Microbial Community of Kefir and its Impact on the Gastrointestinal Microbiome in Health and Disease

Kefir is a fermented dairy product, created by fermentation of milk by bacteria and yeasts. Kefir is the most common traditional non-sweetened fermented dairy beverage in the Baltic countries. Whole kefir and specific fractions and individual organisms isolated from kefir provide a multitude of health benefits, including regulation of composition of the gut microbiome. This review aims to summarise the available data about influence of kefir consumption on the gut microbiome in healthy individuals and to highlight the effects that kefir consumption as well as separated fractions of kefir can have in disease states via modulation of the host microbiome.