits of fermentation are still in question and require much more research.