{"id":29114,"date":"2026-07-17T10:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/?p=29114"},"modified":"2026-07-16T21:58:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T02:58:36","slug":"manel-esteller-epigenetics-and-cancer-expert-we-cant-change-our-genes-but-we-can-influence-how-they-behave-through-what-we-eat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/psychology\/manel-esteller-epigenetics-and-cancer-expert-we-cant-change-our-genes-but-we-can-influence-how-they-behave-through-what-we-eat-29114\/","title":{"rendered":"Manel Esteller, epigenetics and cancer expert: “We can’t change our genes, but we can influence how they behave through what we eat”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A large human study in Spain will test whether kefir can measurably change the gut microbiota, the community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the official announcement, Activia says the one-year project will include more than 500 participants and will be conducted with Spain\u2019s National Research Council, known as CSIC, with scientific support from Danone Biome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key point is the trial has been announced, but results are not yet available, so it cannot currently show that kefir prevents disease or helps people live longer. What it may do is put a popular health claim through a much larger real-world test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gut\u2019s hidden ecosystem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The gut microbiota includes trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms. Together, they help process parts of food, interact with the immune system, produce useful compounds, and send signals beyond the intestines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Still, there is no single perfect microbial lineup that fits everyone. A 2021 human study found that certain gut microbiome patterns were associated with healthier aging<\/a> and survival, but an association is not proof that one food caused a longer life. The science is promising, not settled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the study will test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The brand describes the project as the largest study of its kind in Spain. Its public announcement gives the planned size and one-year duration, but it does not yet disclose the control group, exact dose, main measurements, or a public trial registration\u2013details that matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any convincing food study needs a fair comparison, clear measures chosen in advance, and enough control over factors such as medication and the rest of a participant\u2019s diet. Otherwise, a change in stool bacteria may be interesting without showing a meaningful health benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is behind the work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The study sits within a three-year public-private research agreement<\/a> signed in March 2026. Its wider agenda covers probiotics, fermented foods, digestive health, healthy aging, diabetes prevention, and the nutritional quality of plant-based products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Close-up
Researchers in Spain are launching a 500-person study to determine if daily kefir consumption can effectively diversify the human gut microbiota.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Industry involvement does not make a result invalid, but readers should be able to see who funded the work and who controlled its design and analysis. A strong eventual paper should disclose those roles, publish the full methods, and separate findings about one tested product from broader claims about all kefir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why kefir stands out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kefir is usually made by fermenting milk with a mixed community of bacteria and yeasts. Yogurt<\/a> normally relies on a narrower set of bacterial cultures, which is one example of two products sitting side by side in the dairy aisle that may act differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, Silvia Moriano-Gutierrez and Marta Arroyo\u2019s team at the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology examined 11 commercial kefirs in a laboratory study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The researchers found major differences in microbial composition and immune-signaling effects in cell models, then stressed that human trials were needed. In other words, \u201ckefir\u201d is not one identical product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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