The Study
Diet-Associated Gut Bacterial Microbiota and Metabolome Signatures Linked to Fermented Food Intake in Healthy Postmenopausal Women
This study looked at what bacteria and chemicals were in the poop of women who ate mostly plants and those who ate meat. It found differences, but it didn’t change anyone’s diet to see if that caused the changes. So it’s like noticing that people who ride bikes often have stronger legs — but we don’t know if biking made their legs strong, or if strong-legged people just like biking.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Women who eat mostly plants and daily fermented foods like pickled veggies and soy paste have different gut bacteria than women who eat meat. These plant-eating women’s gut bugs make more good chemicals that help their intestines and give them more nutrients.
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 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — higher SCFAs mean better gut lining and less inflammation; more amino acids help make up for nutrients often low in plant diets.
- 2Vegetarian women had 3x more Weissella bacteria and 2x higher levels of SCFAs (like butyrate) in their poop than meat-eating women.
- 3Their fermented foods also had more amino acids and SCFAs.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Foods
Year
2026
Authors
Natthanan Buranavanitvong, Chayaporn Thanthithum, Kanyarat Kanyakam, D. Azzout-Marniche, Delphine Jouan-Rimbaud Bouveresse, N. Chotechuang, C. Prakitchaiwattana
Related Content
Claims (3)
Eating fermented foods is associated with higher diversity and improved functional activity of gut bacteria.
People who eat fermented foods have greater diversity of gut microbes and a stronger gut barrier compared to those who do not.
People who take a high-quality probiotic, eat mostly fiber-rich foods, and consume different fermented foods every day after using antibiotics have better gut health than those who do not.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.