Do you remember the got milk campaign from the 90s? The top models of the era and the top of the cream celebrities promoted the benefits of milk with adorable milk mustaches on glossy posters, photographed by no one less than the legendary Annie Leibovitz.

Times have changed—now drinking dairy comes with an unpleasant aftertaste. More people suffer from sensitivities to dairy, while others question the ethics of consuming milk post babyhood. What once was a staple food in most households and prized for its bone strengthening properties, is now doomed as inflaming, unhealthy and stolen property from the calves.

How can food that used to feed humans since the beginning of the sedentary lifestyle and animal domestication suddenly become a health hazard?

When we cut out dairy, we may miss out on one of the most potent health promoting foods Nature’s cabinet has on offer—Kefir. The story and benefits of this fermented milk drink are nothing short of miraculous. Kefir originated in the Caucasus mountains and kept secret by the locals for millennials before an act of trickery enabled kefir making outside the community (read the full story in the reference). The richness of probiotics makes this gift an ancient medicine and true beauty elixir.

It makes sense that when our body reacts negatively to certain foods; we blame the food.

But have you considered that the diet trends that don’t allow dairy are a reaction to adverse health effects caused by modern and industrial food production practices? Food sensitivities have suspiciously co-grown with the conversion from traditional to modern farming. On top of that, traditional food prepping methods like fermenting, soaking and home-cooking became neglected out of convenience or simply lack of time.

Kefir is a fermented milk drink of Russian origin, full of health promoting and gut healing microorganisms, also called probiotics. The taste of kefir is slightly sour and reminds of yoghurt, while the texture is slightly thicker than milk. It can be made from cow, goat, buffalo, camel or whatever mammal milk is available.

The variety of probiotics in kefir compared to store bought probiotics is impressive. It is ridiculously easy to make, inexpensive and devoid of additives and plastic waste from packaging. All you need to begin your homemade kefir journey is a batch of starter culture (called kefir grains), mammal milk of your choice and a glass jar (there are wonderful YouTube videos for instructions—I recommend the one from Clean Living).

Drinking kefir daily transforms your skin, mood and overall well-being. I am now breaking down the beauty and skin benefits.

You might have heard that the skin and the gut are connected. We have first-hand evidence of that when we wake up with a breakout in the morning, like a red flashing reminder that we have eaten a bag of Doritos or too much double-choc caramel fudge Ben & Jerry’s the night before, oops. The reason for this is that skin and gut share digestive pathways, meaning that what you digest internally directly affects your skin.

A major aspect of a healthy gut and healthy skin is your microbiome—the sum of all bacteria, viruses, fungi and their metabolites (secretions) that live in and on your body. The microbiome keeps the immune, hormone and digestive systems in balance and it is believed that the declining health of the microbiome due to environmental factors are linked to the rise of chronic health issues. Did you know that the number of microbes in and on your body outnumbers your cells 10 times?

In 1930, the researchers Stokes and Pillsbury were the first who reported about the connection between the gut, skin and brain in a modern and scientific fashion. They proposed that emotional states alter the gut microbiome, cause a leaky gut, systemic inflammation, and worsen skin conditions like acne. Their success in improving acne and mood in their human volunteers was appointed to the probiotic strain Lactobacillus acidophilus, which they administered via a milk preparation.

This already is impressive but a healthy gut microbiome goes beyond improving acne and overall happiness— it can even rejuvenate your skin. More recent research has identified that an imbalance in the gut microbiome is one of the hallmarks of aging. Restoring the gut microbiome with kefir could be your answer to great skin, a lifted spirit and ageless beauty. Sounds good? Let’s dive into the clinical evidence.

Meet Your Kefir Beauty Troop

The milk fermentation in the kefir making process is the work of yeast and bacterial colonies—called probiotics—the kinds beneficial to us. Those colonies are called kefir grains and have their name is purely based on the resemblance to porridge.

There are about 7 probiotics identified in kefir that build the majority of strains. The probiotic Bacillus kefiranofaciensproduces a gel-like matrix called kefiran and is what gives kefir the typical thickness after the fermentation process. Both, kefiran and the probiotics are doing wondrous things for your skin.

The main probiotics in Kefir are Lactobacillus kefiri, which build 80% of the colonies, the rest 20% are made up of Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens. 

The Clinical Evidence—What these Critters Can Do for Your Skin

Studies show that kefiran is an effective fighter of the beauty and health killer fungi, bacteria, and free radicals and can even shrink tumors. Looking for better skin hydration? Drinking 100 ml of kefir for 8 weeks has proven to do that in a trial with 50 people. If you suffer from skin conditions that affect the skin barrier like atopic dermatitis, kefir might be your answer. It improves the skins barrier function and atopic dermatitis.

A strong skin barrier is more important than ever because of the harsher environmental conditions we live in with air pollution and man-made toxins. Not to forget the array of skin products and treatments that compromise the skin barrier like AHAs, BHAs, retinol and skin needling. If you ever had a damaged barrier from cosmetics, you know how uncomfortable it feels and it doesn’t look cute either.

Lactobacillus plantarum

The probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum is a rejuvenator. It improved skin hydration, decreased wrinkle depth and improved skin elasticity by 22% in people between 41 and 59 years of age after taking a probiotic with this strain after 12 weeks in a clinical trial. The same strain reduced collagen and elastin depletion—the elastic bands (actually protein fibres) that hold your skin together—by reducing the activity of the enzyme MMP, a free radical responsible for collagen breakdown.

Lactobacillus paracasei

Lactobacillus paracasei is a multi-tasker that can improve your beauty sleep as it reduces stress and exhaustion, and night time cortisol during chronic low stress with increased sleep recovery.

This strain is also an immune booster and proven to suppress the division of cancer cells. It increases the barrier function recovery of the skin and decreases skin sensitivity.

Lactobacillus kefiri

Lactobacillus kefiri is another rejuvenator and the most abundant strain in kefir. It is slowing down the aging process of fibroblasts—stem cells that produce new collagen—by promoting autophagy in fibroblasts. It also has powerful antioxidant strength and can effectively protect precious collagen from depletion.

And more good news if you are ready to break up with breakouts. The anti-inflammatory and immune boosting effects kefir has on the body can dramatically reduce acne. A balanced gut microflora can restore the balance of Cutibacterium acnes, a bacterium found in acne riddled skin.

A study made an interesting observation when assessing the progress of acne during a course of antibiotics. The researchers divided the subjects in two groups. Both groups received a commonly prescribed antibiotic, while only one group received an oral probiotic additionally. They found that the group that received the antibiotic and the probiotic supplement had better acne healing outcomes. On top of that, two women who only received the antibiotic had a vaginal fungal infection at the end of the trial.

If you have stubborn brown spots, Lactobacillus acidophilus can help. Studies found that this probiotic strain regulates out-of-control melanin production.

Lactobacillus acidophilus prevents wrinkle formation by reducing the major ager inflammation and oxidative stress by reduction of the activity of MMP, a group of enzymes that break down precious collagen.

Lactobacillus acidophilus prevents skin dehydration.

I could fill a book presenting you the skin benefits of all probiotic kefir strains but I hope what you read so far is getting you excited.

How does kefir promote such effects?

In a nutshell, probiotics in kefir mobilise the immune system and shift it towards a healthy and anti-inflammatory response. They improve gut health by strengthening the connections (tight junctions) between cells—a compromised function of these cell channels is associated to leaky gut. Probiotics are effective defenders towards pathogens by creating a protective biofilm. They even activate or deactivate genes that determine cell death and cell division of cancer cells.

If that doesn’t convince you to try kefir, let me report and amazing result I had with a client.

One of my dear clients, we call her Monica, had psoriasis for more than a decade. It came and went but since her son was born; it stayed. She tried uncountable herbs and supplements, followed diets that were making her life more complicated. Even though she eats a healthy, wholesome and organic diet, a lot of foods she loves, like sourdough bread, cheese, and potatoes, were not on the list of psoriasis diets.

When Monica came to see me, I just recently came across the book The Good Skin Solution by Shann Jones. Shann shares her incredible story about how she helped her almost dying husband—infected by a hospital bug—with natural healing methods. Goat kefir was one of the natural medicines she used. To date, she has helped many people with skin issues like psoriasis, acne and rosacea. Her story sounded interesting and Monica gave kefir a shot. It was an instant hit. The psoriasis started healing within the first week. We both were flabbergasted. After buying kefir from the only goat kefir supplier in New Zealand for a month, she started making her own.

As I like to be the guinea pig before I recommend things, I can confirm how much more beautiful and strong my skin is since I started drinking it—and I feel better. No store-bought probiotic ever had such fast acting and impressive impact on my skin and well-being.

I bet within the next decade, dairy is making a comeback as a valued staple in our foods but in its rawest, cleanest, untreated and maybe fermented form.

Please also remember to give thanks to the animal that has donated milk for your consumption. Another modern habit we have adapted is to forget to give the animals and plants that provide us with food the utmost reverence and sit in silence and give thanks before consumption. Treating food with respect and buying products from farmers that treat their animals well, we can do our best to reap the benefits with exploiting.

A note on histamine sensitivity:

Some people may not tolerate kefir well. This can be related to histamine intolerance or sensitivity. All fermented foods have high histamine levels, but they aren’t the reason for the sensitivity. There are different reasons why you may react to histamine, but before you are thinking to ditch the kefir, I advise to look into your toxic bucket. Environmental toxins cause immune reactions, mast cell activation and therefore histamine production. If you have chronic allergies, your toxic bucket is full or you lack DAO, the enzyme that breaks down histamine, then kefir may make you feel worse. However, I am a strong believer in detoxing, and doing so frees you from a lot of maladies and enables you to tolerate health-promoting, fermented foods again.

It is also a good idea to limit the fermented food servings to one a day and kefir to maximum of 175ml daily.

Photo: ©Milk Processor Education Program