The good weather arrives and you feel like a good glass of fresh tiger nut milk, there is no summer without one. A study by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) has discovered that in addition to being rich and refreshing, drinking 300 ml of natural horchata for three days could improve the intestinal microbiota, increasing digestive health and general health.
The members of the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA) of the CSIC, authors of the research, have been clear, not just any horchata, it must be made from tiger nuts, unpasteurized, with all its starch and without added sugar, are ruled out so many supermarket options.
The study, published in the journal Nutrients, has been carried out in tests carried out on 35 adult volunteers who drank a large glass -about 300 ml- of tiger nut milk with the above characteristics once a day for three days, and analyzed your gut microbiota before and after by testing your stool.
Healthier Microbial Patterns
Horchata is a traditional drink rich in resistant starch, oleic acid and with good levels of antioxidants, specifically polyphenols. These properties improve the intestinal microbiota, since the microbial DNA sequencing tests initially showed three profiles of microorganisms, which changed after ingesting this drink.
Specifically, they improved the beneficial bacteria and butyrate precursors, a substance with great benefits for the intestine and the immune system. In addition, they observed an increase in bacteria such as Akkermansia, related to weight loss, Christenellaceae and Clostridiales, Faecalibacterium, associated with glucose control, Bifidobacterium and Lachnospira, which are found naturally in the digestive system of people but improved their profile after ingesting tiger nut milk.
In just three days, the intestinal microbiota changed towards a healthier pattern, as occurs in the case of the Mediterranean or vegetarian diet
“In just 3 days, the bacterial populations of all the volunteers changed towards healthier microbial patterns, similar to those promoted by the Mediterranean or vegetarian diet”, explained Gaspar Pérez, principal investigator of the study.
A few years ago, in 2017, another IATA-CSIC investigation found that unpasteurized natural horchata had a greater number of nutrients, then they carried out a study in which they analyzed the changes in the intestinal microbiota after the consumption of nuts and now They wanted to see other characteristics of the typical Valencian drink in order to establish its benefits and reach more specific conclusions.
The researchers point out that the digestive system has the largest number of nerve connections in the body, after the brain, in addition to 70% of the immune cells that the body has to defend itself. “In our study we have seen that natural horchata without sugar stimulates the proliferation of beneficial bacteria that help maintain proper digestive function. Thus, its consumption can improve digestive health and the general state of health”, concludes Gaspar Pérez.
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