The Study
Fermented foods consumption, all-cause, and cause-specific mortality: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
This study looked at lots of people over many years and found that those who ate more yogurt, cheese, or chocolate tended to live longer. But it doesn't prove that eating those foods made them live longer — maybe they also exercised more or ate healthier overall.
Analysis score
Maximum 85 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
This study looked at whether eating foods like yogurt, cheese, and chocolate—made by fermentation—might help people live longer.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 560 / 100
Quality score
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cohort studies. They sit above a single cohort study but below a single randomized trial, because the underlying evidence is still observational.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1These are small but consistent reductions in risk that, if applied to millions of people, could mean thousands fewer deaths each year.
- 2People who ate more fermented milk (like yogurt) had a 6% lower risk of dying from any cause, 7% lower risk of heart disease death, and 6% lower risk of cancer death.
- 3Cheese eaters had a 3% lower risk of dying from any cause.
- 4Chocolate eaters had a 10% lower risk of dying from any cause and 16% lower risk of heart disease death.
- 5Miso and bread showed no benefit.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Nutrition
Year
2026
Authors
Antonia Matalas, D. Panagiotakos, Anthony Fardet, I. Savary-Auzeloux, Christophe Chassard, S. Pracer, Guy Vergères, Diana Paveljšek
Related Content
Claims (6)
It is not yet known how eating cheese might affect the risk of death.
People who consume fermented milk have a 6% lower risk of dying from cancer compared to those who do not, but people who eat only yogurt do not show this lower risk, suggesting that other types of fermented milk or their specific microbial compounds may be responsible for the effect.
People who regularly eat more fermented milk products like yogurt have a slightly lower risk of dying from any cause, heart disease, or cancer compared to those who eat less.
People who eat more cheese have a 3% lower risk of dying from any cause, but cheese consumption does not show a clear link to reduced risk of death from heart disease or cancer.
People who eat more chocolate have a 10% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 16% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, and compounds from cocoa fermentation may explain this reduction in death risk without involving live microbes.
People who eat chocolate and fermented milk have lower rates of death from all causes and specific diseases, while people who eat miso and bread do not show a measurable difference in death rates, showing that not all fermented foods affect mortality the same way.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.