Topic: Why Fermented Foods and why Right-turning Lactic Acids
GiGi
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Most people's diet is devoid of fermented food and drinks other than alcoholic beverages. Few people ever eat lactic acid-fermented foods or drink lactic acid-fermented drinks. This is true even of those who eat commercial yogurt.
Though many people eat yogurt, it is most often "pseudo-yogurts" that are consumed and they no longer contain adequate quantities of beneficial cultures, most often because the yogurt is heat-treated, killing off the live fer�ments. According to researcher Khem Shahani, Ph.D., Professor of Food Sciences and Technology at the University of Nebraska, and a consultant to the industry, centrifugation of commercial products is another treatment that results in insufficient microorganisms (ferments) in the yogurt.
Yet it is the ferments that are the magic key in the realm of nutrition. Ferments are supermetabolizers that cause such miracles as food constituent conversion, nutrient assimilation, cell transformation, elemental transmutations and plant and animal metamorphoses. They help the diseased body reassemble healthy tissues. Ferments are the ultimate promoters of continued good health.
But why should this be so? Where does the energy for transmutation come from? Well, you see, ferments are minuscule converter reactors that create tremendous energy for living tissues. Inside our bodies, ferments- or enzymes, as we moderns prefer to call them - control anabolism (synthesis of complex molecules) and catabolism (breakdown of complex molecules). Enzymes are in charge of the build-up and separation of the metabolic pathway. So it behooves us to look a little closer at these magical enzymes.
Enlivening Enzyme Eccentricity
Every modern lock has a unique key. Enzymes are like keys in that they are highly specific in their tasks. Examples of such specific enzymes are the amylases. They catalyze the conversion of starches to sugars. Protease, another enzyme, unlocks the mechanism that reduces proteins. Lipase enables the break-up of fats. Oxidase by its "turning in the lock" prevents oxygen in nutrients from interfering with intestinal nutrient absorption.
Every living cell needs enzyme helpers - ferments! - for mastering the huge task of transmutation in metabolic energy conversions. It is the totality of this act we call metabolism. In discussing enzymatic catalysis, it helps to know that the word enzyme comes to us from the Greek "enzym" and that "enzumos" means "leavened." Leavening involves mixing in something to induce a general change for the better. And as you probably know from experience, leavened bread is quite a different product than unleav�ened bread.
Just as most breads need leavening, so every human cell needs specific enzymes (leavenings) for the many steps of anabolism and catabolism. A living cell contains thousands of different enzymes whose task it is to hasten or to hinder or to fix living metabolic processes. Without the presence of active enzymes, cell division cannot and does not take place. This means that growth or renewal cannot occur. It also means that substances spotted as injurious, such as harmful bacteria or poisons, cannot be dissolved and eliminated. Without the helping ferments, our cells would be as helpless as we are before a locked car or a locked house or a locked place of work without the key to let us in. Enzymes grant access!
Just as we safeguard our important keys, so our enzymes need protecting. Many enzymes (ferments or leavenings) are sensitive to major fluctuations in temperature (a rise from 78 to 122 o F; 25 to 50�C, for example). As a result, they lose their ability to make active, to activate. Suppose the key is rusty and no longer works in the lock. Oil would be needed. Poisons cause similar unwanted affects on enzymes. Many prescription medicines and pharmaceuticals inhibit proper enzyme activity through unwanted side affects. Often enough, the damage to important enzymes can be so overwhelming that a return to normal functioning is no longer possible. The key has broken off in the lock, as it were. You can no longer enter the system even with oil. We must take care to protect these sensitive keys to our system and keep them safe from harm. Holistic nutrition and holistic healing, and fermented milk products, kefir in particular, provide just such a means.
Right Is Right, Left Is Gauche
Kefir contains more L[+] or right-turning lactic acid than D[-] or left-turn�ing lactic acid. The structural formulas of the isomers (chemical substances that have the same molecular formula but different physical and chemical properties due to the different arrangement of the atoms in the molecules) of the two types oflactic acid give a good illustration of how different these two forms really are: Molecular fonnulas showing the two isomers of Lactic Acid 0 C-OH H-C-OH H-C-O H 0 C-HO HO-C-H O-C-H H Left-turning D [ -] Lactic Acid (levorotatory) Turns rays of polarized light to the left
Right-turning L[ +] Lactic Acid (dextrorotatory) Turns rays of polarized light to the right
In the structural formula, 0 stands for oxygen, H for hydrogen, C for carbon. But notice in particular the arrangement of the OH groups. In the left-turning lactic acid, the grouping is to the right, in the right-turning acid, it is to the left. This is a quirk of science that has led to misunder�standings before. As can clearly be seen, one version is very much like a mirror image of the other. They are indeed very, very similar lactic acids. Yet if we employ the model of lock and key mechanism, we can easily see why only one key fits while the other will not "turn" the lock. Just imagine the formulas above were key bits and you can see how only one could work to unlock a certain lock.
In Germany, manufacturers of soured milk products are already advertising their particular brand as containing mostly right-turning lactic acid, usually 80 percent. Why should they bother? Who cares? Isn't left-turning lactic acid just as good? Besides, have you ever seen anything turning one way or the other? You mean that matters? HOLD IT. Let's examine this directional business and see if it takes us into the right, sorry, proper direction.
After or during vigorous exercise the lactic acid level in the blood rises by five to ten times of normal values. We experience this excess lactic acid as muscle soreness or pain. While this is an unpleasant symptom of lactic acid metab�olism, it is balanced by the fact that lactic acid also intensifies our breathing faculties and therefore the oxygen intake into the cells of our brain, liver and kidneys. Right-turning lactic acid is a normal constituent of the human body. It is important, according to scientific experts, that the cells of the heart muscle obtain their energy primarily from right-turning lactic acid.
Right-turning lactic acid is able to increase breathing, that is the intake of oxygen, of highly active cancer cells.lO Does this mean that cancer cells will proliferate under a diet that includes regular intake of kefir? No. It means that the oxygen-deprived and for this reason proliferating cancer cells are turned in the right direction again!
This is such a complicated mechanism that I have fully delved into it elsewhere. (See Reviving Choked-Off Cells, page 31.) Suffice it here to say that soured milks like kefir, with mainly right-turning lactic acid, represent great value for our health. They increase the metabolism of our tissues, promote intestinal activity and are indispensable cofactors in the prevention and treat�ment of all malignant conditions.
The Trouble with Left-Turning Lactic Acid
While the individual kinds of soured milks vary considerably in the way they are produced and the use of lactic acid-producing bacteria and ferments, their nutrient and active ingredient content is similar. It is their lactic acid content that is very different. It depends very much on the method employed. An L. bulgaricus yogurt, for instance, contains a total of 65 to 70 percent left-turning lactic acid according to one kefir expert. Only the remainder, i.e., up to 30 percent is right-turning.
Consuming left-turning lactic acid can be problematic. On the polarized light circuit at least, being right-turning is far more right than being left-turning. For the human body, only the right-turning, (L+) lactic acid is natural and physiologically correct. Left-turning (D-) lactic acid is a foreign substance for the human organism. It does not contain the necessary enzymes for proper utilization by the body.
The urinary system flushes the majority of left-turning lactic acid out of the system and the liver converts the remainder into carbonic acid and water. For this task the human liver contains a nonspecific enzyme that is not fully functioning in babies. Consequently, babies react to left-turning lactic acid with inner distillation that results in acidosis and increased expulsion through the urine. This causes a disturbance of the mineral household and metabolism. Because of this problem, parents should curtail the consumption of large quantities of lactic acid products by babies. Even so, according to some experts, proper amounts of kefir playa vital role in the development of a healthy digestive tract in babies.
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations investigated the question of lactic acid fermentation. This resulted in the recommendation that consumption of left-turning lactic acid be limited in adults to 100 mg perlkg of body weight. There is no limitation, however, for right-turning lactic acid for adults. In foods prepared for babies and toddlers, on the other hand, only right-turning lactic acid should be used.
For these reasons, large quantities of yogurt (more than one liter per day), are not good even for adults, as their overwhelming content of left-turning lactic acid can lead to a strain on the metabolism. Consumption of large quantities over extended periods can also harm the flora normally living in the intestines. Homemade, thickened milk on the other hand, contains both kinds of lactic acid, with only a small excess of one kind or the other.
Most kefir contains between 0.85 and 1.5 percent lactic acid. Acidity is a controlling factor in microbiology. A pH (standing for potential hydrogen, i.e., hydrogen potential) below seven is acid, above seven it is alkaline and at seven the pH is neutral. Different cultures require different pH. Final acidity in kefir is below pH 3. As lower pH numbers indicate higher acidity, and higher pH numbers indicate higher alkalinity, kefir is on the acidic side of this scale. The predominant form of lactic acid produced is the right and right-turning form, with some left-turning lactic acid present.
Kefir Rediscovered / The Nutritional Benefits of an Ancient Healing Food
By Klaus Kaufman
Published by Alive Books PO Box 80055 Burnaby British Columbia Canada V5H 3X1 ISBN 0-920470-65-3
From pages 23-27 Chapter 3 Fun and Fundamentals of Food Ferments
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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very interesting Gigi for no apparent reason, this week i've had a kind of affinity for saurkraut. had it 3 times this week!
on lactic acid the heart needs lactic acid for functioning. i think this is why dr. B. recommends magnesium lactate dihydrate. this is one or two lactic acid molecules hooked up to magnesium. the dihydrate means there are two water molecules that are, in turn, hooked up to the mag.-lactate. so, the heart gets a two-fer, the mag. and the lactic a.
Posts: 2708 | Registered: Feb 2005
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I tried to find a copy of the book after reading this article -
it's out of print, with many of the available copies being sold at an outrageous price.
That makes this another valuable article provided by you!
Mo
Posts: 8337 | From the other shore | Registered: Jul 2002
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Jellybelly
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Thanks Gigi, very informative. Sometimes I get a little lax on my enzyme consumption and a reminder is good.
Posts: 1251 | From california | Registered: Apr 2005
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rebuild from the inside out.
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luvs2ride
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I'm just getting into the fermented foods.
I just made a batch of whey from organic yogurt. Are you saying that it is the wrong type, the left turning type? I have been adding it to my foods.
Luvs
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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runner21
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Member # 1974
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Hi Gudrun,
I like this article alot..having alot of food sensitivities and chronic bowel problems..i have alternated yogurht in my diet. and found myself pretty much intolerable. This past week however, i have been buying keifer and eating about 2 cups a day..and so far, havent had that many problems..i usually get the plain for the fact is has less sugar content, and also has fiber.. thanks for the information, Misty
Posts: 1118 | From jacksonville,fl usa/santa rosa ca | Registered: Dec 2001
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Michelle M
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Member # 7200
posted
Thanks Gigi. That's very informative.
That reminds me, I left mine out on the counter last night -- forgot to "process" it after its 24 hour brew time.
DUH.
But the great thing about kefir is:
SO WHAT!!!???!
It'll just be even creamier and better!
[Goes out and sticks it in the fridge...]
Fortunately for me, Kefir is fairly idiot proof and forgiving...You gotta work really hard at it to ruin it!!
Michelle
Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
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Marnie
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Member # 773
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Some GOOD bacteria produce lactic acid for us.
Lactobacillus...one of the "probiotics".
The good guys gotta outnumber the bad guys.
If they don't, we have to find another way to supply the lactic acid. We have to consume things that are already broken down for us OR if possible, take a man-made enzyme supplement.
Lactose intolerant? Drink milk that has this removed or take lactaid.
A supplement (man-made enzymes -2) is currently being developed to help those with gluten intolerance so they will be able to get off the very restrictive diets.
We have billions of good guys...normally.
Bb's genetic code indicates it uses C-acetyltransferase - the ENZYME that we make/need/use to make acetylcholine.
All enzymes are proteins. Proteins come from amino acids (the "building blocks" of protein).
We don't yet know all the enzymes of the body. Those known would fill a book.
We need to INactivate 2 enzymes...PFK and HMG CoA reductase to put the brakes on glycolysis and the cholesterol pathways.
Posts: 9481 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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oxygenbabe
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Fascinating, thanks Gudrun.
I get yogurt from raw milk/Amish farmers (although yogurt has to be heated to 110 degrees I believe, or rather, the milk does, to make yogurt). It tastes quite different and feels quite different than store bought yogurt of any kind.
I'd rather get kefir from raw milk farmers too.
I don't like store bought kefirs as they contain sugars.
Posts: 2276 | From united states | Registered: Jun 2004
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